Why Everyone Is Talking About The NYC Mayoral Race, And Why Trump Is Personally So Invested?

Last Updated:November 04, 2025, 13:21 IST

As socialist candidate Zohran Mamdani faces off with Andrew Cuomo and Curtis Sliwa, Donald Trump’s threats and endorsements have turned it into a test of America’s political soul

Zohran Mamdani is the frontrunner for New York City mayoral polls

New York City’s mayoral election, normally a local contest focused on issues such as housing, policing and transport, has this year become a lightning rod in America’s national politics. What is usually a battle to manage the country’s largest city has turned into a referendum on the ideological direction of the United States itself, pitting progressivism against centrism, and both against a rising wave of conservative populism.

Three men are competing for control of City Hall: Zohran Mamdani, a 34-year-old Democratic socialist and state assemblyman from Queens; Andrew Cuomo, the former New York governor running as an independent after years in the Democratic mainstream; and Curtis Sliwa, a Republican radio host best known for founding the Guardian Angels, a civilian anti-crime patrol group.

Election Day is Tuesday, 4 November, according to the New York City Board of Elections. Polls across the five boroughs will open at 6 a.m. and close at 9 p.m. local time, which corresponds to 3:30 p.m. (on Tuesday) to 6:30 a.m. (on Wednesday) India Standard Time (IST).

Early voting ended on Sunday, and so far, more than 164,000 residents have cast their ballots, according to CBS News. Over 50,000 votes were recorded each in Manhattan and Brooklyn, with 38,000 in Queens.

Mamdani’s rise from a relative newcomer in city politics to the clear frontrunner has been one of the most unexpected turns in recent American elections. His victory over Cuomo in the Democratic primary upended conventional wisdom: the former governor had entered as the favourite, armed with name recognition, donor support and decades of political experience.

Mamdani represents the American version of democratic socialism — a political philosophy that advocates expanded public welfare, affordable housing, and higher taxes on the wealthy, while operating within a democratic framework. His campaign has energised young voters and grassroots groups but unsettled moderates who see his policies as too radical for America’s largest city.

How Mamdani’s Primary Upset Redefined New York, And Split The Democrats

Mamdani’s victory in the Democratic primary not only surprised New Yorkers, it redrew the political map of America’s largest city. His win ended what was expected to be an easy path back to power for former New York governor Andrew Cuomo, whose campaign collapsed despite early advantages in funding, recognition, and support from traditional Democratic networks.

Mamdani’s upset intensified the divide within the Democratic Party, emboldening progressive groups who began openly discussing primary challenges to senior party leaders, including House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries. That rhetoric alarmed moderates, exposing an ideological split between those pushing for a leftward turn in US politics and those who see it as a threat to the party’s electability.

As Mamdani’s profile rose, his opponents adjusted their campaigns. He had earlier supported the “defund the police" movement that gained traction after the 2020 racial justice protests but later softened his tone, meeting off-duty officers and proposing a revised public safety plan that focused on prevention and community outreach. These moves were widely seen as attempts to reassure voters uneasy about his progressive record.

Cuomo, meanwhile, re-entered the race as an independent after losing the primary, positioning himself as a centrist alternative capable of drawing support from moderate Democrats and disaffected Republicans. His campaign leaned heavily on experience and the promise of stability, arguing that Mamdani’s agenda risked destabilising the city’s finances and public order.

Former mayor Eric Adams, who dropped out of the race, also endorsed Cuomo, a development that briefly tightened the contest.

On the right, Curtis Sliwa ran a populist, tough-on-crime campaign. Known for his red beret and anti-crime activism since the 1970s, he told CNN: “They don’t see me as a politician. They see me as one of them, which is rare." Yet his campaign struggled to gain traction beyond core conservative boroughs, and many moderates feared that his persistence in the race would split the anti-Mamdani vote and strengthen the Democratic socialist’s lead.

Trump’s Endorsement Of Cuomo Has Turned A City Election Into A National Flashpoint

The race shifted dramatically when US President Donald Trump intervened. He endorsed Cuomo in a Truth Social post, writing: “Whether you personally like Andrew Cuomo or not, you really have no choice. You must vote for him, and hope he does a fantastic job. He is capable of it, Mamdani is not!"

Trump’s post went further, warning that if Mamdani won, he would be “highly unlikely" to send more than the “very minimum as required" in federal funds to New York.

