DemDaily: Mamdani Clobbers Cuomo in NYC Primary!
June 26, 2025
In a shocking upset and major win for progressives Tuesday night, Queens State Assemblyman and Democratic Socialist Zohran Mamdani declared victory in the New York Democratic Mayoral Primary.
At 10:15pm, with 85% of the first round vote in, Mamdani led with 43.6% to Cuomo's 36.1%, followed by NYC Comptroller Brad Lander with 11.5%, City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams with 4.1% and former NYC Comptroller Scott Stringer with 1.7%.
It was over before it even started. Less than two hours after the polls closed at 9:00pm, frontrunner and former three-term Governor Andrew Cuomo conceded the contest to the 33-year-old legislator, twice his junior.
In the solidly blue city, where registered Democrats outnumber Republicans by almost six to one, the winner of the Democratic primary is normally the presumptive winner of the general election in November. The makeup of the 2025 general election field, however. is still not finalized.
| New York uses a Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) electoral system where voters rank up to five candidates in order of preference on their ballot. If no candidate wins 50%+ in the first round, the candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated. The votes of the eliminated candidate are then reallocated to the second choice of the last-place finisher's voters. The process is repeated until a winner is declared from the final two. |
In his election night speech to supporters, Mamdani, who would be the city’s first Muslim and Indian American mayor, said: “Tonight, we made history. In the words of Nelson Mandela, it always seems impossible until it is done. My friends, we have done it.”
As no candidate received over 50% in the first round, the ranked choice voting will proceed through additional rounds until an official winner, presumably Mamdani, is certified next Tuesday, July 1st.
Mamdani, who was polling at 7% to Cuomo's 44% in January, built an unprecedented grassroots movement that fueled his rapid rise to second place, within 3% of Cuomo, the consistent frontrunner, going into Tuesday's election.
The mayoral primary, which ended up pitting two radically different Democrats -- in age, ideology, and institutional experience -- against each other, has been closely watched nationwide as a test of the mood of Democratic voters, messaging and campaigning in the age of Trump.
Cuomo, a moderate elected four times statewide, was staging a comeback after resigning in August 2021, midway through his third term as governor. He stepped down after an investigation by New York Attorney General Letitia James concluded that the governor had sexually harassed at least 11 women. No charges were ultimately filed.
Cuomo was backed by deep-pocketed donors and endorsed by prominent centrist figures like former President Bill Clinton and former NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg. National business interests and party establishment leaders like Congressman James Clyburn (D-SC) supported the former governor, as did many of the city's largest labor unions, including SEIU 32BJ.
As the race narrowed, Cuomo, who waged a more traditional campaign with controlled public appearances, focused on flooding mailboxes and blanketing the airwaves with anti-Mamdani advertisements -- falsely portraying the Assemblyman as antisemitic for his condemnation of Israel’s actions in Gaza.
.A Cuomo-affiliated Super PAC, "Fix The City," spent a record $25 million in outside spending in the primary.
In contrast, the charismatic Mamdani remained focused on his progressive platform, which he took to the streets in daily events and miles-long Forrest Gump style-pilgrimages across the city, as played out in the press and propelled by an incredibly savvy social media operation that underscored the generational divide between his and his rival's campaign.
Speaking to the fears of everyday citizens, Mamdani campaigned on affordability, no-cost childcare, rent freezes, boosting taxes on the wealthiest residents to fund free buses, and creating city-owned grocery stores.
He had the powerful endorsement of progressive New York Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Senator Bernie Sanders (I-V), and the left, union-centric Working Families Party. He built a coalition of not only young New Yorkers, but South Asians, Muslims, and other communities -- many of who were voting for the first time,
His army of 50,000 volunteers knocked on over 1.5 million doors -- driven by younger voters seeking a leader who shares their vision for the future in a political party which they view as unresponsive to the unique challenges facing their generation.
In his concession speech Tuesday night, Cuomo congratulated Mamdani, saying, “He put together a great campaign and he touched young people and inspired them and moved them to come out and vote...Tonight was not our night. Tonight is his night. He deserved it. He won.”
Of a potential general election run against Mamdani as an Independent, Cuomo left the door open, saying, "I want to look at the numbers of the ranked choice voting as they come in, and what the numbers actually say and do...and give some thought about the best way to address [the issues], the best way to help the party, but most of all, the best way to help the city...as we go forward."
| “I will be the mayor for every New Yorker. Whether you voted for me, for Governor Cuomo, or felt too disillusioned by a long, broken political system to vote at all, I will fight for a city that works for you, that is affordable for you, that is safe for you. I will work to be a mayor you will be proud to call your own. And I pledge to you that we will remake this great city, not in my image, but in the image of every New Yorker who has only known struggle. In our New York, the power belongs to the people." - Presumed Democratic Nominee for New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, Election Night 6/24/25 |
General Election Ballot
Mamdani will become the official Democratic Party nominee after completion of ranked choice voting and certification of the final votes July 1.
He will face Guardian Angels founder and 2021 mayoral candidate Curtis Sliwa, who is again the Republican Party's nominee, and former Assistant US Attorney and Independent Jim Walden.
Incumbent New York Mayor Eric Adams, whose approval rating hovers at 20%, will be on the ballot as an Independent. Adams, elected as a Democrat in 2021, was indicted on federal bribery, fraud, and conspiracy charges in September 2024. After agreeing to endorse the immigration and crime policies of the newly elected Trump administration, the charges against Adams were dropped by the Department of Justice and the case dismissed April 2, 2025. On April 3, Adams announced he would be forgoing the Democratic primary and running for reelection as an Independent.
The Cuomo Factor
In May, Cuomo launched the "Fight and Deliver Party," a new Independent political party -- ensuring he would be on the general election ballot were he to lose the Democratic Party nomination. He is expected to make his final decision in the coming weeks.
DemList will keep you informed.
DemList
Connecting You to The Party
Connecting You to Each Other
Kimberly Scott
Publisher
Please Support Our Work!
SignUp for the Daily updates on policy, politics and the players.
Follow DemList on Bluesky, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
Sources: New York Times, City&StateNewYork, NY1, Politico, CNN, CBS, The Guardian, Lex19, CityNews, The Independent
DemList is publishing on a moderated schedule through while our publisher recovers from hand surgery.
