Early voting is already underway in New York City’s contentious Democratic primary for mayor ahead of theJune 24election.
The last three mayoral elections in New York have been won by a Democratic candidate, meaning whoever wins the primary is likely to become the city’s next mayor.
Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo has long held a lead in primary polls, but state Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani has narrowed the gap in recent weeks with a surge in momentum.
Voters will be able to rank multiple candidates on their ballots rather than just picking their top choice after the city adopted ranked-choice voting in a 2019 referendum.
Eric Adams, who currently holds the position, is not in the Democratic race afterhe was chargedwith bribery, illegal campaign finance and conspiracy offenses in September 2024. Adams pleaded not guilty, and in Aprilthe charges were droppedby the Department of Justice. He is running for Mayor again this year as an Independent candidate.
Alongside Adams and the eventual Democratic candidate, Republican Curtis Sliwais running againafter being defeated by Adams in 2021. Jim Walden, a former federal prosecutor, is also running as an Independent.
Here’s everything you need to know about who’s running in the New York City Democratic primary—and how the voting works.
Cuomo, the frontrunner in the tightening race,has focused on affordability, security and housing on the campaign trail.
Cuomo has said that he will increase the size of thepolice force by 15%, an estimated 5,000 extra officers,reduce income taxfor some low-income households, and providemore affordable housingwith more robust tenants rights.
The 67-year-old has come under scrutiny from other candidates for scandals he faced as governor.
He resigned from the position in 2021 after more than a dozen women madeallegations of sexual harassmentagainst him. Cuomo has denied ever inappropriately touching or propositioning anyone, though heapologizedfor comments he made in the workplace that he said “may have been insensitive or too personal.” Aninvestigationby the state attorney general’s office found that he “sexually harassed a number of current and former New York State employees” and “created a hostile work environment for women.”
In May, the Justice Departmentopened an investigationinto Cuomo regarding his testimony on the City’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic as governor.
Mamdani, the Assemblymember who has recently been rising in the polls,has focused his campaign on the cost of living, using the slogan “A City We Can Afford.”
Mamdani, a democratic socialist, has said that he willfreeze rent increasesacross New York, providefare-free buses,provide free childcareto those aged six weeks to 5 years old, and establishnon-profit grocery storesrun by the City.
The youngest candidate in the primaries at 33, Mamdani has faced criticism for some remarks on the Israel-Hamas war, including whenhe appeared to defendthe slogan “globalize the intifada.”
Mamdani hasdenied allegationsof antisemitism, while also speaking about the Islamophobia he has experienced in his career. When questioned on whether he believes Israel has the right to exist,he replied: "I believe Israel has the right to exist … as a state with equal rights.”
New York City Comptroller Brad Lander, whosearrest at an immigration courthouse last weekthrust him into the national spotlight, is also running in the Democratic primary, focusing on safety and affordability, as well as “Standing up to Donald Trump.” Lander has said he aims toend homelessnessfor those with serious mental health issues with a policy he says will put people in stable housing 70-90% of the time.
Lander also says that he will build500,000 new housing unitsand “cut through red tape” for more affordable housing, plus improvetransport efficiency.
The city comptroller was arrestedon Tuesday, June 17, at a New York courthouse as he was escorting a migrant man who agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) were seeking to detain, becoming the latest ofseveral elected officialsacross the country to confront federal authorities over President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown.
Lander and Mamdani havecross-endorsedeach other, urging their supporters to rank the other second on their ballots.
Adrienne Adams, Assemblymember for New York’s 28th district and Speaker of the New York City Council, is also in the running.
Adams, like other candidates, has put her focus on affordability and housing in New York. She has said she willcontinue to pushfor more housing construction and affordable housing, as well asinvestment in law enforcementand other programs to try and prevent crime before it happens.
Similarly toMamdaniand Lander, Adams has hit out against Trump in her campaign. The Assemblymember says on her website that she has already worked to “Trump-proof NYC” and will keep the President—who she says “threatens everything that makes us New York”—in check if she is elected Mayor..
Other candidates in the race who have garnered lower support in recent polls are former Vice Chair of the Democratic National CommitteeMichael Blake, New York State SenatorZellnor Myrie, New York State SenatorJessica Ramos, former New York ComptrollerScott Stringer, and investorWhitney Tilson.
Ranked-choice voting allows voters to rank multiple candidates in order of their preference, putting their preferred choices first, then second, then third and so forth.
In New York City, the method is used for Special and Primary Elections for Mayor, as well as in Public Advocate, Comptroller, Borough President, and City Council elections. Adopted in 2019, it was first used in 2021.
Votersin the Democratic mayoral primariesare able to rank their top five candidates, but are not required to fill all five slots.
If a candidate gets over 50% first-choice votes, they win. But if not, the candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated as votes are counted in subsequent rounds.
For voters who put the last-place candidate as their first choice, their second choice is then counted. This process of elimination continues until there is a majority winner.
While this is the process for New York, the system varies from state to state where ranked-choice voting has been adopted.
Nonpartizan organization FairVotesays that this voting systemeliminates a few issues, such as “vote-splitting,” in which similar candidates can draw votes away from each other.
FairVote argues that ranked choice means voters can support multiple candidates, and their vote is still represented if their first choice is eliminated.It also encourages cross endorsing, such as with Mamdani and Lander, giving voters an idea of like-minded candidates.
RankedVote, a software company that advocates for the system, argues that voters’ opinions are heard throughout the process and are more represented. “Once there's more than two candidates in a typical ‘most votes wins’ election, it's very easy for the ‘winner’ to have a weak plurality of support. It's entirely possible that the winning candidate only commands 38% of the vote when a majority of the electorate would have preferred someone else,” the company argues.
However, a voting system different from what the public are used to could cause confusion. Democratic political strategistHank Sheinkopf saidthat the system could benefit voters more educated on voting procedures.
Ranked-choice voting also allows for scenarios in which the candidate with the most first-choice votes still loses. This occurred in the2018 House election for Maine’s second district, in which Democratic candidate Jared Golden received 131,954 first-choice votes, compared to Republican Bruce Poliquin’s 134,061. However, due to the ranked-choice process, Golden won by almost 3,000 votes.
The system is used in17 different statesacross the U.S. in a number of different state and local elections. In Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, and South Carolina, it is alsoused for military and overseas voters.
In Maine, the system is used in primary and general elections for the presidency, Senate, and House elections, including the aforementioned 2018 election, as well as in statewide and state assembly primaries.In Alaska, it is also used statewide for general elections.
The other states that use it for a variety of local and city elections areMassachusetts,Vermont,Delaware,Maryland,Virginia,Illinois,Minnesota,New Mexico,Colorado,Utah,California,Oregon,WashingtonandHawaii.
