ABC News projects Democratic candidate Zohran Mamdani will win the race for New York City mayor, in a history-making victory over former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat who was running as an independent, and Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa.
Mamdani, 34, a state Assemblyman and democratic socialist who campaigned on a progressive economic platform, is set to become the city’s first Muslim and South Asian mayor in an election that saw more than 2 million voters pack the polls — the highest turnout for a mayoral election since 1969.
New York City mayoral candidates, Andrew Cuomo, Oct. 7, 2025, Zohran Mamdani, Oct. 8, 2025 and Curtis Sliwa, Sept. 13, 2025.
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With about 60% of the expected vote reporting, Mamdani was leading with 50% of the vote, followed by Cuomo at 42% and Sliwa with 8%.
Mamdani had remained the front-runner since clinching the Democratic primary and notched key endorsements from figures such as Gov. Kathy Hochul. But he faced some backlash over the feasibility of his proposals and current or former views on issues such as policing.
Cuomo, 67, had attempted a political comeback, after leaving the public eye when he resigned as governor in 2021 amid sexual harassment and inappropriate conduct allegations. He has framed himself as a moderate who can tap into his previous experience as governor to deliver.
Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa, separately, rebuffed calls to drop out of the race and argued that he’s above the fray of the other candidates; he faced off against incumbent Eric Adams in 2021.
Adams himself chose not to run in the Democratic primary and initially mounted an independent campaign, but suspended his campaign in late September, saying that media speculation and funds withheld by the city’s campaign finance board undermined his ability to fundraise.
