As New York City’s mayoral election barrels toward its November 4 showdown, the race has taken on a national spotlight—one that’s as much about the city’s future as it is about the direction of American politics itself. At the center of this political maelstrom stands Zohran Mamdani, a progressive Democratic State Assembly member and self-described democratic socialist, who is not only leading the polls by a substantial margin but also igniting fierce debate over the city’s values and priorities.
According to a Fox News poll conducted between October 10 and 14, Mamdani commands a commanding 21-point lead among registered voters, boasting support from 49 percent of respondents. His nearest rival, independent candidate and former governor Andrew Cuomo, trails with 28 percent, while Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa holds just 13 percent. Among likely voters, Mamdani’s support climbs even higher to 52 percent, cementing his status as the clear frontrunner. Fox News reported that Mamdani’s support has increased by five points since their September poll, a surge attributed to growing enthusiasm among his base—particularly very liberal voters, those under 30, Democrats, and women under 45.
But as the numbers tilt in Mamdani’s favor, the race has become a battleground for competing visions of New York’s identity. The American Principles Project (APP), a conservative policy group, recently launched a digital archive—mamdanifile.appdc.org—dedicated to cataloging Mamdani’s political record from 2020 to 2025. The site, first shared with Fox News Digital, features 43 entries, including campaign statements, bill texts, and video clips, all designed to highlight what APP President Terry Schilling called Mamdani’s “radical agenda.”
“Zohran Mamdani’s daily barrage of wild ideas, utterly detached from regular Americans, prompted us to launch the Mamdani Tracker to expose his madness,” Schilling told Fox News Digital. He added, “His radicalism may get covered up by the complicit left-wing media, but we’re reminding New Yorkers before Election Day of the chaos he’s plotting for NYC—and warning America: This is the Democrats’ agenda at your door.”
The archive doesn’t shy away from contentious issues. Among the entries are Mamdani’s 2020 pledge to guarantee “queer- and trans-inclusive medical care to all—including children—through a single-payer system,” and his calls for K–12 curriculum reviews to eliminate “transphobia, racism and xenophobia.” The site also spotlights Mamdani’s support for fully decriminalizing consensual sex and his co-sponsorship of legislation allowing inmates to choose facilities based on gender identity and to fund gender-transition procedures for prisoners. In a 2025 candidate questionnaire, Mamdani stated he would be “proud to host and fund Drag Story Hours.”
Each entry on the APP’s site is accompanied by primary sources—video clips, screenshots, and original documents—allowing voters to verify the context themselves. The group plans to expand the archive before Election Day as part of a broader push in local races across New York, New Jersey, and Virginia, where cultural policy and parental rights are hot-button issues.
For his part, Mamdani has not shied away from the spotlight or from addressing his critics head-on. On October 15, he appeared on Fox News’ “The Story with Martha MacCallum,” using the opportunity to speak directly to President Donald Trump, who has been one of his most vocal detractors. “I just want to speak directly to the president,” Mamdani said. “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.”
Mamdani’s remarks referenced outgoing Mayor Eric Adams’ 2024 federal indictment on corruption charges—charges that were ultimately dropped after Trump took office. The Democratic nominee emphasized his commitment to lowering the cost of living, a central plank of his campaign. “I will, however, be a mayor who is ready to speak at any time to lower the cost of living,” he said. “That’s the way that I’m going to lead this city.”
President Trump, for his part, has predicted that Mamdani will win the mayoral race, calling his campaign a “rebellion” against the city’s political establishment. Trump has also threatened to withhold federal funding from New York City if Mamdani is elected, raising the stakes for the city’s next leader.
The campaign trail has not been without controversy. During the October 16 televised debate—where Mamdani, Cuomo, and Sliwa faced off—Mamdani was pressed on his past use of the phrase “globalize the intifada,” a slogan associated with pro-Palestinian activism. While some see the phrase as a call for global support of Palestinian resistance against Israel, many in New York’s Jewish community view it as antisemitic and a call for violence. The Fox poll found that 42 percent of Jewish voters favor Cuomo, compared to 38 percent for Mamdani and 13 percent for Sliwa.
When asked about the ongoing Israel-Hamas war and his stance on a ceasefire, Mamdani largely sidestepped specifics but reiterated his broader principles. “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 his Fox News appearance.
Mamdani’s relationship with the New York City Police Department (NYPD) has also been a focal point of the campaign. In the same interview, he publicly apologized to NYPD officers for comments he made in 2020 following the George Floyd protests, when he called the force “racist, anti-queer & a major threat to public safety.” Addressing the controversy, Mamdani stated, “I’ll apologize to police officers right here because this is the apology that I’ve been sharing with many rank-and-file officers. And I apologize because of the fact that I’m looking to work with these officers, and I know that these officers, these men and women who serve in the NYPD, they put their lives on the line every single day.”
As the race enters its final stretch, the issues dominating voters’ minds are clear. According to the Fox News poll, 25 percent of respondents identified crime as the city’s top problem, followed by the cost of living (20 percent) and housing (16 percent). Cuomo’s strongest support comes from moderates, older voters, women over 45, and independents, while Mamdani’s base is energized among the city’s most progressive and younger demographics.
With another debate scheduled for October 22, the city’s political future—and perhaps its national reputation—hangs in the balance. The outcome will not only determine who leads America’s largest city but will also serve as a litmus test for the direction of urban policy and progressive politics in an era of sharp ideological divides.
For now, all eyes remain fixed on New York, where the battle for City Hall is shaping up to be a defining moment for both the city and the country.
