Mamdani leads pack as New Yorkers choose next mayor

WASHINGTON

New York City stands on the precipice of electing its new mayor as Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani leads a trio of candidates seeking to become the next leader of America’s largest city.

In a sign of how hotly-contested the race has become, over 735,000 ballots have been cast in early voting, marking a new city record, according to the Board of Elections in the City of New York.

The high turnout comes as the mayoral competition remains atop national headlines as it enters its final stretch.

That is largely due to Mamdani, who, if he wins Tuesday night, would become the city’s first Muslim and South Asian mayor, as well as its first unapologetically democratic socialist leader.

Mamdani has campaigned on a platform of affordability in one of America’s most expensive metropolises, speaking to critical pocketbook issues for voters while brushing off criticism from all sides, including from fellow Democrats, over his leftist politics and his pro-Palestinian positions.

Mamdani has championed freezing rent for New Yorkers living in rent-stabilized housing, free universal child care, free buses across the city, and opening city-run grocery stores to provide cheaper groceries in the city of 8.4 million.

All of this would be paid for, he says, by raising the corporate tax rate to 11.5% -- the same as in neighboring New Jersey -- as well as a 2% income tax on those earning over $1 million per year.

Competing against him are former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa, a rightwing community activist and radio talk show host.

Cuomo is running as an Independent after he lost the Democratic primary to Mamdani in June. He has since sought to cast himself as the best positioned to lead the city following decades of public service, including leading the state of New York during the COVID-19 pandemic.

But his history has also come back to haunt him, in no small part because of multiple controversies that burst into public view during his time as governor, including allegations of sexual misconduct and retaliation from over a dozen women that the Justice Department deemed credible.

Cuomo has since earned the endorsement of President Donald Trump, who has strongly criticized Mamdani, calling him a “communist” and threatening to withhold federal funding from New York City if the Democrat emerges victorious.

Sliwa, meanwhile, has refused calls to drop out of the race to give Cuomo a better shot at defeating Mamdani. It is unclear, however, if doing so would have any effect on the final outcome.

A compilation of polling compiled by the Real Clear Politics website has Mamdani up by an average of 14.3%, a massive lead heading into Election Day.

The review has Mamdani at 46.1% to Cuomo’s 31.8%. Sliwa sits in third place at 16.3%, and it is unclear if his base would back Cuomo, a longtime vocal Democrat.

While all polling dating back to July shows Mamdani in the lead, there is a significant range between polls in establishing how far ahead he actually is. Atlas Intel, a market research firm, has Mamdani up by just five points in its latest poll, released Nov. 3.

Another survey by The Hill/Emerson College shows Mamdani with 50% support, twice Cuomo’s share.

Most other surveys have Mamdani leading by low double digits.

Voters will begin heading to the polls at 6 am Eastern Time (1100GMT) on Tuesday. Polling stations will close at 9 pm (0200GMT Wednesday), but anyone who is in line at that time will be allowed to cast their ballots.