As the New York City mayoral race enters its final stretch ahead of the November 4, 2025, general election, Zohran Mamdani, a Democratic Socialist state assemblyman, has surged to the forefront, commanding both headlines and heated debate. Recent polling and a series of contentious public exchanges have placed Mamdani squarely in the national spotlight, not just for his progressive agenda but also for the sharp criticisms leveled against him by political rivals from both major parties.
According to a Fox News poll released on October 16, Mamdani holds a commanding lead in the race, with 52% support among likely voters and 49% among registered voters. Former Governor Andrew Cuomo, running as an independent, trails by more than 20 points, garnering 28% support. Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa lags further behind with approximately 13-14%. Even Eric Adams, the incumbent mayor who dropped out of the race on September 28, remains on the ballot and draws a modest 2-3%, potentially siphoning votes from Cuomo. These numbers, reported by USA Today, underscore a city electorate hungry for change, with most voters expressing a desire for a significant shift in city government.
"Today’s poll shows a majority of New Yorkers are rejecting Andrew Cuomo’s billionaire-backed politics of the past and joining Zohran Mamdani’s movement for a new kind of politics that answers to the people, not Donald Trump or the billionaire class," said Dora Pekec, a spokesperson for the Mamdani campaign, referencing heavy spending on Cuomo’s behalf from Trump-supporting billionaires such as Bill Ackman.
The polling momentum set the stage for a fiery mayoral debate on October 16, where Mamdani, Cuomo, and Sliwa clashed over issues ranging from local affordability to international conflict. The debate, covered by USA Today, was punctuated by pointed attacks and high-stakes policy questions. Cuomo criticized Mamdani for his past calls to "defund the police"—a stance Mamdani has since disavowed—and challenged his support for Israel as a Jewish state. Sliwa, meanwhile, questioned the feasibility of Mamdani’s signature proposals, such as freezing rents and making buses free, while also taking jabs at Cuomo’s record and political resilience.
Mamdani, for his part, turned the spotlight on Cuomo’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic and raised questions about his rival’s connections to Muslim New Yorkers, a nod to the city’s diverse electorate. At one point, Sliwa and Cuomo sparred over who could best stand up to President Donald Trump, who has already threatened to withhold federal funds from New York City. Mamdani, usually reserved during the exchange, agreed with Sliwa’s critique of Cuomo’s political standing, highlighting the shifting alliances and tensions shaping the race.
Outside the debate hall, Mamdani’s campaign has been marked by a willingness to confront Trump directly. In an October 15 Fox News interview, Mamdani addressed the president with characteristic candor: "I will not be a mayor like Mayor Adams who will call you to figure out how to stay out of jail. I won’t be a disgraced governor like Andrew Cuomo who will call you to ask how to win this election. I can do those things on my own. I will, however, be a mayor who is ready to speak at any time to lower the cost of living." As reported by Fox News, Mamdani’s remarks underscored his campaign’s focus on affordability, including proposals for free buses, no-cost child care, and affordable housing.
Mamdani’s approach to Trump has been notably more confrontational than his predecessors. While Adams has signaled a willingness to cooperate with the White House on immigration enforcement, and Cuomo has reportedly entertained a cozier relationship with Trump (a claim both deny), Mamdani has pledged to stand up to the president, especially on immigration. He has vowed to "stop masked ICE agents from deporting our neighbors," marking a clear break from past city leadership.
This tough stance has not gone unnoticed by Trump, who has attacked Mamdani with unfounded questions about his citizenship and political ideology, and has threatened to withhold federal funding should Mamdani win. Despite these attacks, Mamdani has expressed openness to collaborating with Washington, D.C., and others on policies to reduce living costs—so long as they align with his vision for the city.
Yet, it is not only Republicans who have taken aim at Mamdani. U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik, a prominent Empire State Republican, labeled Mamdani a "jihadist" and accused him of antisemitism, citing his alleged refusal to call for Hamas to lay down arms in Gaza following the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack that killed civilians, including New Yorkers. "I call Zohran Mamdani a jihadist because he is. Zohran Mamdani is a raging antisemite. Mamdani is the definition of a jihadist as he supports Hamas terrorists which he did as recently as yesterday when he refused to call for Hamas terrorists to put down their arms," Stefanik claimed, as reported by Fox News.
Democratic Rep. Laura Gillen also joined the fray, dubbing Mamdani "Pro-Hamas Zohran" and asserting that he "is unfit to hold any office in the United States." The controversy stemmed from a Fox News interview in which Mamdani, when pressed by anchor Martha MacCallum, initially declined to issue a direct call for Hamas to lay down arms, instead emphasizing the need for peace between Israel and Palestine and adherence to international law. "I don't really have opinions about the future of Hamas and Israel beyond the question of justice and safety, and the fact that anything has to abide by international law," he said during the interview.
However, in a mayoral debate the following day, Mamdani clarified his position, stating unequivocally, "Of course I believe that they should lay down their arms." This evolution in his public statements did little to quell criticism from opponents but did provide his supporters with a clear response to one of the campaign’s most contentious issues.
Despite the political firestorm, Mamdani’s identification as a "Democratic Socialist"—a label he embraces on his social media biography—has not deterred his base. If anything, his outsider status and unapologetic progressivism have galvanized a coalition of voters seeking an alternative to the city’s political establishment.
With the final debate scheduled for October 22 on Spectrum News and the election drawing near, New Yorkers find themselves at a crossroads. The choice before them is stark: continuity or transformation, pragmatism or bold idealism. As the campaign barrels toward its conclusion, the city’s future hangs in the balance, shaped by voices as diverse—and as passionate—as New York itself.
