The most populated city in the United States might also have the most polarizing mayoral race of any other. The New York City mayoral race features a disgraced former governor, a surging socialist, an incumbent with his own legal troubles, and other heavy hitters.
New York City’s mayor, Eric Adams, escaped a conviction for corruption charges with the help of the Trump administration, all while seeking reelection. He is running as an independent to avoid a crowded Democratic primary. Former New York governor Andrew Cuomo resigned in 2021 after sexual harassment claims tanked his popularity, but is now the frontrunner for the Democratic nomination.
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A host of other progressive challengers are looking to unseat Cuomo as the frontrunner while attempting to capitalize on the left-wing rage toward President Donald Trump after his election win. New York State Assemblyman and Democratic Socialist Zohran Mamdani is leading that charge.
New York City voters will go to the polls on June 24 for the Democratic Primary. Whoever wins that race will face off against the incumbent Adams, Republican Curtis Sliwa, and other contenders.
Here’s who to watch out for.
Incumbent Mayor Eric Adams
Adams has humorously said New York City is the Istanbul, Mexico City, Athens, or Tel-Aviv of America during his appearances as mayor. Now he has to convince voters to give him more opportunities to keep making comparisons.
While he’s not using analogies to describe his city, Adams had been fighting corruption charges stemming from his dealings with Turkish officials during his term. The Trump administration has dropped the charges against him, but the controversy surrounding him continues.
Outside of his charges, Adams faces significant voter issues originating from his involvement with Trump.
Anti-Trump “surge voters,” or progressive voters who have come out of the woodwork because of Trump’s election, are predicted to have a major effect on the race. Such an effect could sink Adams further, given his association with Trump, which has only grown greater since the federal government has involved itself in his case.
The mayor will be running as an independent candidate in November, opting out of the Democratic Primary.
Former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo
Cuomo finally stepped into the race on March 1 after months of fanfare and attacks from fellow Democrats over rumors he was interested in City Hall.
Cuomo is the frontrunner and the favorite to win in June. He has wide name recognition in the city, both good and bad, from his time as governor and for his scandalous resignation in 2021 after a sexual harassment scandal. He also drew ire for his handling of nursing homes during COVID-19, in which he prevented nursing homes from refusing patients with the virus — putting those most vulnerable at a greater risk — and then understated the death toll allegedly caused in part by his policy.
The former governor’s campaign has focused on his political experience and competence.
“I know how to get things done,” he said during the first mayoral debate. “That’s what this election is all about, not plans plans plans. Who can get something done?”
He also has a collection of endorsements from fellow mayoral contender State Sen. Jessica Ramos, Reps. Ritchie Torres (D-NY), Gregory Meeks (D-NY), Adriano Espaillat (D-NY), and numerous New York legislature and city council members.
If Cuomo loses the primary, it will likely be because he played the race too safe. The mayor has avoided attacking other candidates, other than at the first debate, and has ducked the media often. Adams said Cuomo was hiding “in the shadows” and avoiding media scrutiny.
That could be because Cuomo has faced intense scrutiny from the other candidates, who have somewhat united against him in several different anti-Cuomo attack ads. They believe he’ll be too friendly to Trump, while Cuomo claims the opposite, having dealt with him as governor during the first Trump administration.
One strike in Cuomo’s favor will likely be Trump’s DOJ investigation into him for lying to Congress. The investigation could illustrate to voters that Cuomo is already battling against Trump. He released an ad soon after that said if Trump doesn’t want him as the city’s mayor, “you do.”
Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani
The 33-year-old Mamdani, a Democratic socialist who has promised free buses, childcare, and city-run grocery stores, has carved out a distinct progressive lane in the NYC mayoral race that has him trailing Cuomo as the number two Democrat in many polls.
He is the most prolific fundraiser in the race, and has the backing of progressive power players like Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), former Rep. Jamaal Bowman, the city’s United Auto Workers union, the Sunrise Movement, and the Democratic Socialists of America.
Mamdani has also been praised as a prolific communicator and has run a social media-savvy campaign.
