In the closely watched New York City Democratic mayoral primary, no candidate achieved the 50% threshold necessary for an outright victory. However, following a strong performance in the initial round, state Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani proclaimed his victory over former Governor Andrew Cuomo, who conceded earlier in what is shaping up to be a remarkable upset. According to the New York City Board of Elections, as of 10:30 p.m. Tuesday, Mamdani was leading among candidates ranked first on ballots, securing 44% of the vote, while Cuomo trailed with approximately 36%, and city comptroller Brad Lander received around 11%.
The early results indicated a significant showing for Mamdani, a member of the Democratic Socialists of America. He had gained substantial momentum in polling and fundraising during the campaign's closing weeks, leveraging social media to connect with younger voters. In an impassioned speech delivered to his supporters shortly after midnight, Mamdani declared, "Tonight, we made history," pledging, "I will be your Democratic nominee for the mayor of New York City." Addressing his cheering crowd, he emphasized, "We have won because New Yorkers have stood up for a city they can afford, a city where they can do more than just struggle."
Earlier on Tuesday, Cuomo addressed his supporters, stating, "Tonight was not our night; tonight was Assemblyman Mamdani's night. He put together a great campaign and inspired young people to come out and vote." Cuomo acknowledged Mamdani's victory, saying, "He deserved it. He won," while hinting at future considerations by stating, "We're going to take a look and make some decisions." Shortly after his remarks, Cuomo's campaign announced his concession in the primary and hinted at the possibility of an independent run in the fall election.
Cuomo's campaign for mayor was intended to mark his political comeback nearly four years after resigning the governorship amidst allegations of sexual harassment and inappropriate conduct, which he has consistently denied. Throughout the mayoral race, Cuomo has focused on his experience, claiming to be the candidate who has previously taken on President Donald Trump during his time in office.
In contrast, Mamdani's campaign has centered around a progressive, economy-focused platform. His proposals include a rent freeze for rent-stabilized apartments and eliminating fares for New York City buses. If elected, Mamdani would become the city’s first Muslim mayor and its youngest in a century. However, he has faced skepticism regarding the feasibility of some of his proposals and backlash over his comments on Israel.
Despite Cuomo's concession, the race will proceed to a ranked-choice count, as no candidate among the 11 on the ballot achieved more than 50%. The results released do not yet reflect any ranked-choice tabulation. Comprehensive results are expected to be reported on July 1, when the Board of Elections plans to begin ranked-choice tabulations. Under the city’s ranked-choice voting system, if no candidate surpasses the 50% mark, the candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated, and the process continues in rounds until only two candidates remain. The candidate leading at that stage will win the primary.
A spokesperson for the Board of Elections, Vincent Ignizio, informed ABC News that the delay in comprehensive results is partly due to the time required to retrieve data from voting machines. The Board plans to complete vote counting in the coming weeks, with certification of results scheduled for July 15. Nearly 1 million New Yorkers participated in early voting or voted on the day of the primary. In the previous 2021 Democratic mayoral primary, which was the first instance of ranked-choice voting in New York City, a total of 942,031 votes were cast.
Given New York's heavily Democratic landscape, it is likely that the Democratic primary winner will have a significant advantage in the upcoming general election in November. However, the situation may be complicated by the fact that incumbent Democratic Mayor Eric Adams is running as an independent in the fall.
ABC News' Jack Moore contributed to this report.
