UPDATE: Voting has officially opened in New York City as Shahana Mamdani seeks to become the first Muslim mayor in the city’s history. With a significant turnout expected, over 735,000 votes have already been cast during the nine days of early voting, marking a staggering increase of four times the early ballots from the 2021 election.
Mamdani, a 34-year-old assembly member who identifies as a democratic socialist, has been leading the opinion polls ahead of the election. In June, he triumphed over former governor Andrew Cuomo in the Democratic primary by nearly 13 percentage points. Cuomo, now running as an independent, faces off against veteran Republican Curtis Sliwa in this heated race.
Polls will close at 9 PM ET, with election results expected shortly thereafter. The stakes are high, as outgoing mayor Eric Adams initially planned to run as an independent but withdrew in September—his name will still appear on the ballot.
Mamdani’s campaign promises to tackle affordability in the city by raising corporate taxes, increasing taxes on the wealthiest, freezing stabilized rent rates, and boosting the availability of subsidized housing.
In a surprising twist, former President Donald Trump has publicly backed Cuomo, warning that if Mamdani wins, securing federal funds for New York could become “highly unlikely.” Trump urged voters to support Cuomo, stating, “Whether you personally like Andrew Cuomo or not, you really have no choice. You must vote for him, and hope he does a fantastic job.”
The campaign has not been without controversy. A report from the Center for the Study of Organized Hate revealed that Islamophobic and xenophobic posts about Mamdani reached approximately 1.5 billion views on social media platform X between his primary win in June and the end of October. The analysis found that this content emerged from 35,522 original posts authored by 17,752 unique accounts.
As the clock ticks down to the closing of polls, the outcome of this election could reshape the future of New York City. Stay tuned for live updates as results roll in.
