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Mamdani Heads Into Final Stretch as Clear Frontrunner in Three-Way NYC Mayoral Race

Late-campaign attacks and spoiler pressure dominate a plurality contest that follows a far more civil ranked-choice primary.

Overview

  • Voting concludes November 4 in a three-candidate general election, with multiple reports describing Zohran Mamdani as the overwhelming favorite.
  • Independent Andrew Cuomo and Republican Curtis Sliwa round out the field after Eric Adams withdrew, creating a winner-take-all race without ranked-choice dynamics.
  • Mamdani, a Democratic Socialist, campaigns on rent freezes and stricter landlord regulation, a 2% surtax on incomes over $1 million, higher corporate taxes, free buses, a $30 minimum wage, and expanded public childcare, drawing sharp warnings from business leaders and conservative commentators about costs and public safety.
  • Tensions over Israel and antisemitism remain central as Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove labels Mamdani a danger to Jewish New Yorkers, even as other Jewish and Israeli New Yorkers publicly defend him and his campaign touts expanded anti–hate-crime programming.
  • Rhetoric has intensified in the closing days, with President Donald Trump deriding Mamdani, the candidate saying he would still try to work with the White House, Cuomo agreeing with a radio host’s suggestion that Mamdani would 'be cheering' during a 9/11-level crisis, and renewed calls focused on spoiler effects and Sliwa’s role.