New Yorkers are casting their ballots in the highly anticipated mayoral primary, where Zohran Mamdani, a 33-year-old democratic socialist, is challenging former Governor Andrew Cuomo. Early voting in Richmond started on June 14. It has already drawn more than 380,000 voters — more than double the primary turnout in 2021. This huge increase in voter turnout is happening with an enormous change in the atmosphere, particularly with younger voters.
Andrew Cuomo, who resigned as governor in 2021 following allegations of sexual harassment from over a dozen women, was initially viewed as the clear frontrunner earlier this year. Recent polling shows that there has been a huge turnaround in public sentiment. In last week’s survey, 60% of voters 18 to 34 supported Mamdani. By contrast, just 10% supported Cuomo. This demographic makes up 40% of early voters, showing overwhelming support for Mamdani coming from younger constituents.
Mamdani’s campaign has built significant momentum on the back of a social media apparatus that dwarfs that of his opponents. His progressive platform includes bold proposals such as rent freeze and free buses citywide. These concepts are appealing to a lot of voters tired of the political establishment. He kicked off a brilliant strategic move by announcing a “cross-endorsement” with fellow progressive Brad Lander. This decision went a long way in making him the left-wing faction of the Democratic Party’s darling.
Cuomo has kept a low profile, preferring highly choreographed events to big public rallies. His campaign has been propped up by the support of centrist party establishment members and billionaire donors. As the race has narrowed, Cuomo’s campaign has shifted to more directly attack Mamdani. They’ve spent millions on direct mail and TV ads in order to crank up their drumbeat.
Polling in the lead up to the primary has confirmed Mamdani’s meteoric rise in popularity. As of a recent poll, he’s the favorite to win it all in rank-choice voting after several rounds. This unique voting system would make all the difference for Mamdani. It allows voters to rank their choices, ultimately giving more of a boost to progressive candidates such as him.
The primary outcome of great importance. Winning it doesn’t necessarily mean that candidate is going to be the next mayor of New York City. In fact, the city’s election bias against registered Republicans is apparent. Once a candidate wins the Democratic primary, they have a very strong indication that they will win the general election.