Here’s Who’s Running in the 4-Way Race for Mayor of New York City

WASHINGTON—A political earthquake hit New York City on the night of June 24, as state Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani was elected as the Democratic Party’s nominee for mayor in the 2025 general election.

Mamdani, a 33-year-old self-described democratic socialist, won 56 percent of the vote against former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, the scion of the state’s latest political dynasty. As the Democratic nominee to lead one of the country’s most Democratic-leaning cities, Mamdani would traditionally be the favorite to win November’s general election.

However, this time might be different. Mamdani’s socialist views have concerned many constituencies in New York, where the issues of crime and affordability have pushed some voters away from the political left in search of less-progressive candidates.

Mayor Eric Adams, the incumbent, is running for reelection as an independent, and Cuomo, who lost the Democratic primary to Mamdani, is now running in the general election as the nominee of the newly formed Fight and Deliver party. Amid a splintering of Democratic support, the Republican nominee, Curtis Sliwa, is now polling in proximity to the frontrunners, which gives the GOP some unexpected influence in this campaign.

The mayoral election in New York City is, thus, more competitive than any in recent memory. Here is what we know about the four major candidates running for the office, their platforms, and attitudes toward each other.

Zohran Mamdani

As the Democratic nominee—and ex officio the Working Families Party nominee—in the race, Mamdani has been the fulcrum of conversation about the general election. His policy proposals—a “rent freeze” on stabilized housing, city-run grocery stores for low prices, no-fare buses, and higher taxes on wealthier citizens—have attracted praise from the left wing of the party but opposition from many other quarters, which are fueling the challenges against him.

Mamdani was born in Kampala, Uganda, and immigrated to the United States at age 7. He became a U.S. citizen in 2018, just two years before he was elected to the New York state Assembly from the 36th District, which covers the Northern Queens neighborhoods of Astoria and Ditmars. Previously, he worked as a housing counsellor defending tenants against eviction and as a progressive advocate.

“Socialism won,” wrote Mamdani of his 2020 primary victory for the State Assembly against a Democratic incumbent. Mamdani is a member of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), the most prominent socialist political group in the country, and describes himself as a “democratic socialist” running for mayor on his website. The country’s two leading left-wing politicians—Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.)—have both enthusiastically supported Mamdani’s campaign.

Additionally, Mamdani has drawn attention for his support of Palestinians during their decades-long land dispute with Israel, and for his criticism of the country’s ongoing war against Hamas in Gaza after the terrorist group launched a massacre on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.

Mamdani has also openly supported the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel, which defenders of Israel criticize as anti-Semitic.

“My support for BDS is consistent with the core of my politics, which is nonviolence, and I think that it is a legitimate movement when you are seeking to find compliance with international law,” said Mamdani during a town hall event during the primary campaign.

In a four-way race between Adams, Cuomo, and Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa, Mamdani is polling at 26 percent support, according to a recent poll by HarrisX. That makes him the frontrunner, but only by three percentage points against his next-placed rival, Cuomo.

Andrew Cuomo

Until Mamdani’s meteoric rise in the primary polls, the pillar of the Democratic primary was Cuomo, who served as the 56th governor of New York from 2011 to 2021. His father, Mario Cuomo, was the 52nd governor of New York from 1983 to 1994, and his younger brother, Chris Cuomo, is a prominent journalist—and has served in a variety of high offices, including the U.S. secretary of Housing and Urban Development under President Bill Clinton and as attorney general of New York from 2007 to 2010.

Cuomo fell from political grace in 2021, when several allegations of sexual harassment were levied against him. Cuomo denied the accusations but resigned as governor amid an impeachment effort against him in the New York State Legislature. Cuomo was never convicted of any criminal charges regarding the allegations; most investigations closed without charges, while one misdemeanor charge in Albany County was dropped.

