Dark-horse socialist candidate Zohran Mamdani staged a stunning upset Tuesday night by knocking off former Gov. Andrew Cuomo in the Democratic mayoral primary.
“Tonight we made history,” Mamdani told supporters at his victory party after midnight. “In the words of Nelson Mandela, ‘It always seems impossible until it is done.’ My friends, we have done it. I will be your Democratic nominee for the mayor of New York City.”
The 33-year-old Queens assemblyman defied polls and expectations as he notched a likely insurmountable 7-point lead over Cuomo, the three-term governor who hoped to make a political comeback after resigning in disgrace in 2021.
“Tonight is his night. He deserved it, he won,” a seemingly shell-shocked Cuomo, 67, said as he conceded to Mamdani.
The first round of the ranked-choice voting contest had Mamdani ahead with 43.51% of votes, followed by Cuomo’s 36.42% and city Comptroller Brad Lander’s 11.31%, Board of Elections unofficial results show. Mamdani carried roughly 432,000 votes to Cuomo’s 362,000, the results show.
The state lawmaker didn’t crack 50% of votes, so the contest will still be decided July 1 once the other rounds of ranked-choice votes are calculated.
But the first-round totals still put the avowed democratic socialist within sight of becoming New York City’s next mayor.
Cuomo conceded he lost the primary as he addressed his campaign’s watch party — and signaled he may not run in the November general election on an independent line, as widely assumed.
“Tonight was not our night,” Cuomo said, as he praised Mamdani’s grassroots campaign, which mobilized young, far-left voters with catchy campaign promises and slogans focusing on affordability.
“It’s affordability, stupid,” quipped longtime New York City political operative Kevin McCabe, in a reference to Bill Clinton, about the issue that decided the race.
A win by Mamdani is bound to have sweeping impacts beyond the Big Apple and signal the rising power of the Democrats’ progressive wing, especially over aging party stalwarts such as Cuomo.
His near-insurmountable lead hints he could be replicating what his backer and fellow progressive Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez did in 2018, as she ran as a charismatic outsider to topple entrenched Democrat Joe Crowley — only he did it across the whole city, a political veteran told The Post.
Cuomo could barely be seen actually on the campaign trail as he relied on his name recognition, backing of powerful unions and attacks against Mamdani’s thin legislative record and ample history of criticizing Israel.
The scandal-scarred ex-governor entered the race in March as the clear frontrunner, but saw his polling lead steadily chipped away by Mamdani, who waged a social media-friendly campaign heavy on proposed freebies — which he plans to pay for by hiking taxes on billionaires and businesses.
“He should’ve learned a lesson from the terrible, Rose Garden race that Joe Crowley ran against AOC. Like Crowley, Cuomo was arrogant and grossly underestimated his opponent,” said Democratic operative Ken Frydman.
75 comments:
Glad Cuomo lost, worried Mandani won, sliwa walden or bust
Cuomo thought he was running for mayor of Tel Aviv. All this Israel first, New York last nonsense cost him.
He'll be back as an independent with more billionaire and AIPAC cash behind him.
So Mamdani sets up low cost-freebie collectivist grocery stores. How's that going to work? Free Ben and Jerry's ice cream?
Dangerous proof a mob of socialists & communiests have entered the voting base. I seen them cheering on TV, all looked under 30s, like hippies, many in palistianian clothing, beirds. Some crap you wold see in San Fransisco in 1968 only 10X worse. The schools & colleges did some job destroying our youths minds.
God help any homeowner or landlord of this socialist becomes mayor. They will come for your homes, cars, rooms, garage, land and make you share it somehow, someway at gunpoint.
Question is: With middle class whites out numbered and their children near all brainwashed on communism and socialism can the working class Jewish, legal working class Hispanics and Blacks swing the vote for Sliwa?
Are there enough smart ones not reliant on handouts, special privilages, protections and free stuff?
Curtis...............Although Adams would be acceptable
Looks like Texas and Florida will have A LOT more New Yorkers soon
Rush Limbaugh coined it years ago, "It's tough to run a campaign against Santa Claus."
Curtis Sliwa for Mayor.
Free means everyone else pays double.
If I lived in NY, I'd be preparing to move!
Free fast buses 😅
Cuban style groceries stores..
Mamdani’s platform prioritizes optics over outcomes. His proposals are performative, not practical—designed to mobilize emotions, not solve root issues. In doing so, he not only misleads his base, but erodes institutional credibility and exposes the system to further instability.
I voted for him. Love Zohrani. We New Yorkers want lower rents and minimum wage increases and plenty of free stuff.
New York needs to re-elect Mayor Eric Adams who will continue to cooperate with ICE’s ability to enforce US law.
Related to Tim Walz?
Make McCarthyism Great Again
Socialist have never met a dollar that you earned that they didn’t want to take out of your pocket and give away to one of their friends or someone who refuses to work.
Elections have consequences. Enjoy!
“We’ve had Radical Lefties before, but this is getting a little ridiculous,” POTUS
Can one purchase a sixpack of beer at a Mamdani's Market? How about a steak? A bag of potato chips? OR just vegan food to be had?
Under capitalism, you sometimes have bread-lines. Under communism, you sometimes have bread.
Why are people so freaked out, the choises for democrats were awful. 8 million people in this city and that was only 100,00 or so voters.
This a'O lost his buddy AOCs district bigtime. The people that gave him the votes were broke ass hillbilly hipshits in Brooklyn and our own home grown stupid freeloaders who been paying $400 a month rent on the upper west side for the past 30+ years. I know some of them and many are very weathy producers, casting directors, actors, movie and TV industry people who have summer homes in the Hamptons and sub-let those rent controls to friends in California who come to work the tax exempt shows, summer filming in NYC.
All famous known names all here would know!!!
