WASHINGTON (AP) — The nation's biggest city will pick its next mayor on Tuesday in an election that has sparked debate over the future of the Democratic Party.
Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani, a 34-year-old state assembly member and democratic socialist who jolted the party with his victory in the New York City primary in June, will take on former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo for the second time. Cuomo lost the Democratic primary and is running as an independent. Curtis Sliwa is the Republican nominee for the second consecutive election.
Incumbent Mayor Eric Adams initially planned to seek reelection as an independent, but amid sub-basement approval ratings, he dropped out in late September. He will remain on the ballot.
New York City voters will also vote in elections for city council and other offices. Among the candidates is Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, who oversaw a hush-money case against President Donald Trump and is seeking reelection.
Mamdani has come to symbolize the more youthful, progressive wing of the Democratic Party. Moderate Democrats, both in New York and nationally, are distancing themselves from Mamdani, whose slick digitally focused campaign emphasized progressive solutions to cost-of-living concerns. Congressional leaders, including those from New York, were slow to embrace Mamdani: House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries endorsed him on Oct. 24 — the day before early voting started — while Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer had yet to weigh in as of Wednesday. Meanwhile, further left members of their caucuses have embraced Mamdani.
Republicans have delighted in linking Mamdani and his far-left policies to the Democratic Party. Trump, a former New Yorker, has attacked Mamdani, labeling the nominee a “communist” and even threatening to deport him.
In a city where registered Democrats outnumber Republicans by almost 6 to 1, Mamdani enters the general election as the candidate to beat. As of Oct. 28, he has spent almost $12.8 million this year, with an additional $4 million in the bank, according to New York City's campaign finance board. Cuomo, by comparison, has spent $12.1 million with $900,000 in the bank. Sliwa has spent almost $5.1 million and has $866,000 left.
Four years ago, Adams was elected mayor with more than two-thirds of the vote, losing only Staten Island — the most Republican-leaning borough — to Sliwa. Cuomo's campaign has focused on appealing to more moderate voters, as well as the Black and Orthodox Jewish voters that anchored his coalition in the primary.
Other races on Tuesday's ballot
New York’s second-most populous city will also pick its next mayor on Tuesday, and the entire state will vote on an amendment regarding the expansion of a sports complex in the Adirondack Mountains.
Buffalo will get its third mayor in less than two years. The three-person race includes state senator Sean Ryan, former Erie County district attorney James Gardner and nonprofit founder Michael Gainer. The winner will succeed Acting Mayor Christopher Scanlon, who assumed the office after Mayor Byron Brown, the city's longest-serving mayor, resigned last year to accept a job as president and CEO of Western Regional Off-Track Betting.
Ryan defeated Scanlon in the Democratic primary.
He has significantly outspent his opponents. Entering the election, Ryan has reported spending just over $1.5 million. Gardner, the Republican, has spent slightly more than $9,700, and Gainer, an independent, slightly less than $9,400, as of Oct. 28.
The last Republican to serve as mayor of Buffalo was Chester A. Kowal, who was in office from 1962 to 1965.
A “yes” vote on Proposal #1 — the only statewide ballot measure this year — would allow a winter sports complex around Lake Placid to develop up to 323 acres of land into new Nordic ski and biathlon trails. The land is currently set aside as a state forest preserve.
A “yes” vote would also expand the forest preserve by about 2,500 acres. The state Legislature must approve the expansion.
Under New York state election law, an automatic recount is triggered in races with more than 1 million votes if the margin of victory is fewer than 5,000 votes. For smaller races, the automatic recount is triggered if the margin of victory is either 0.5% or less, or up to 20 votes. In a ranked-choice election, if the margin between the final two candidates meets the recount threshold, then all the ballots in the election are recounted round by round. The AP may declare a winner in a race that is eligible for a recount if it can determine the lead is too large for a recount or legal challenge to change the outcome.
The Associated Press does not make projections and will declare a winner only when it’s determined there is no scenario that would allow the trailing candidates to close the gap. If a race has not been called, the AP will continue to cover any newsworthy developments, such as candidate concessions or declarations of victory. In doing so, the AP will make clear that it has not yet declared a winner and explain why.
Here’s a look at what to expect on Tuesday:
Election Day
Elections for New York City mayor, city council and other municipal offices, as well as Buffalo mayor and a ballot proposal will be held Tuesday. Polls close at 9 p.m. ET.
What’s on the ballot?
The AP will provide vote results and declare winners in the New York City municipal and Buffalo mayoral elections, and one statewide ballot proposal.
Who gets to vote?
Any voter registered in the municipality may participate in its mayoral election, and any voter registered in the state may vote on the ballot proposal.
What does voter registration and turnout look like?
As of Feb. 20, there were 5.1 million registered voters in New York City. Of those, 65% were Democrats and 11% were Republicans. About 1.1 million voters were not registered with any party.
Statewide, there were 13.1 million registered voters in New York state. Of those, 48% were Democrats and 23% were Republicans. About 3.9 million voters were not registered with any party.
In the last New York City mayoral election, just over 1.1 million voters cast ballots, about 21% of registered voters.
How long does vote counting usually take?
In the 2024 presidential election, the AP first reported New York City results at 9:01 p.m. ET, about a minute after polls closed. New York City’s election night tabulation ended for the night in Queens at 12:25 a.m. ET with about 90% of total ballots counted across the city.
Are we there yet?
As of Tuesday, there will be 364 days until the 2026 midterm elections and 1,099 days until the 2028 general election.
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Follow the AP’s coverage of the 2025 election at https://apnews.com/projects/election-results-2025/.