in Democrats, NYC, Politics

Andrew Cuomo Falls To Radical Socialist Zohran Mamdani In NYC Mayoral Primary

Andrew Cuomo, Zohran Mamdani
AP

Andrew Cuomo’s political comeback collapsed Tuesday as voters handed a decisive primary victory to far-left Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani, a self-described socialist who has called for abolishing the police, freezing rent, and creating city-run grocery stores.

Mamdani emerged from the first round of New York City’s Democratic mayoral primary with approximately 44% of the vote. Cuomo, the scandal-ridden former governor who resigned in disgrace in 2021, trailed with just 36%. Cuomo called Mamdani to concede and offered no clarity on whether he will continue his campaign under the newly formed “Fight And Deliver Party.”

“Tonight was not our night,” Cuomo said. “Tonight was Assemblyman Mamdani’s night.”

The upset marks a dramatic end to a primary season that pitted the old guard against the city’s rising hard-left. Comptroller Brad Lander, a progressive who was recently arrested at an anti-ICE protest, finished third with 11% of the vote. Mayor Eric Adams, who skipped the primary to run as an independent, jokingly told reporters he voted for himself “all five times.”

Despite polling that suggested a tight race, Mamdani surged ahead, likely benefiting from ranked-choice voting and progressive endorsements. An Emerson poll released Monday had Cuomo leading first-choice votes, but Mamdani overtaking him in subsequent rounds. A Marist poll earlier had projected a Cuomo victory.

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New York City uses ranked-choice voting, where voters rank up to five candidates. If no one wins a majority in the first round, the lowest-performing candidates are eliminated and their votes redistributed until a winner emerges. While it took Mayor Adams eight rounds and two weeks to clinch the nomination in 2021, Mamdani’s lead appears strong enough to secure the nomination sooner. A final result is expected next week.

Regardless of the Democratic outcome, Cuomo, Mamdani, and Adams are all expected to appear on the November general election ballot alongside Republican Curtis Sliwa and independent Jim Walden.

Cuomo, still haunted by sexual harassment allegations and his botched handling of nursing homes during COVID, was an early target of progressive activists. Mamdani and Lander cross-endorsed each other and aggressively campaigned against Cuomo. At Lander’s election night event, attendees chanted “Goodbye, Cuomo,” following the assemblyman’s loss.

While mainstream Democrats like Bill Clinton and Michael Bloomberg backed Cuomo, Mamdani raked in endorsements from Bernie Sanders, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and activist celebrities like Cynthia Nixon and Emily Ratajkowski. Nixon called Cuomo a “TRUMP BILLIONAIRE-FUNDED SEX PREDATOR.”

Mamdani didn’t shy away from his radical agenda. He campaigned on proposals to freeze rent, establish a city-run food system, spend $65 million on taxpayer-funded transgender surgeries, make public transportation and childcare free, and replace the NYPD with a “Department of Community Safety.”

He wasn’t alone in pushing extreme policies. Brad Lander called for turning golf courses into housing projects and making the city an “abortion sanctuary.” State Senator Zellnor Myrie advocated for anti-racism curricula in kindergarten, and Assemblyman Michael Blake proposed sending therapists to answer 911 calls instead of police.

Also on the ballot was Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg, who easily secured renomination. Bragg, backed by George Soros and widely criticized for his soft-on-crime approach, is best known for targeting President Donald Trump with multiple criminal indictments.

The Democratic Party in New York City has clearly taken a hard-left turn. For Cuomo, a three-term governor once seen as a national figure, the voters delivered a final verdict.