Mamdani Leads; Cuomo Gains Union Endorsements

With about five weeks until Election Day the New York City mayoral race has tightened and the three leading candidates have launched major ad and outreach campaigns. Democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani is the clear frontrunner, holding double-digit leads in polls and securing endorsements from figures including Kamala Harris and Gov. Kathy Hochul; he launched a $267,000 TV ad promoting rent freezes, fast and free buses, and universal child care. Former governor Andrew Cuomo, running as an independent, released an AI-driven Day One ad touting his executive experience and has courted law-enforcement, transit and union backing. The Amalgamated Transit Union formally endorsed Cuomo and criticized Mamdani's free-bus proposal as potentially costly and harmful to jobs, and centrists such as former candidate Jim Walden have also endorsed Cuomo to consolidate anti-Mamdani voters. Republican Curtis Sliwa says he will remain on the ballot. Political analysts say Eric Adams's suspension of his reelection bid is unlikely to erase Mamdani's lead absent a major shift.