New York / PNN /
Residents of New York City are voting on Tuesday to elect a new mayor, and the frontrunner in polls is 34-year-old socialist Muslim candidate Zohran Mamdani, of Indian origin, from the left wing of the Democratic Party and a fierce critic of Donald Trump.
Voting begins at 6:00 a.m. (11:00 a.m. GMT) and ends at 9:00 p.m. (02:00 a.m. GMT Wednesday). Columbia University professor Lincoln Mitchell expects a strong turnout in this “heated” election.
For months, opinion polls have shown Mamdani leading in voting intentions, with a recent survey placing him ahead of his main opponent, former state governor Andrew Cuomo (running as an independent after losing his party primary to Mamdani) by between 4.5 and 16 points.
Republican Party candidate Curtis Sliwa (71), who placed third in polls, has a notable past: a frequent media presence, founder of the “Guardian Angels” volunteer group, and a cat-lover.
About 735,300 voters cast early ballots — four times the number in the last municipal election in 2021, which had some 1.15 million participants (turnout at 23.3 %).
Early voting, a relatively new trend in New York, draws new voters — but “it may also be a sign of high enthusiasm for a candidate or concern about the election’s outcome,” according to NYU’s John Kane.
More than five million people were eligible to vote for the 111th Mayor of New York, whose term begins on January 1, with over 60% registered as Democrats.
Trump’s Attacks
Meanwhile, Trump has frequently commented and taken positions during this campaign. In an interview with CBS on Sunday he said: “If I have to choose between a bad Democrat (Andrew Cuomo) and a communist (Zohran Mamdani), I’ll pick the bad Democrat.”
While Trump deployed the military in many Democratic strongholds (Portland, Chicago, Washington, Memphis, Los Angeles), Mamdani has pledged fierce opposition to Trump’s anti-immigration policies and his legal wars on “political enemies.”
On his platform X, Elon Musk urged voters to back Andrew Cuomo instead of “Mamdani or whatever his name is.”
Even within his party, Mamdani does not enjoy unanimous support: many senior Democrats — including Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer — have not publicly endorsed him, and those who did have been very cautious.
Though late to endorse Mamdani, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries does not believe he will be “the future” of the party, despite his stirring popularity in New York.
Experts interviewed by AFP agree with Jeffries, citing the unique nature of New York politics compared with the rest of the country.
Obama’s Compliments
Former Democratic President Barack Obama praised the young socialist’s campaign during a phone call on Saturday, according to The New York Times. Like Mamdani, Obama condemned the “anti-Muslim” attacks made by some supporters of Andrew Cuomo.
Meanwhile, in the neighbouring state of New Jersey, voters are selecting their next governor—Republican businessman Jack Ciattarelli vs. Democrat Mickey Sherrill, considered more centrist. Once a Democratic stronghold, the state saw Republican Donald Trump significantly close the gap in the last presidential election.
Also, in Virginia preparations are underway to elect its first female governor. Polls show Democrat Abigail Spanberger (a former CIA operative) leading slightly over Republican Winsome Earle-Sears (a former Marine).
On the other side of the country, California voters are considering a redrawing of the state’s electoral map to benefit the Democratic Party, responding to a similar initiative in Texas led by Trump.
