Mamdani Still Frontrunner as Race Tightens

Polls opened at more than 14,000 sites from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. as New Yorkers voted in a high-turnout mayoral contest between Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani, independent Andrew Cuomo, and Republican Curtis Sliwa, with early voting recording roughly 730,000–735,000 check-ins. Mamdani, a 34-year-old self-described democratic socialist who campaigned on housing affordability, free transit and child care, remains the frontrunner in most polls and would be the city’s first Muslim and one of its youngest mayors if elected. Several late polls tightened the race, and an Atlas analysis found Cuomo would beat Mamdani in a two-way matchup if Sliwa were not on the ballot, making the outcome less certain. Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo is running as an independent after losing the Democratic primary and is courting centrist and Republican voters, while Republican Curtis Sliwa seeks to consolidate the GOP base. The campaign has national stakes and exposed deep generational and ideological divides in the Democratic Party, and former President Donald Trump has publicly attacked Mamdani as a “communist,” urged voters to back Cuomo, and threatened to withhold federal funds if Mamdani wins. Reporters across the city are providing live Election Day coverage and will follow returns and candidate events as results arrive tonight.