New York City’s voters have their last chance to make their voices heard today in a whirlwind mayoral election that has captured the attention of the world. A record 735,000 New Yorkers have voted early, fueled by outsized participation among younger people. That is likely a sign of enthusiasm for the frontrunner, 34-year-old state assemblymember Zohran Mamdani.
The November general election is ordinarily a formality in New York, where the victor of the Democratic Party’s primary over the summer tends to cruise to victory. This year, it has been more contested than usual. After Mamdani won the Democrats’ nomination, his opponent Andrew Cuomo, who resigned as governor of New York state in 2021 amid an impeachment investigation into sexual harassment allegations, mounted an independent campaign. (Cuomo denies the accusations against him.)
Mamdani is still heavily favored to win, with polls showing him ahead of Cuomo and the Republican candidate, Curtis Sliwa, by double digits. His likely victory would be historic in many ways: The youngest mayor of the city in modern times, as well as the first Muslim and the first self-described socialist.
