Democratic mayoral candidates Andrew Cuomo, shakes hands with Zohran Mamdani, as Whitney Tilson reacts after participating in a Democratic mayoral primary debate, Wednesday, June 4, 2025, in New York. Yuki Iwamura/Pool via REUTERS
State Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani holds an early lead over former Gov. Andrew Cuomo — widely considered the frontrunner — in the fiercely contested Democratic primary for New York City mayor. But with projections showing Mamdani falling short of the 50% threshold, the race appears headed for ranked-choice tabulations that could take days — or longer — to decide, according to media reports.
Mamdani led the field late Tuesday night with 43.5% of the vote, while Cuomo captured 36.3%, The New York Times reported. A group of nine other candidates also competed in the race, but none got above 11.4% of the vote.
The closely-watched contest pitted Mamdani, a Democratic socialist, against Cuomo, the scandal-plagued former governor seeking a political comeback in the country's largest city.
Under the city's ranked-voting system, voters rank candidates by preference. If no one receives a majority of first-choice votes, lower-performing candidates are eliminated and their votes reallocated until one candidate crosses the 50% threshold.
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