State Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani held a tentative lead over former Governor Andrew Cuomo and the rest of the crowded field in New York City’s mayoral primary, but the race’s outcome will be decided by a ranked choice count after neither Democrat got a clear majority of votes on Tuesday, June 24.

With more than an estimated 80% of ballots counted, the race was headed to the ranked choice process. Mamdani was several points shy of the 50% threshold needed to win outright and wasn’t winning any updates by enough of a margin to close that gap. At the same time, in second place with roughly 36% of the vote among ballots counted, Cuomo was also not gaining ground on Mamdani as counting continued.

While initial returns were being released after the polls closed at 9 pm Tuesday, a winner might not emerge for a week because of the city's ranked choice voting system, which allows voters to list up to five candidates in order of preference. If a candidate is the first choice of a majority of voters, they win outright. If no candidate reaches that threshold, the tabulation of the rankings wouldn’t begin until July 1.

Mamdani is a 33-year-old Democratic Socialist who would be the city’s first Muslim and Indian American mayor if elected. Cuomo is trying to make a comeback from a sexual harassment scandal. Incumbent Mayor Eric Adams skipped the primary; he’s running as an independent. The race's ultimate outcome could say something about what kind of leader Democrats are looking for during President Donald Trump's second term.

The vote takes place about four years after Cuomo, 67, resigned as governor following a sexual harassment scandal. Yet he has been the favorite throughout the race, with his deep experience, nearly universal name recognition, strong political connections and juggernaut fundraising apparatus. The party's progressive wing, meanwhile, has coalesced behind Mamdani. A relatively unknown state legislator when the contest began, Mamdani gained momentum by running a sharp campaign laser-focused on the city's high cost of living and secured endorsements from two of the country's foremost progressives, Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Senator Bernie Sanders.

The mayoral primary’s two leading candidates − one a fresh-faced progressive and the other an older moderate − could be stand-ins for the larger Democratic Party’s ideological divide, though Cuomo’s scandal-scarred past adds a unique tinge to the narrative.

Mamdani's energetic run has been hard not to notice. His army of young canvassers relentlessly knocked on doors throughout the city seeking support. You couldn't get on social media without seeing one of his well-produced videos pitching his vision − free buses, free child care, new apartments, a higher minimum wage and more, paid for by new taxes on rich people.

Cuomo and some other Democrats have cast Mamdani as unqualified. They say he doesn't have the management chops to wrangle the city's sprawling bureaucracy or handle crises. Critics have also taken aim at Mamdani's support for Palestinian human rights. In response, Mamdani has slammed Cuomo over his sexual harassment scandal and his handling of the coronavirus pandemic: "To Mr. Cuomo, I have never had to resign in disgrace," he said.

Le Monde with AP