Overview

• New polling reported by FOX 5 shows Zohran Mamdani ahead by 18 points, and filings indicate he hit the city’s $8 million fundraising cap as Andrew Cuomo reported nearly $1 million in recent contributions.
• Cuomo escalated his case on The View, calling a Mamdani win a “gift” to President Donald Trump and warning of a possible federal takeover, while separately renewing demands that Mamdani condemn the phrase “globalize the intifada.”
• Mamdani is under scrutiny for photos with Uganda’s Rebecca Kadaga; his campaign says he posed while boarding a flight and would not have done so if aware of her anti-LGBTQ role, as Cuomo questions his judgment and raises dual-citizenship criticisms.
• Business leaders left a Sept. 30 Zoom uneasy after Mamdani said he would raise taxes on wealthy residents and corporations to fund his agenda, though many of those levers require state approval and Gov. Kathy Hochul has opposed major tax changes.
• DNC leaders publicly stress deference to primary voters even as some members press for stronger backing, and the campaign climate includes anti-Muslim threats and false questions about Mamdani’s citizenship highlighted by recent AP reporting.