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New Yorkers will find out who will be their next mayor this election day, in a contest that will decide who runs and protects the country's most populous metropolis at a time when the former president has vowed to send military troops to the city.

Against that backdrop, New York has witnessed a mayoral election that has pitted two distinctly opposing Democratic figures against one another. The election has turned into an increasingly bitter showdown, marked by accusations of racism and Islamophobia, but it is the political differences between the two main contenders that could have significant consequences for how the party performs in next year's midterm elections.

The Progressive Challenger

In the progressive corner is the democratic socialist, the 34-year-old progressive candidate whose meteoric rise and people-powered movement has attracted global notice. On the establishment side is the former governor, the former New York governor now campaigning independently – and enjoying the support of wealthy contributors and corporations.

With days to go, it is Mamdani, the former longshot who defeated Cuomo in the Democratic primary who is firmly installed as the frontrunner. The candidate, who has campaigned on a platform of affordability and pledged to halt rent increases for about 2 million New Yorkers, has led his rival by double-digits in every poll taken in the fall, and it is very much the progressive's election to throw away.

A Bitter Contest

However, Cuomo, who resigned as governor in 2021 amid allegations of misconduct, has stated clearly he will fight to the finish, and not necessarily in an above-the-belt fashion. He has criticized Mamdani's objectives as unachievable, and in recent days chuckled along as a broadcaster made Islamophobic remarks about the candidate, who is a Muslim. Recently, the independent was strongly criticized as bigoted after posting an AI-generated ad that featured a slew of racist stereotypes and showed Mamdani releasing a group of criminals.

This represents a particularly ugly conclusion to an election that could be critical to the path that the Democratic party, struggling in its reaction to the former president's power moves, takes in the coming years.

National Implications

If the progressive secures a clear victory, the party establishment who have declined to support his campaign will be forced to reckon with a message that has appealed to Americans' anger at inequality, inflation and the establishment. It would be difficult for the Senate leader and the House leader not to embrace at least a portion of the candidate's progressive proposals about affordability, given the fresh face has generated an enthusiasm within the Democratic ranks arguably not witnessed since Bernie Sanders ran for president in 2016.

However, should Cuomo, who had been predicted to win easily in the Democratic primary, achieve a surprising comeback victory, it could reinforce national Democrats' current model of cautious, lackluster opposition – a tactic that has angered grassroots members. A New York rejection of Mamdani's optimistic platform could persuade party leaders that the wisest course is to stick to the political center – even as surveys show the current iteration of the party is deeply unpopular across the country.

Voter Enthusiasm

Voters in the city seem to prefer the Mamdani vision. Surveys show that Mamdani supporters are much more excited about their choice than Cuomo backers, something that has been apparent during the race. The candidate's snappy videos on digital platforms, his hopeful outlook for the city and his willingness to actually get out and meet people in the metropolis has drawn an force of over fifty thousand supporters, many of them young or new participants.

Personal Attacks

Yet, the former governor, 67, isn't giving up. And with the stakes against him, the ex-leader has resorted to ugly messaging in recent weeks.

After spending months throwing basically everything at Mamdani to see what might stick, the independent has concentrated on attacking the candidate personally. He has labelled his rival, who was born in Uganda to South Asian heritage, an "radical", and appeared on Fox Business for an interview with Maria Bartiromo, where Cuomo claimed New York “will not survive” his opponent as mayor. It reached a nadir last week, when Cuomo laughed along and said “that’s another problem” after a broadcaster said Mamdani would “cheer” another terrorist incident.

Political Landscape

The line of attack mirrors much of what Trump, who has sent the national guard to Washington DC and threatened to take similar action to NYC, has said about the progressive, and perhaps that shouldn’t come as a surprise. A group of billionaire New Yorkers, including some who donated to Trump in the 2024 election, have pumped millions into trying to elect the independent into office, as other influential figures have pressured the Republican candidate to withdraw from the race.

Political Histories

As far as the Cuomo camp, and his billionaire supporters, are worried, it should never have come to this. When Mamdani, one of one hundred fifty state legislators, launched his mayoral bid in October 2024, few had heard of him, and in reality, few even paid attention.

Cuomo, by comparison, eased his way into the contest in March 2025 and became the instant favorite. He was the big beast who apparently held every edge. The quintessential establishment figure, he had wed a Kennedy and worked in a Democratic presidency. He became the state's leader in 2011, 17 years after his parent, the former governor, left office from the same position.

The progressive, who was voted in to the New York state assembly in recently, does not have the comparable background. But his dedication to providing no-cost transit and affordable child services – along with the freeze-the-rent pledge – offer a brighter outlook of the city's direction than Cuomo’s pessimistic predictions about “mayhem” and rising criminal activity, and his promise to hire more police officers.

Recent Challenges

Still, Mamdani has encountered difficulties in recent days, after video emerged appearing to show him suggesting the New York police department and the Israel Defense Forces were connected.

“We have to make clear that when the boot of the NYPD is on your throat, it’s been influenced by the Israeli military,” the candidate said in the recording, filmed at a DSA convention in 2023. Mamdani, a longtime critic of the Israeli government who has said the nation is engaging in atrocities in the Palestinian territory, indicated he was questioning joint training exercises between the city police and Israeli forces.

Emotional Response

With the election nearing, the candidate seems to have gained sympathy and support, however, for his reaction to Cuomo’s increasing rhetoric.

The progressive responded to Cuomo’s terrorism comments in an heartfelt recording. In it, the candidate remembered how, when he first campaigned for state assembly, a Muslim uncle suggested to him that he did not have to tell people about his Muslim faith. It was a realization, Mamdani said, that many local Muslims had been told “again and again”: “That safety could only be found in the shadows of our city. That it is in those shadows alone where Muslims could express their true selves, and that if we were to step out from those seclusion, then it is in those silence that we must leave our faith.”

Speaking to the behavior of Cuomo and Sliwa, who has alleged Mamd