Polling between Mamdani and Cuomo has inched closer in the preceding weeks, with a May Emerson poll showing him trailing by less than 9 points, losing in the 10th round 54.4% to 45.6%. A Marist poll earlier that month showed him losing in the 6th round to Cuomo 60% to 40%.
The question of whether Mamdani can break through likely centers around his polarizing hard Left stance on Israel. When asked if he would visit Israel as mayor during the debate, he suggested he would not. He has claimed Israel is committing a “genocide” in Gaza with its war against Hamas, despite its historically low civilian-to-combatant casualty ratio in the conflict, and wouldn’t say during the debate if he believed Israel had the right to exist as a Jewish state.
He said it had the right to exist, “as a state with equal rights.” Cuomo jumped in, “Not as a Jewish state, and his answer was no, he won’t visit Israel.”
Mamdani likely hopes his affordability agenda will be enough to win over voters, and he hopes to be the next AOC.
“In 2018, A.O.C. shocked the world and changed our politics for the better with her historic victory. On June 24, we will do the same,” Mamdani said.
City Comptroller Brad Lander
Lander appeared to be the progressive frontrunner before Cuomo entered the race in March, but both the former governor and Mamdani have since raced past him. He is among the longest-running candidates in the race, having declared his candidacy in July 2024.
He also managed AOC’s backing, but as her third choice behind Adrienne Adams and Mamdani. Lander, who is in third place in polls behind Mamdani and Cuomo, could have a limited voter base. He isn’t the top progressive in the race, and while he’s a self-professed Zionist, Cuomo already fills the pro-Israel niche.
The only category of voters who could turn out for Lander might be anti-Cuomo, but pro-Israel voters who can’t stomach a vote for anti-Israel socialist Mamdani. Democratic strategist Waleed Shahid said Lander’s base appears to be “white, college-educated liberals in Brooklyn and Manhattan.”
Lander’s largest impact on the race could be who his voters rank higher: Cuomo or Mamdani. In a recent Emerson poll, voters favored Cuomo after Lander was eliminated in the 9th round with 22.2% support.
Like Mamdani and other politicians that have held a steady opposition to Cuomo, Lander has spent plenty of time smearing the former governor.
“I know he looks like a good leader, but actually, you know, he’s just a corrupt chaos agent with an abusive personality that has shown through in every position he’s been in, and that’s dangerous for New York City,” Lander told the New York Times.
He launched a campaign ad showing him crushing Elon Musk’s Tesla cars, while also displaying his opposition to Cuomo and the Trump administration.
“New York City needs a mayor who can focus on our problems, not their own,” the ad begins. “We need Brad Lander. Andrew Cuomo spent $60 million of your money to defend himself in court. That’s corrupt. But Brad Lander fights corruption to make New York safer and more affordable. Lander stood up to Trump and Musk when they stole $80 million from us, and he’s fought for New York, building thousands of affordable housing units.”
“Andrew Cuomo piles on the corruption. Brad Lander will crush it,” the ad concludes.
Former city comptroller Scott Stringer
Stringer’s campaign isn’t unlike Cuomo’s in that he’s appealing to voters on a competence platform with a moderate appeal. He’s been a supporter of Israel and has pledged to hire thousands more police officers if elected mayor.
He ran for mayor in 2021, but his campaign was derailed by a sexual assault allegation that he denied, and he later sued his accuser for defamation. It’s unclear what effect the allegation has had on his 2024 campaign, but he was eliminated after the 8th round with 13.2% support in the Emerson poll.
Serving as NYC’s comptroller for over seven years from 2014 to 2021, in addition to his first mayoral campaign, likely means voters know who Stringer is, but he hasn’t broken past Lander, Mamdani, or Cuomo.
He has emphasized his resistance against Trump, saying in the first debate that he won’t be “quid-pro-quo-ing with Trump,” like Adams was accused of. He recalled a New York Daily News headline that said “Ford to city: Drop dead” and said he’d revive the coalition that went after the federal government then.
New York City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams
City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams is unrelated to Mayor Adams, though she worked with him for several years as the City Council’s leader. The top NYC Democrat entered the mayoral race the latest of any contender: on March 5, days after Cuomo did.
