❓WHAT HAPPENED: A new poll shows Zohran Mamdani and Andrew Cuomo neck-and-neck in New York City’s Democratic mayoral primary. However, that city’s ranked-choice voting system would give Mamdani a slight lead over the former Democrat governor.
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Zohran Mamdani, Andrew Cuomo, and other candidates, including Brad Lander, Adrienne Adams, and Scott Stringer.
📍WHEN & WHERE: New York City, with the voting period beginning on June 14 and ending on June 24.
💬KEY QUOTE: “Donald Trump ran for President promising to end wars, not start new ones,” said the political progressive, Zohran Mamdani, over the weekend, attempting to nationalize further the mayoral race.
🎯IMPACT: The race highlights the tension between centrist and progressive factions within the Democratic Party.
Zohran Mamdani, a 33-year-old far-left New York assemblyman, is now statistically tied with former governor Andrew Cuomo in the Democratic primary for mayor of New York City, according to a new poll conducted by Emerson College Polling/PIX11/The Hill. While the poll shows Cuomo leading Mamdani 35 percent to 32 percent in first-choice votes, within the margin of error, under the ranked-choice voting system, Mamdani emerged with 52 percent of the vote after the final round, compared to Cuomo’s 48 percent. Ranked-choice voting allows voters to select up to five candidates in order of preference, redistributing votes from eliminated candidates until one surpasses 50 percent.
Notably, the race does not include current Democratic mayor Eric Adams, who is running as an independent following a fundraising scandal. Other candidates in the primary include comptroller Brad Lander, city council speaker Adrienne Adams, and former comptroller Scott Stringer. Meanwhile, Anthony Weiner, a former Democrat congressman who resigned after sending sexually explicit photos of himself to several people—including a minor—is running for city council.
Cuomo, backed by high-profile figures such as Mike Bloomberg, Bill Clinton, and Jim Clyburn, has faced criticism for past sexual harassment allegations and his management of the coronavirus pandemic as state governor. Mamdani, endorsed by political far-left progressives like Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) and Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT), has faced accusations of anti-Semitism over his use of the phrase “globalize the intifada.” Mamdani has dismissed these accusations as deliberate misinterpretations of his stance on Palestinians.
The race has also been influenced by international events, with Mamdani criticizing recent U.S. military action in Iran, calling it a “dark new chapter” and declaring, “Donald Trump ran for president promising to end wars, not start new ones.”
Cuomo, in contrast, emphasized the importance of preventing Iran from obtaining nuclear capability, stating, “It’s dangerous, not only for the region, it’s dangerous internationally. It’s dangerous for the United States.”
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