Independent candidate former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa and Democratic candidate Zohran Mamdani participate in a mayoral debate, in New York, U.S. October 16, 2025.
Angelina Katsanis | Via Reuters
New York City voters will elect a new mayor on Tuesday, as two well-known Big Apple names strive to beat a relative newcomer, Zohran Mamdani, a democratic socialist whose sudden political ascendance has drawn attention nationwide.
Mamdani, the Democratic Party nominee, is facing off against former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, a longtime Democrat running as an independent, and Republican Curtis Sliwa, founder of Guardian Angels.
The winner will replace New York’s scandal-plagued mayor, Eric Adams, who dropped out of the contest in late September.
Mamdani, a state Assemblyman now in his third term, defeated the 67-year-old Cuomo in a stunning upset in June’s Democratic ranked-choice primary.
Polls for the general election have consistently shown Mamdani leading the race.
Mamdani, a native of Uganda who became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 2018, has called for a freeze in the rent of rent-stabilized apartments in the city, free public buses and the creation of city-owned grocery stores.
His platform and political worldview have sparked a backlash from city billionaires and other business interests, with anti-Mamdani political action committees raising more than $40 million to oppose his candidacy and back Cuomo.
Cuomo, who previously was U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, as well as New York state attorney general, resigned as governor in August 2021 after being accused by multiple women of sexual harassment.
Cuomo, whose father, Mario Cuomo, served three terms as the state’s governor, has denied wrongdoing.
His campaign platform calls for increasing the size of the city’s police department, deploying more officers in the city’s subways, building more affordable housing and reducing school class size.
The former radio host Sliwa, 71, in his second campaign for mayor, has leaned heavily on issues surrounding public safety, and called for hiring 7,000 additional police officers.
Adams also had been running as an independent after skipping his Democratic Party’s primary.
Adams’ public approval ratings had plummeted after his indictment in 2024 on federal corruption charges, which were later dismissed by a judge at the behest of the Department of Justice following the return of President Donald Trump to the White House.
Adams last month endorsed Cuomo, whom he had recently called a “snake and a liar.”
Since Adams’ withdrawal, Sliwa has faced intensifying pressure to quit the race to boost Cuomo’s chances against Mamdani.
Among those calling for Sliwa to drop out has been his fellow Republican, Trump, who has repeatedly and inaccurately claimed that Mamdani is a “communist.”
This is developing news. Please check back for updates.
