Vote for mayor in New York City – DW – 11/04/2025

Running against Mamdani is former New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo, who also served as federal secretary of Housing and Urban Development under former President Bill Clinton. He is also the son of former New York Governor Mario Cuomo.

Cuomo became incredibly popular among Democratic-leaning voters across the US over his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic in New York, including his engaging and credible video messages with the latest information.

However, his star fell sharply when he was accused of multiple sexual assaults in late 2020. In 2021, he resigned from the post of Governor. After losing to Mamdani in the Democratic primary last June, he announced his intention to run as an independent candidate for Mayor of New York.

Since then, he has consistently polled below Mamdani but above Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa.

Sliwa is a longtime conservative activist who has hosted talk radio shows and has been arrested several times for his work as founder of the ‘Guardian Angels’ group. The organization says they promote community safety in New York, but they have been consistently criticized for supporting racist beliefs and involvement in vigilantism.

The latest polls before Election Day showed Mamdani at about 46% of the vote, Cuomo at 32% and Sliwa at 16%.

Polling stations in New York opened at 6 a.m. local time (1100 GMT) to help workers who would not be able to arrive later. Voting booths will remain open even till 9 pm.

Early voting was also available in many areas, with local election officials saying a record was set with more than 700,000 early votes cast.

The election is expected to see an unusually high turnout, with a large number of young voters being more active than in previous years.

At just 34, Mamdani will be the city’s youngest mayor as well as its first Muslim leader and the first person of South Asian descent to hold the position. Born in Uganda, he would be the only first-generation immigrant to be elected in more than a century.

After a landslide victory in the Democratic Party primaries in June, Mamdani has since been leading in the polls.

You can read more about Mamdani’s amazing journey from state legislator to potential mayor here.

New York City is voting today to choose who will succeed disgraced outgoing Eric Adams as mayor of America’s largest city by population.

Relative newcomer Zohran Mamdani is likely to become the city’s first Muslim and youngest mayor.

Like many major metropolitan areas around the world, the mayor of New York plays a large role in American politics. Mamdani’s progressive policies have earned him the ire of US President Donald Trump as he faces off against scandal-plagued former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and Republican talk show host Curtis Sliwa, who has been arrested dozens of times for vigilantism.

DW will bring you the latest headlines and analysis right here in New York.