Assembly Member Zohran Mamdani pulled off a seismic upset in New York City’s Democratic mayoral primary, amassing a 7-point margin over former Gov. Andrew Cuomo in results as of Wednesday morning.
Though Mamdani’s presumptive win won’t be official until runoff counting is announced early July, Cuomo conceded the nomination, all but assuring the 33-year-old the Democratic mayoral candidacy. Now, with the competitive primary out of the way, focus is shifting to the general election in November, where Mamdani will face the city’s current mayor, a Republican candidate and, possibly, battle against Cuomo once more.
Recap: Zohran Mamdani pulls off NYC Democratic mayoral upset. Andrew Cuomo concedes
Since 2021, primaries in the city have used ranked choice voting, a system that allows residents to vote for up to five candidates from their most preferred to least. If no candidate gets more than 50% of first-place votes, then the least-popular candidate is eliminated and their supporters’ votes are redistributed to other candidates based on their lower-ranked preferences. Mamdani did not reach the 50% threshold, but leads with 44% of first-place votes, with 96% of ballots counted on June 25, with Cuomo amassing 36%.
Here’s what we know about the November ballot for New York City mayor.
Who will be on the November ballot for NYC mayor?
Mamdani will begin the race for the general election as the favorite in the overwhelmingly Democratic city. But his Democratic primary win doesn’t clear the way to an easy victory in November, as he will face significant opposition from independent party candidates in what could end up being a five-way race.
Unlike the primary, November’s election does not use ranked-choice voting on the general ballot. Mamdani will likely face four other candidates in the fall: current Mayor Eric Adams, Republican and founder of the Guardian Angels, Curtis Sliwa, former federal prosecutor Jim Walden, and possibly Cuomo.
Zohran Mamdani: Who is the presumptive winner of NYC’s Democratic mayoral primary?
Adams won the mayoralty after winning the 2021 Democratic primary, when New York City first used ranked-choice voting. He dropped out of the Democratic primary earlier this year after a scandal-plagued tenure caused his approval ratings to plummet, and he will be running in November as an independent. The party line will face stiff competition should Cuomo decide to stay in the race, telling the New York Times shortly after his concession on Tuesday that he is considering staying in the race as an independent.
Cuomo is attempting a political comeback after resigning in 2021 over multiple scandals, including covering up nursing home deaths and numerous allegations of sexual harassment, which he denies. The former three-term governor moved back to New York City for the first time in decades, and became an instant frontrunner when he entered the mayoral race. Many elected officials who condemned him in 2021 endorsed him for mayor this year.
Contributing: Ben Adler, Anna Kaufman and Eduardo Cuevas, USA TODAY.
Kathryn Palmer is a national trending news reporter for USA TODAY. You can reach her at kapalmer@usatoday.com and on X @KathrynPlmr.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Who will be on the NYC mayoral ballot in November?
