Cuomo Concesses Defeat in NYC Mayoral Primary

Former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo conceded a hotly contested New York Democratic mayoral primary, leaving Zohran Mamdani as the presumptive winner of the race.

The Associated Press has not officially declared a winner as New York uses ranked-choice voting, which asks voters to rank the candidates in order. Candidates are eliminated one by one until someone emerges with 50% of the vote. As of early Wednesday, Mamdani had 43.5% of the vote to Cuomo's 36.4%.

"Tonight was not our night," Cuomo said. "Tonight was Assemblyman Mamdani's night, and he put together a great campaign and he touched young people and inspired them and moved them and got them to come out and vote, and he really ran a highly impactful campaign. I called him. I congratulated him. I applaud him, sincerely, for his effort."

Mamdani declared victory on Tuesday.

“Today, eight months after launching this campaign with the vision of a city that every New Yorker could afford, we have won," he told supporters.

The 33-year-old has been in the New York State Assembly since 2021. He considers himself a Democratic Socialist and has aligned himself with the likes of Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

Ocasio-Cortez congratulated Mamdani for winning the primary.

"Your dedication to an affordable, welcoming, and safe New York City where working families can have a shot has inspired people across the city," she said. "Billionaires and lobbyists poured millions against you and our public finance system."

Assuming Mamdani won Tuesday's primary, he will face current New York Mayor Eric Adams in the general election. Adams, previously a Democrat, opted to run as an independent and bypass the Democratic primary.

Cuomo has said he would launch an independent campaign as he also vied for the Democratic nomination, claiming he can earn votes from Republican and independent voters.

Mamdani was born and raised in Kampala, Uganda, moving to New York at age 7. After graduating from the Bronx High School of Science and later Bowdoin College, he became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 2018.

In 2021, he became the third Muslim to ever serve in the New York State Assembly. Prior to elected office, he was a foreclosure prevention housing counselor, "helping low-income homeowners of color across Queens fight off eviction and stay in their homes."