New York City’s mayoral race has erupted into one of the most contentious and closely watched contests in recent memory, with just weeks to go before voters head to the polls on November 4, 2025. At the heart of the drama is Zohran Mamdani, a 33-year-old state assemblyman from Queens and the Democratic nominee, whose unapologetically socialist platform has electrified progressives and alarmed moderates and conservatives alike. The race pits Mamdani against former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, now running as an independent after a stunning primary defeat, and Curtis Sliwa, the perennial Republican candidate and Guardian Angels founder.
According to a Gotham Polling and AARP survey published October 20, 2025, Mamdani currently leads the field with 43.2% of the vote, followed by Cuomo at 28.9% and Sliwa at 19.4%. But the poll also reveals a dramatic twist: if Sliwa were to drop out, Mamdani’s lead would shrink to just four points—44.6% to Cuomo’s 40.7%—well within the survey’s four-point margin of error. That razor-thin margin has centrists and moderates scrambling, some even openly pleading with Sliwa to withdraw to consolidate the anti-Mamdani vote. Sliwa, however, remains undeterred, telling supporters he’s been “heartened by the response” he’s received and refusing to bow out.
The stakes of the election are sky-high, and the candidates’ sharply contrasting visions for the city have only raised the temperature. Mamdani, who was born in Uganda and raised in New York, has drawn both praise and criticism for his bold proposals. Among his headline-grabbing ideas: free buses across the five boroughs, a state-run supermarket in each, and a pledge to issue an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for alleged war crimes should he visit New York City. To fund these initiatives, Mamdani proposes raising state income taxes by one percent annually on those earning $1 million or more.
His platform has become a lightning rod, especially among the city’s sizable Jewish community—one in twelve New Yorkers is Jewish—after he accused Israel of waging a “genocidal war” in Gaza following the October 2023 Hamas attacks. Critics, including Cuomo, have accused Mamdani of stoking anti-Semitism and being “anti-Israel.” Mamdani has vigorously denied these charges, insisting his comments are motivated by concern for the plight of Gazans and not by any animus toward Jews.
Adding fuel to the fire, Mamdani was photographed on October 17 smiling alongside Sirag Wahhaj, an unindicted co-conspirator in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, and Democratic Councilman Yusef Salaam, a member of the Central Park Five. The image, which Mamdani posted after his first debate, was quickly seized upon by opponents as evidence of questionable associations. While the photo has drawn widespread criticism, Mamdani’s campaign has not issued a detailed response, and his supporters argue the image is being used unfairly to smear his character.
Cuomo, meanwhile, has gone on the offensive, using his media appearances to paint Mamdani as dangerously inexperienced and out of touch with the realities of governing a city as complex as New York. Speaking on Fox News’ “America’s Newsroom” on October 20, Cuomo warned, “You keep taxing businesses and wealthy people in New York City, there will be nobody left, Bill.” He derided Mamdani’s platform as “free, free, free—free transportation, free food,” and insisted, “New Yorkers know there is no free.”
Cuomo has also made Mamdani’s record in the State Assembly a centerpiece of his critique. “Zohran Mamdani has never had a job—34 years old, he’s been an assemblyman, passed three bills, worst attendance record in the New York State Assembly,” Cuomo said on Fox News. “They don’t get that being mayor means you have to operate, you have to manage. Any given morning there could be a storm, there could be a shooting, God forbid, there could be a terrorist attack.”
Cuomo, who served as governor from 2011 to 2021 before resigning amid multiple sexual harassment allegations, is now positioning himself as the experienced moderate in a race he describes as a “civil war within the Democratic Party.” He told Fox News, “They are socialists, they are anti-business, they are anti-police, they are anti-law and order, they are anti-Israel, and I am a quote-unquote moderate Democrat. I want to create jobs, I want to enforce the law, improve the quality of life.”
Despite his efforts to unite moderates, Cuomo faces an uphill battle. After losing the Democratic primary to Mamdani in June 2025—a contest that also saw outgoing Mayor Eric Adams defeated—Cuomo re-entered the race as an independent. His campaign has focused on appealing to older voters, a demographic that makes up 78% of undecided voters according to the Gotham Polling and AARP survey, and where he is expected to perform strongly.
For his part, Curtis Sliwa, now 71, remains a familiar figure in New York politics. Best known for founding the Guardian Angels in 1977 to patrol the city’s subways during a wave of violent crime, Sliwa has pledged to crack down on crime and restore public safety. While many of his policies poll well among New Yorkers, he is widely seen as a long shot, and his refusal to drop out has drawn ire from those hoping to prevent a Mamdani victory. Sliwa lost his previous mayoral bid in 2021 to Eric Adams, who withdrew from this year’s race after corruption scandals eroded his support.
The city’s ongoing struggles with rising rents, fears of crime, and record homelessness have only heightened the sense of urgency. Mamdani’s supporters argue that his vision is exactly what the city needs to address these issues head-on, while critics warn his policies would turn New York into a “crime-ridden, debt-laden basket case” and drive businesses out.
Amid the heated rhetoric, Mamdani has tried to reassure skeptics, apologizing for past anti-police remarks—he once called the NYPD racist—and emphasizing his commitment to all New Yorkers. Still, the specter of his controversial statements and associations lingers, and the city’s political establishment remains deeply divided over his candidacy.
With polls tightening and the possibility of a last-minute shakeup if Sliwa bows out, New Yorkers are bracing for a nail-biter of an election. The outcome could reshape the city’s political landscape for years to come, and with passions running high on all sides, the only certainty is that the final days of the campaign will be anything but dull.
As the city counts down to Election Day, the question remains: will New York embrace Mamdani’s bold experiment, return to the steady hand of Cuomo, or stick with Sliwa’s law-and-order promise? The answer, it seems, is still very much up in the air.
