33-year-old Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani claimed victory in the New York City Democratic mayoral primary, defeating former governor Andrew Cuomo. The primary election took place on June 24, 2025, under the city's ranked-choice voting system, with a turnout of roughly 1.1 million voters, over ⅓ of registered democrats.
Eleven candidates competed for the Democratic nomination. However, the race ultimately became a two-man contest between Mamdani, a first-term state assemblyman and democratic socialist, and Cuomo, a veteran politician seeking a comeback. According to initial first-choice vote tallies, Mamdani received about 43.5% of votes to Cuomo’s 36.4%, with Lander in third at 11.3%. No candidate crossed the 50% threshold, and with the implementation of ranked-choice voting, the outcome will be finalized only after the full ranked-choice count is completed next week. However, Mamdani’s lead was large enough that Cuomo conceded on election night, acknowledging he had no realistic path to make up the deficit in later rounds.
Mamdani ran on a progressive platform centered around affordability, equity, and public ownership. In his campaign, he prioritized rent stabilization, social housing, and fare-free public transit to combat New York’s rising cost of living. He also advocated for city-run grocery stores in food deserts, expanding public healthcare access, and implementing municipal wealth taxes on the ultra-rich.