Zohran Mamdani, a 33-year-old democratic socialist assemblyman from Queens, has officially won the Democratic nomination for New York City mayor with 56% of the vote in a surprise upset over former Gov. Andrew Cuomo. The November general election is shaping up to be highly competitive, with Mamdani facing incumbent Mayor Eric Adams, Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa, and possibly Cuomo himself. Will this turn out to be a close race?
Democratic Socialist Claims Victory in NYC Primary
Zohran Mamdani, a 33-year-old Democratic socialist assemblyman from Queens, has officially secured the Democratic nomination for New York City mayor with 56% of the vote. His victory represents a significant upset over former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, with Mamdani receiving 70,465 more votes in a primary that utilized ranked choice voting.
Mamdani’s platform includes progressive policies such as a rent freeze, city-owned grocery stores, free buses, and free child care. These proposals would be funded by implementing a tax on the city’s top earners and raising the corporate tax rate, positioning Mamdani as a champion for working-class New Yorkers.
Zohran Mamdani wants to defund the police, get rid of billionaires, seize the means of production, and “globalize the intifada.”
He’s fetishizing the Third World so that he can promote Third World policies. pic.twitter.com/S9X2m3MC7l
— Congressman Brandon Gill (@RepBrandonGill) July 2, 2025
Trump Threatens Legal Action Against Mamdani
President Trump has generated controversy by claiming that Mamdani is in the United States illegally and threatening to arrest him if he defies Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Mamdani is a naturalized U.S. citizen who was born in Uganda, drawing criticism from New York officials, including Governor Kathy Hochul.
Trump labeled Mamdani a communist and a “radical left lunatic” while expressing support for incumbent Mayor Eric Adams. Despite being a Democrat, Adams is now running as an independent following corruption charges that were later dropped by Trump’s Justice Department, creating an unusual dynamic in the race.
Zohran Mamdani has an Ivy professor dad and a famous director mom. He knows how to eat with utensils. But he chooses to eat rice with his bare hands to signal that he is from the Third World and isn't Western. It's a calculated stunt, just like him constantly changing his accent.… pic.twitter.com/eh853bNU8R
— Charlie Kirk (@charliekirk11) July 1, 2025
Competitive General Election Takes Shape
The November 4th general election is expected to be highly competitive with multiple prominent candidates. Recent polling shows Mamdani and Cuomo tied at 39%, with Adams at 13% and Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa at 7%, suggesting the race remains wide open.
Additional candidates have also entered the race, including Cuban-American biotech engineer Joseph Hernandez as an independent. Hernandez has positioned himself as a counterweight to Mamdani’s socialist agenda, stating, “I was born in Cuba, a country where socialism destroyed opportunity. My family lost everything.”
Unlike the primary, the general election will not use ranked choice voting, potentially changing the dynamics of the contest. Mayor Adams has criticized Mamdani’s agenda, emphasizing the need for jobs rather than what he characterized as “handouts,” while Cuomo is still considering whether to actively campaign against his opponents following his primary defeat.