Zohran Mamdani set to defeat Cuomo in stunning NYC mayoral primary upset

Zohran Mamdani, a 33-year-old democratic socialist who ran a grassroots campaign that inspired younger voters through a relentless focus on making New York City more affordable, was set to win the Democratic primary for mayor Tuesday, toppling former Gov. Andrew Cuomo and nine other candidates in a political earthquake that will reverberate throughout the country.

With 93% of scanners reporting, Mamdani, a state assemblymember from Queens, garnered 44% of ballots to Cuomo’s 36% in the first round of counting in the ranked-choice vote, all but guaranteeing a major upset of the Democratic Party establishment in the nation’s most populous city.

Without a majority of votes, the contest will technically be decided by the ranked-choice tally on July 1. But Cuomo, apparently anticipating the outcome, conceded the primary race, telling his supporters at a somber rally that he’d called Mamdani to congratulate him on his victory.

Mamdani declared victory just after midnight, taking to the stage at his Long Island City watch party as a raucous crowd of supporters chanted his name.

“Tonight, we made history,” he said. “In the words of Nelson Mandela: 'It always seems impossible until it is done.'”

Assuming Mamdani pulls off the win, it will set up a November showdown with current Mayor Eric Adams, who declined to run in the Democratic primary and is instead running on an independent line in the general election.

The most left-leaning candidate in a crowded Democratic field, Mamdani relentlessly campaigned on raising taxes on the city’s billionaires to fund initiatives like free MTA buses.

While his rivals pledged to hire more NYPD police officers, Mamdani said he would instead expand mental health outreach teams to improve the social safety net.

Mamdani was also more critical of Israel than other candidates, prompting some to accuse him of fueling antisemitism, which the candidate denied.

Mamdani supporters — including Ella Emhoff and actors Cynthia Nixon and Kal Penn — gathered at Greats of Craft, a beer garden in Long Island City, to watch the results come in.

As the returns began to show Mamdani with a significant lead, members of the crowd started chattering — some in disbelief, others euphoric.

“This is an amazing victory,” said Nixon, who ran against Cuomo in a 2018 primary for governor. “I believe there is a candidate like Zohran once in a generation.”

Cuomo’s supporters, meanwhile, watched in disappointment as Cuomo threw in the towel at the Carpenter Union Hall on the western edge of SoHo.

“He won,” Cuomo told them. “Tonight was not our night. Tonight was Assemblyman Mamdani’s night, and he put together a great campaign and he touched young people and inspired them and got them to come out and vote.”

The official winner will depend on the additional rounds of counting, which will redistribute votes from losing candidates as they are eliminated.

The candidate coming in third place in the unofficial results, Comptroller Brad Lander, cross-endorsed Mamdani, further bolstering Mamdani’s position heading into the ranked choice tally next week.

The winner of that tally – also known as an “instant runoff” – will become the front-runner in a November election.

In a statement, Cuomo left open the possibility he wouldn’t abandon the race for mayor. The former governor has already qualified for the November election on an independent line he created called Fight and Deliver, but he didn’t say whether he would actively campaign.

“I want to look at all the numbers as they come in and analyze the rank choice voting. I will then consult with my colleagues on what is the best path for me to help the City of New York, as I have already qualified to run for mayor on an independent line in November,” Cuomo said.

Zohran Mamdani entered the race for mayor as a relative unknown.

The primary race pitted a member of a New York political dynasty seeking to rehabilitate his image against a socialist upstart half his age, highlighting the political and generational divides within the Democratic Party in New York City and the nation.

Cuomo, 67, sought to resurrect a political career that came to an abrupt halt in 2021 when he resigned as governor amid a sexual-harassment scandal after more than a decade in office. He entered the race as the prohibitive favorite with the highest name recognition in a field of lesser-known candidates.

The former governor ran a campaign that emphasized his experience and competence, piling up endorsements from labor unions and centrist Democrats, including former President Bill Clinton.

Former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg also endorsed the former governor and pumped more than $8 million into Fix The City, a super PAC that raised over $24 million and blanketed the airwaves with pro-Cuomo and anti-Mamdani ads.

Cuomo argued his political know-how made him the best candidate to restore order to New York City and stand up to President Donald Trump.

But he carried significant political baggage: the sexual misconduct scandal, questions about his management of the COVID-19 pandemic, and state budget decisions that hurt the city.

Mamdani launched his campaign in October as a relative unknown. He is a member of the Democratic Socialists of America who has promised to freeze rent prices in rent-regulated apartments, eliminate the fare for city buses, raise taxes on the rich and open city-owned grocery stores.

A state lawmaker with a relatively thin legislative record since taking office in 2021, he was endorsed by many of the biggest names on the left, including U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders from Vermont.

Public polling in recent weeks showed Mamdani’s support skyrocketing as Cuomo’s remained stagnant. Early voting saw record turnout, fueled by young voters.

Nearly a quarter of early voters had not voted in a Democratic primary at any point between 2012 and 2024.

The assemblymember’s campaign amounted to a rejection of the centrist brand of politics that defined Cuomo’s career. By extension, Mamdani’s candidacy also amounted to a rejection of the Democratic Party establishment, which is still reeling from Trump’s return to the White House.

The charismatic candidate said his campaign had nearly 50,000 unpaid volunteers who had knocked on more than 1 million doors.

He performed particularly well in Brooklyn, besting Cuomo by 17 percentage points.

“I was amazed, honestly," said Mamdani volunteer Batul Hassan, 31. "This is what an election should look like in a real democracy."

Hassan continued, “People were so happy. It’s such a relief to see it’s possible to win against the billionaires and the corporations who spent so much against us.”

In his victory speech, Mamdani promised to “govern our city as a model for the Democratic Party.”

“A life of dignity should not be reserved for a fortunate few; it should be one that is guaranteed for each and every New Yorker,” Mamdani said. “If this campaign has demonstrated anything to the world, it’s that our dreams can become reality.”

If elected in November, Mamdani would be the first Muslim and Asian American mayor.

Both Cuomo and Mamdani forged alliances with competing candidates in the closing weeks of the ranked-choice campaign.

The most consequential partnership was between Mamdani and City Comptroller Brad Lander, another mayoral candidate seeking votes from the left flank of the party. The two men cross-endorsed each other just before the start of the early-voting period, encouraging their supporters to rank the other candidate second.

Both candidates were also part of the left-leaning Working Families Party’s slate, which included candidates City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams and state Sen. Zellnor Myrie.

As of Tuesday night, Lander was in third place in the first round of counting, picking up 11% of the vote with 93% of scanners reporting. Adrienne Adams was in fourth place with 4%, while Myrie picked up 1%.

At Lander’s Primary Night watch party in Atolye Venue & Bar in Gowanus, the candidate’s supporters erupted in applause when he announced voters would be “sending Andrew Cuomo back to the suburbs.”

“With our help, Zohran Mamdani will be the Democratic nominee for the mayor of the city of New York,” Lander said. “We are on a path to win a city that all New Yorkers can afford and where everyone belongs.”

Later, Lander said of Cuomo: “Good f---ing riddance," drawing huge cheers from the crowd.

Cuomo, meanwhile, was endorsed for the No. 2 slot by fellow candidates Jessica Ramos, a state senator from Queens, and Whitney Tilson, a former hedge fund manager.

Ramos and Tilson both received less than 1% of the vote, according to the unofficial results.

Along with Eric Adams and Cuomo, Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa and independent Jim Walden are also set to appear on the November ballot.

“This is it,” Adams posted on social media after Cuomo conceded. “The fight for New York’s future begins tonight.”