Zohran Mamdani projected to win New York City mayor’s race

Democrat Zohran Mamdani is projected to win New York City’s mayoral election, defeating independent Andrew Cuomo and Republican Curtis Sliwa in one of the most closely watched races of 2025, according to Decision Desk HQ (DDHQ) and NBC News.

At 9:30 p.m. Eastern Time, early results showed Mamdani leading with 50.5% of the vote to Cuomo’s 41.4% and Sliwa’s 7.5%, with more than 1.7 million votes counted, according to DDHQ. Turnout surpassed 2 million ballots citywide, the highest in a New York City mayoral race since 1969.

The election was held to replace term-limited incumbent Eric Adams, who left office following a series of corruption scandals and an unsuccessful bid for re-election.

Mamdani, a 33-year-old Democratic state assemblyman from Queens and self-described democratic socialist, will become the first Muslim mayor in New York City’s history.

Cuomo, seeking a political comeback after resigning as governor in 2021 amid sexual harassment allegations, ran as an independent backed by moderate Democrats and high-profile national figures, most notable President Trump.

On the eve of the election, Trump publicly endorsed Cuomo in a lengthy post, calling Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani a “Communist” and warning that New York City would face “total economic and social disaster” under his leadership.

Trump said he would provide only the “very minimum” of federal funds required by law if Mamdani were elected, urging voters to support Cuomo instead.

Mamdani’s projected victory follows Democratic wins in both the Virginia and New Jersey gubernatorial races.