Despite the clearing of charges, Cuomo remained unpopular with many Democrats because of the allegations against him. Additionally, he faced criticism from many for his oversight of the New York State nursing home system during the COVID-19 pandemic, into which many patients were transferred despite them being hotbeds for the disease, later causing their deaths.

Cuomo ran his primary campaign on the promise of restoring competent governance in New York City, contrasting it with Adams, whose popularity among Democratic and independent voters has been declining. Cuomo used his previous experience as governor as a key argument, especially during President Donald Trump’s first term in office, and said he was the best person who could “take on” Trump’s second administration.

“When you get knocked down, learn the lesson and pick yourself back up, and that is what I’m going to do,” remarked Cuomo in a video announcing his general election candidacy. Cuomo will be running as the nominee of the “Fight and Deliver” Party. He is currently polling at 23 percent support.

Eric Adams

The incumbent mayor chose to withdraw from the Democratic primary and run as an independent amid criticism of his administration. Adams currently has a 20 percent approval rating, according to a Quinnipiac University poll taken in March, which is the lowest rating in the 30-year history of that poll, and 56 percent of voters believe he should resign from office before his term concludes.

Adams became mayor in 2021 following the two-term tenure of Democratic Mayor Bill de Blasio. As a former captain in the New York Police Department, Adams promised to reduce crime and homelessness in the city. While statistics about the incidence of crime have fluctuated, the news of high-profile acts of violence on the New York City Subway system has left many citizens feeling unsafe, for which Adams has been blamed.

Most recently, however, Adams faced criticism from Democrats after being indicted by the U.S. Department of Justice in September 2024 on federal corruption charges, related to his alleged acceptance of gifts from the government of Turkey. Those charges were dismissed with prejudice on April 2.

Adams had been vocal in his opposition to high levels of illegal immigration via the U.S. southern border with Mexico, particularly after many of these illegal immigrants were transported to New York City by Texas. In New York, the city’s laws required the provision of shelter and housing for a limited period, though the high volume of arrivals led to budget cuts elsewhere for services for citizens. Adams notably said that the sudden influx of a large number of illegal immigrants would “destroy New York City.”

Adams is running on his record as mayor and is courting voters who oppose Mamdani’s political program. He is currently polling at 13 percent in the race, which is the lowest of the four major candidates.

Curtis Sliwa

The Republican nominee in the race is Curtis Sliwa, a 71-year-old activist who is notable for wearing a red beret in public. The beret is the uniform of the Guardian Angels, a nonprofit organization founded by Sliwa that deploys unarmed civilians trained in martial arts to conduct citizens’ arrests to support crime prevention.

Sliwa’s Guardian Angels, founded in 1977, have attracted both praise and criticism in New York City politics. A kidnapping and assassination attempt on Sliwa in 1992, allegedly perpetrated by the Gambino crime family, was foiled after Sliwa escaped from the perpetrators. Simultaneously, he has also hosted several radio broadcasting shows, some of which have been nationally syndicated, where he discusses politics.

Sliwa previously ran for mayor in 2021 as the Republican nominee against Adams, winning the borough of Staten Island and 27 percent of the overall vote. He ran unopposed for the Republican nomination in the June 24 primary.

Since the mayoralty of Michael Bloomberg, the city’s last Republican mayor, and the emergence of Trump as the party’s leader, the Republican nominee in New York City has not been competitive in the general election. After Mamdani’s nomination in the Democratic primary, Sliwa has confronted calls to drop out of the race in order to allow the city’s Republicans and conservatives to vote for Cuomo or Adams and prevent Mamdani’s election, which Sliwa has refused.

The Republican said he believes he has a better chance than Adams and Cuomo, citing the Democrats’ past allegations.

“Everybody likes Curtis Sliwa. My favorable ratings are the highest in this election cycle,” remarked Sliwa in a television appearance recently, indicating that he would stay in the race. Sliwa is currently polling at 22 percent.

The general election will be held on Nov. 4.