Let not forget the sec 8 brats up in washington heights, single mom's of 5 crying they are poor because all the baby daddys are deadbeat current & former inmates.
The same people who also vote for Alvin Bragg then cry & beg guardian angels to help them with muggings, savage black felons & nutters out of jail for the 20+ time crawling in there windows.
Just try and walk 1 block up by the Beacon theatre (74th & Broadway) and not be stopped by some black person, in your way, getting in your face, asking you for money.
When the big election comes Adams takes takes Zohrani's back votes and Sliwa wins!!!
Save yourselves, Vote for Sliwa !
Democrats still don't get it, I see.
Just wear a fake smile and tell the peasants "FREE BREAD"
The New Escape From New York is fixing to happen soon . Don’t think Kurt Russel will be in this one .
Imagine this: A story by GrumpyCat !
One person sneaks into a Taylor Swift concert without a ticket.
No big deal. Taylor shrugs. Let them stay.
But then 10,000 people crash the gates.
They flood the stands, take the seats, eat the food, overload security.
None of them paid.
Now the fans who did buy tickets—the real Swifties—are shoved to the back, or pushed out entirely.
Taylor’s furious.
She says, “This isn’t fair. This has to stop.”
But the media says, “Taylor’s a bigot.”
The guards say, “You can’t call them gate-crashers—they’re just passionate fans.”
And most of them are harmless.
But then one of them slips backstage and violates her makeup artist.
And suddenly, the mood changes.
What was unfair becomes unbearable.
What was ignored becomes a riot.
Taylor and her Swifties explode.
Not out of hate—but because compassion without boundaries always ends in betrayal.
Our own public schools and "Woke" colleges brainwash these young people to vote for this clown. Precipice of making really poor choices.
"You can ignore reality, but you can't ignore the consequences of ignoring reality." Ayn Rand
I worked with a Russian Lady back in 1990 when they first allowed Jews to leave Russia. She thought that the grocery stores in the United States were fake, she didn't believe all that food and the variety of food was available to normal people. After she accepted that food was available for Americans, she cried in disbelief that she had to suffer for 40 years under Russian Communism.
Mamadani's mom is a film maker. Father is a leftist woke professor in Colombia. That explains his acting skills and talent for telling blatant lies for political gain.
As Thomas Sowell said, progressive policies are great ideas and terrible realities.
Some parts of the city have no decent grocery stores. The South Bronx comes to mind.
More hysterics from the right-wing snowflakes. Maybe find yourself a safe place and hide out for four years.
Curtis would be acceptable to run an animal shelter. Adams would be acceptable behind bars for corruption.
Then again, right-wingers seem to love felons and other assorted criminals in leadership positions.
I doubt it. Florida is a freak show and Texas is becoming a full fledged fascist state.
That's why Trump won. Free handouts to the rich and connected.
You are describing his opponents, not Mamdani.
Great.
Sorry. Only really rich people get free stuff.
What is it about the criminal class that you love so much?
Great news for New York. Bad news for Billionaires, corrupt property developers, corporate landlords and corrupt political leaders.
Silwa is mentally unstable. He can't even run his own apartment.
Yes. We are all paying for the free car storage on our streets. No more free car storage.
And free car storage on our streets.
Eric should be the NY Mayor again
I'll be watching this sh*8 show from the great State of Florida !
Israel will decide who the next Mayor is. Not the voters.
“He articulates his points very well, and they make sense. You understand exactly what he’s saying. The problem is: Nobody told him there’s no such thing as Santa Claus."
The fascists are getting their knickers in a knot over this. Its time to find them a safe place to cry.
Who needs truth when you’ve got, feelings!
New York Democrats are saying no to genocide and no to supporting Israeli terrorism.
Good for you, disturbed Bernie kid.
On Soros money of course, the "bundlers" providing $1.7 million.
Fraud is the name of this communist degenerate.
No issues there as long as Cuomo moves there.
Fast buses? Impossible, TA COMMIE and gang made sure of that not happening.
Fast bikes maybe....fast burning bikes maybe.
He’s selling what they’re buying and that’s good enough.
And deport all the communist SCUM, start with unhinged TA COMMIE
Let me explain - In Capitalism if you don't work, you starve - in Communism you work and starve!
Comprende amigo?
I also married your mother, She told me you were a mistake, the condom broke that night. Now get lost, loser.
Absolutely, and throw these terrorist, anti-semites and drug dealers out of this country. Send them to TA Commies house, then to Uganda, to the Mamdani Communist Garbage Residence.
Mamdani for mayor. The rest are clowns.
Maybe he’ll move to Israel and help out with the genocide.I hear he’s good with that sort of stuff.
You sound deranged. Maybe you never went to school?
You love corruption and incompetence.
They seem to get all the low IQ ones.
I guess you live somewhere so boring that you keep coming back here.
You really are clueless.
He’s a corrupt felon working for a corrupt felon president. How’s that upholding laws?
Now where have we seen that strategy before?
He is not a socialist, he is a communist. Mamdani is a danger to the city and will bankrupt it for sure.
Anonymous said...
I voted for him. Love Zohrani. We New Yorkers want lower rents and minimum wage increases and plenty of free stuff
😆 free? Yeah ok. Wait until the rich leave nyc and then youll see who pays for it. Nothing is free. Even Margaret thatcher said "the problem with socialism is that you always seem to run out of other people's money"
Elizabeth Warren, John Kerry, AOC and the sqaud members, David Hogg, Bernie Sanders,.....now this guy. No wonder why I'll be voting Republican from here on out.
It’s already too late. Get out while you can.
After reading the majority of posts you all deserve big rent increases and triple increases in taxes, tolls, trains and buses. Dummies need to pull your head outta your backside.
You are? Are you his son, cousin, uncle?
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