Cuomo Concedes NYC Mayoral Primary as Zohran Mamdani Eyes Finish Line

Former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo conceded to the upstart Democratic socialist and New York State Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani on Tuesday night, while votes were still being tallied in the first round of voting in New York City’s Democratic mayoral primary race.

Mamdani held an early and consistent lead over Cuomo in the first round, which has not yet been called by the Associated Press, as of 10:48 p.m. ET. The Democratic primary is also far from over, thanks to New York City’s ranked choice election system.

The Context

There are 11 candidates on the ballot for the Democratic mayoral nomination, but the race narrowed in recent weeks to a face-off between Cuomo—who resigned from the governorship in disgrace after being accused of sexual harassment—and Mamdani, a first-term assemblyman and son of Indian and Ugandan immigrants who is campaigning to freeze rents, eliminate bus fares and raise taxes on the wealthy.

This year’s Democratic primary is also in many ways a referendum on the direction of the party, with Mamdani galvanizing younger, more progressive voters hungry for radical change, versus Cuomo, who represents the old guard and traditional Democratic establishment.

The candidates’ bases were reflected in their endorsements heading into Tuesday; Mamdani won the backing of progressive darlings like New York U.S. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and independent U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders from Vermont, while Cuomo was endorsed by South Carolina U.S. Representative Jim Clyburn, widely seen as a Democratic kingmaker.

What To Know

At his election night party on Tuesday, Cuomo congratulated Mamdani for running a “really smart” campaign, adding: “Tonight was not our night. Tonight was Assemblyman Mamdani’s night,” adding that his opponent “inspired [voters] and moved them and got them to come out and vote. He really ran a highly impactful campaign.”

At the time of publication, Mamdani led Cuomo by a little over 7 percentage points. With 91 percent of the votes counted, no candidate has secured a majority of first-choice votes, meaning the election will very likely proceed to ranked choice voting.

Under this system, the candidate who’s ranked first by the fewest number of voters has their votes redistributed to voters’ second choice candidate. Voting continues until there are two candidates left, at which point whoever has the most votes wins.

Mamdani built an early lead over Cuomo because the first votes counted were those cast before Election Day, which were expected to be stronger for the state assemblyman than for Cuomo. The Election Day votes started coming in afterward but Mamdani continued maintaining a strong lead over the former governor.

Cuomo also faced strong headwinds from his other opponents, who banded together in urging voters to leave him off their ballots entirely in the days leading up to Tuesday’s election.

Democratic candidate and NYC Comptroller Brad Lander told WNYC radio, which interviewed all the major candidates on Monday: “Let’s make sure Andrew Cuomo gets nowhere near City Hall.” Lander and Mamdani cross-endorsed each other earlier this month.

Zellnor Myrie, New York state senator and another Cuomo rival, told WNYC: “We need fresh leadership, we need to turn the page and we need bold solutions at this moment.”

Michael Blake, former New York state lawmaker, also sought to turn voters away from Cuomo, telling WNYC: “You do not have to go back to the name of Andrew Cuomo,” adding that it was time to move on from the former governor.

What People Are Saying

Elle Bisgaard-Church, Mamdani’s campaign manager, told The New York Times: “We’re incredibly grateful for the voters across all five boroughs who, inspired by our vision for a better, affordable future, showed up in record numbers to make their voices heard.”

New York City Mayor Eric Adams, who is running as an independent in November’s general election, said of Mamdani: “I don’t agree with Mamdani’s policies. We’re diametrically opposed to each other. I don’t agree with his stance on many things. But I respect the fact he’s true to who he is. I don’t know who the other folks are.”

Lander said at his election night party: “This much is clear: together, we are sending Andrew Cuomo back to the suburbs. With our help, Zohran Mamdani will be the Democratic nominee.”

Stephanie Taylor, co-founder of the Progressive Change Campaign Committee, which endorsed Mamdani, said in a statement: “Zohran Mamdani’s likely victory shows that a new direction for the Democratic Party is possible – a future of dynamic candidates who appeal to young voters and working class voters with a platform that fights for people, not corporations.”

Taylor added: “The old guard establishment of the Democratic Party, fueled by billionaires, did everything they could to defeat Mamdani – and they failed. They continue being wrong about everything, and they need to get out of the way and let a new generation lead.”

David Hogg, progressive activist and former co-vice chair of the Democratic National Committee, applauded Mamdani while votes were still being counted, writing on X, formerly Twitter: “The Zohran volunteers are incredible. Movement in the polls like we’ve seen in the final weeks of the campaign does not happen on its own- especially when Republican billionaires are spending millions trying to destroy you.”

He added: “It takes an incredibly strong candidate and volunteers to create the major kind of momentum that we’ve seen. There were multiple times today I was passing out lit on the street asking people to vote and I would go up to someone and realize it was another Zohran volunteer. Truly amazing stuff on this campaign.”

Republican Representative Mike Collins of Georgia wrote on X: “New York City is on the verge of electing a socialist for mayor. Might be time to bring back the committee.”