The message was clear: support Cuomo, or risk financial punishment. Though US presidents cannot unilaterally decide how much federal money a city receives; Congress controls those appropriations. Attempts to withhold allocated funds have often been struck down by courts, which view them as violations of federal law.

“I would much rather see a Democrat, who has had a Record of Success, WIN, than a Communist with no experience and a Record of COMPLETE AND TOTAL FAILURE," Trump declared, branding Mamdani a “communist" despite the candidate describing himself as a democratic socialist.

In an interview with CBS’s 60 Minutes, Trump repeated his stance: “I’m not a fan of Cuomo one way or another, but if it’s going to be between a bad Democrat and a communist, I’m going to pick the bad Democrat all the time, to be honest with you."

The endorsement, or as many saw it, the threat, has injected a national ideological charge into the race. For Trump, New York remains symbolically powerful. It’s his home turf, the city that once defined his business empire. But it’s also a liberal stronghold that has consistently rejected him at the polls.

Trump’s renewed focus on New York reflects gains he made there during the 2024 election, winning 27 per cent of the Bronx vote, 38 per cent in Queens, and carrying Staten Island, even though he still lost the city overall.

Now, by weighing in, he has positioned the contest as a referendum on “MAGA versus socialism."

How Mamdani Answered Trump’s Threat

Mamdani responded publicly at a campaign event in Astoria, Queens. “In these final days, what was rumoured, what was feared, has become, naked and unabashed," he said. “The Maga movement’s embrace of Andrew Cuomo is reflective of Donald Trump’s understanding that this would be the best mayor for him — not the best mayor for New York City, not the best mayor for New Yorkers, but the best mayor for Donald Trump and his administration."

He added pointedly, “This funding is not something that Donald Trump is giving us here in New York City. This is something that we are, in fact, owed in New York."

As New Yorkers Vote, How Tight Has The Mayoral Race Become?

As voters head to the polls today, surveys continue to show a competitive three-way race that has gripped New York City’s political landscape. For weeks, Democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani has held a steady lead, but the contest has tightened in the final days as Andrew Cuomo’s independent bid has gained traction among moderate Democrats and centrist Republicans.

A Quinnipiac poll places Mamdani at 43 per cent support among likely voters, with Cuomo following at 33 per cent and Republican Curtis Sliwa at 14 per cent. Other polls by Marist and Fox News show similar gaps, keeping Mamdani roughly 10–15 points ahead. Yet, the AtlasIntel poll released over the weekend suggested that his margin may be narrowing to as little as six points, the closest it has been in months.

As per NY Post, this is Mamdani’s narrowest margin since July. Even so, prediction markets such as Polymarket still rate Mamdani as the clear favourite, giving him a 94 per cent chance of victory, compared with 6 per cent for Cuomo and less than 1 per cent for Sliwa.

Turnout is projected to reach about 1.9 million voters, the highest for any New York City mayoral election since 1969.

Will Fears Of A ‘Population Flight’ Shape The Verdict?

Adding to the fevered atmosphere, a J.L. Partners survey warned of a potential mass exodus if Mamdani were elected. Around 9 per cent of New Yorkers, roughly 765,000 people, said they would “definitely" leave the city, with another 25 per cent “considering" it.

Among high-income earners, 7 per cent earning over $250,000 a year said they would depart. Pollster James Johnson told the NY Post, “If anywhere near that number actually left, the economic impact would be seismic."

The data showed older residents and Staten Islanders were most likely to flee. “When asked to sum up what Mamdani’s New York would look like, respondents called it a ‘disaster,’ ‘hell,’ and — cover your ears, kids — a ‘sh–hole,’" Johnson said. Such rhetoric has captured the polarisation gripping the city: for some, Mamdani symbolises overdue reform; for others, he embodies an existential threat to New York’s identity.

Despite that sentiment, Mamdani has remained the frontrunner in nearly every poll.

Karishma Jain

Karishma Jain, Chief Sub Editor at News18.com, writes and edits opinion pieces on a variety of subjects, including Indian politics and policy, culture and the arts, technology and social change. Follow her @kar...Read More

Karishma Jain, Chief Sub Editor at News18.com, writes and edits opinion pieces on a variety of subjects, including Indian politics and policy, culture and the arts, technology and social change. Follow her @kar...

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