As a result, she’s only had about three months to campaign so far, with middling results. She’s among the top contenders, but hasn’t broken through yet. Adams has received notable endorsements from Attorney General Letitia James and a second-ranked choice from AOC.
She’s tried to shake her association with the mayor, whom she said she ranked first in the city’s primary in 2021. Adams worked with the mayor on his “City of Yes” housing project and went to high school with him. In the first debate, she made it clear that she regrets her support for him.
“My biggest regret is believing that Eric Adams would be a good mayor for all New Yorkers,” she said.
State Senator Zellnor Myrie
Myrie gathered some initial support when he launched his campaign in December 2024, obtaining a coveted endorsement from Manhattan’s Rep. Dan Goldman (D-NY) in February. But Zellnor’s campaign hasn’t found traction as he finds himself stuck between Mamdani and other more moderate candidates like Stringer.
He refused to commit to a rent freeze for NYC renters, an important cost-of-living item for progressives like Lander and Mamdani. With Cuomo now taking up much of the moderate bloc of voters in the city, Myrie was eliminated after the sixth round of ranked-choice voting in the Emerson poll.
If elected, Myrie plans to build and preserve 1 million homes in the city, hoping to solve its housing crisis. He acknowledged the “unequivocal rise in antisemitism” both locally and nationally in the first mayoral debate, an important step for a New York City candidate with a voter base that includes a large chunk of Jewish voters.
“We have to be just as clear and unequivocal in calling it out and rooting it out wherever it rears its ugly head,” Myrie said.
Former DNC vice chair Michael Blake
Blake is a former state assemblyman struggling to remain relevant in the Democratic Party after losing his past two campaigns for New York City Public Advocate in 2019, and for New York’s 15th congressional district in 2020. He also tried to run for a DNC leadership position this cycle, but failed to gain any traction.
However, he made noise in June 4’s debate by going after Cuomo.
“The people who don’t feel safe are the young women, mothers, and grandmothers around Andrew Cuomo,” Blake said, referring to the sexual harassment claims against Cuomo. “That’s the greatest threat to public safety in New York City.”
The attack drew headlines and appeared to earn him some favor with progressives. But while he has renewed relevance in the race, he remains a long shot.
Republican Guardian Angels Founder Curtis Sliwa
Crime activist Sliwa is a Republican in a largely Democratic city, but has the endorsement of all five Republican city borough party chairs. He also ran in 2021, losing to Adams in a roughly 40-point blowout. He could gain more traction if Cuomo fails to gain the Democratic nomination and Sliwa faces a more progressive Democrat, but is still very unlikely to win either way.
A late May Emerson poll showed Sliwa with 13% of support if Cuomo wins, but 16% if Mamdani can get the nod in the Democratic primary.
If Sliwa is elected in the general election, likely only even a distinct possibility if the vote is spread out across multiple candidates, he’s promised to add thousands of new police officers to the city, crack down on bike lanes, and he has been an opponent of migrant shelters.
He’s not waiting on the backing of Trump. He’s called Eric Adams the “Trump candidate,” so it’s possible he earns bonus points from left-wing New York City voters for not blatantly pandering to the president.
Other notable contenders
Democrats Whitney Tillson and Jessica Ramos, who endorsed Cuomo, as well as independent Jim Walden are all honorable mentions.
Tillson and Ramos earned a spot in the first Democratic primary debate, but are considerable long-shots to win the mayoral crown. Ramos recently endorsed Cuomo to be mayor, while Tillson hasn’t seen the support necessary to be a serious contender. Neither is expected to last long in the city’s ranked-choice voting sequence in the Democratic Primary.
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Walden, an attorney, decided to run for mayor after Adams was indicted on corruption charges. He’s renowned for representing Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in his attempt to stay on the ballot in New York State during the presidential election and for representing poker organizer Molly Bloom, the inspiration for the film Molly’s Game.
While Walden is not running as a Republican, he’s embracing a lot of ideas that skew to the right like keeping wealthy people in NYC, lowering property taxes, and loosening regulations on businesses. His well of support will likely be low in November.