DemDaily: New York City Mayoral. The Update!
July 24, 2025
In a head-to-head general election matchup in the New York Mayor's race, Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani and Independent Fight and Deliver Party candidate Andrew Cuomo are in a statistical 41%-42% dead heat, according to a new poll released Tuesday.
Unlike the primary election, however, which was conducted under ranked choice voting, the winner of the November general election will be determined by a plurality of the highest number of votes, regardless of whether it's a majority.
In the four-way race to run City Hall, there is no scenario at present where the other two candidates -- Incumbent New York Mayor Eric Adams, who is on the ballot as an Independent, and Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa, intend to drop out of the race.
In a shocking upset, Mamdani, a Queens State Assemblyman and Democratic Socialist, won the June 24 Democratic Mayoral Primary -- which drew the largest turnout in the city's history -- defeating Cuomo, a former three-term Democratic governor, and nine other candidates.
| NYC Mayoral Democratic Primary Results: Mamdani decisively defeated Cuomo in the third round of Ranked Choice Voting, 56.39% to 43.61%, after NYC Comptroller Brad Lander was eliminated following the second round. |
The primary, which ended up pitting the two radically different Democrats -- in age, ideology, and institutional experience -- against each other, was closely watched nationwide as a test of the mood of the Democratic electorate, messaging and campaigning in the age of Trump.
The victory of the charismatic Mamdani, 33, was considered a major win for progressives and a movement within the larger national Democratic Party that has advocated for the election of a younger generation.
Cuomo, 67, viewed as the establishment candidate of business interests and deep-pocketed donors, ran a more traditional mail and TV campaign, while Mamdani took his platform to the streets, the people and the press -- buoyed by a savvy social media operation that underscored the generational divide between the campaign.
A centrist elected four times statewide, Cuomo is staging a comeback after resigning in August 2021, midway through his third term as governor. He stepped down after an investigation by the New York Attorney General's office concluded that the governor had sexually harassed women in his employment. No charges were filed.
Although Cuomo gracefully conceded the primary to Mamdani, on July 14 he announced he would be running in the general election as an independent. He is the nominee of the Fight and Deliver Party, which he established in May as a fallback to ensure he would be on the general election ballot were he to lose the Democratic Party nomination.
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 unprecedented dynamics of the general election, however, continue to capture the country's attention in the highest-profile contest of 2025.
| When polling on the four general election candidates, the July 18-20 NextUp/Wick poll showed Mamdani (D) leading with 39%, followed by Cuomo (I) with 21%, Sliwa (R) with 19%, and Adams (I) at 9% (MOE: +/-4.4%). |
'The Wick poll showed Mamdani with the highest favorability rating at 43% Sliwa at 36%, Cuomo at 34%, and Adams 22%.
Adams, who was 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.
Sliwa, a talk Radio show host and the founder and CEO of the Guardian Angels, was in the Republican primary. As the 2021 nominee for mayor, Sliwa lost to Adams, 27.76%-66.99%.
Mamdani, who is also endorsed by the Working Families Party (WFP), has the support of numerous national progressive leaders and the lion's share of state legislators, council members and Democratic party leaders from the city.. Most notably, some of the labor unions that backed Cuomo in the primary have switched their endorsement to Mamdani, including the Hotel and Gaming Trades Council; Local 32BJ SEIU, which represents doormen and other building workers; and the New York State Nurses Association.
Adams, who has also accrued the endorsements of some local officials, appears to be the new favorite candidate of the city’s business and real estate community, along with their financial support.
DemList will keep you informed.
DemList
Connecting You to The Party
Connecting You to Each Other
Kimberly Scott
Publisher
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, Ballotpedia
