Zohran Mamdani crushed the competition in New York City’s Democratic mayoral primary, according to the ranked-choice voting results released on Tuesday by the New York Board of Elections.
Mamdani, a 33-year-old democratic socialist and state assemblyman, won 56% of the vote in the final round of voting. That’s a 12-percentage-point lead over disgraced former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, his closest rival, and it represents a stinging rebuke of the Democratic establishment.
This solidifies the results of the first round of voting, which showed Mamdani with a comfortable—and surprising—lead last week. As a result, he declared victory the same night, and Cuomo conceded shortly after. And Tuesday’s ranked-choice results only widened the gap: Mamdani picked up nearly 100,000 additional votes from eliminated challengers, nearly double Cuomo’s pickup.
That boost likely came from a coordinated “Don’t Rank Cuomo” campaign. In New York City’s ranked-choice system, voters can list up to five candidates in order of preference. If no one wins a majority outright, the last-place finisher is eliminated and their votes redistributed, continuing until someone clears 50%.
The anti-Cuomo campaign urged voters to leave him off their ballots entirely, depriving him of later-round votes. The effort culminated in a late-game cross-endorsement between Mamdani and Comptroller Brad Lander, who placed third in the first round, with both candidates urging their supporters to rank the other man second.
Mamdani’s stunning performance is proof that strategy—and grassroots momentum—can overpower name recognition. His campaign mobilized thousands of previously disengaged or unregistered voters, especially young progressives. According to The New York Times, 37,000 New Yorkers registered in the two weeks before the registration deadline, compared with only about 3,000 who registered during the same stretch in 2021, when current New York City Mayor Eric Adams was first nominated by the Democrats.
Cuomo led polls after announcing his comeback bid in March, largely buoyed by older voters and name recognition. But Mamdani steadily closed the gap with relentless messaging about the city’s high cost of living and his plans to alleviate that with a bold progressive platform: rent freezes, free buses, and city-run grocery stores. His campaign drew endorsements from New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, among others.
Though expected to do well with white and college-educated voters, Mamdani also put up competitive numbers in demographic groups typically considered Cuomo’s strongholds, including Black and Hispanic voters. He didn’t just win; he built a new coalition.
Even so, the election isn’t technically over. Tuesday’s ranked-choice count provides a nearly final snapshot, but the Board of Elections will continue processing absentee ballots through July 15, when it plans to certify the results.
Still, the writing’s on the wall: Mamdani will almost certainly top the Democratic ticket in November, regardless of Republican grumbling.
Cuomo, who previously pledged to run as an independent if he lost, has stayed vague about his next move. His campaign issued a statement Tuesday that seemed to reject the outcome of the race.
“Extremism, division, and empty promises are not the answer to this city’s problems, and while this was a look at what motivates a slice of our primary electorate, it does not represent the majority,” it says.
But if Cuomo does continue his campaign, he won’t be alone. He won’t even be the only scandal-plagued former Democrat running as an independent in the race.
Adams dropped out of the Democratic primary earlier this year, and he also plans to run as an independent. He quickly went on the offensive, framing Mamdani as an untested radical. However, Adams continues to be dogged by a federal corruption investigation, which was controversially dropped by President Donald Trump’s administration. That said, he reportedly still has some backing from the city’s business elite.
Meanwhile, some of Cuomo’s former allies are jumping ship. Two major unions—the Hotel and Gaming Trades Council and 32BJ SEIU—have endorsed Mamdani in November’s general election, signaling a shift in momentum.
In addition to Adams, Mamdani will face Republican Curtis Sliwa and Jim Walden, a former federal prosecutor who is also in the race as an independent. Altogether, November’s general election could become a free-for-all brawl.
For now, though, Mamdani and his supporters have reason to celebrate. The left didn’t just win—they steamrolled.
Campaign Action Alex Samuels July 02, 2025 at 12:00AM From Daily Kos
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