By Victoria Keraj
On June 24, New Yorkers registered with a political party will be able to choose which mayoral candidate will represent them in the upcoming general elections taking place on Nov. 4.
According to one poll conducted by Data for Progress, former Governor Andrew Cuomo is in the lead. In the poll, he is followed by New York (NY) state assembly member Zohran Mamdani, and NYC comptroller Brad Lander who both spoke at TreeAge’s student town hall. Another poll also shows these three candidates in the lead.
Incumbent Eric Adams originally stated he would not be changing party affiliations following backlash from the Trump administration’s order to the DOJ to drop the charges against him, but announced on April 3 that he would be running as an independent. Meaning he will no longer compete in the June primary, which approval polls showed he had lost support with Democrats, suggested he would have a hard time winning, according to the New York Times.
The primaries will be decided using ranked voting, while the general election will not. Ranked voting, where voters could list their 5 most preferred candidates, disfavored Adams, but he has a chance to become mayor by winning a majority of votes in November.
“In a three-way general election against the Democratic and Republican nominees— where RCV is not used — Adams could theoretically win reelection with a simple plurality of votes, without needing a majority,” according to Independent Voter News.
Cuomo is running as a moderate who’s website places an emphasis on his plans to make NYC more affordable and safer for residents.
Politico states, “[…]privately, some allies acknowledge he likely stands his best chance against Democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani, rather than moderate Andrew Cuomo.”
Mamdani is openly pro-socialist with promises to make MTA transportation free and implement free childcare, according to his website.
Lina Mazioui, a BC student, said she favored Mamdani.
“A big reason I’m a fan of him is because he wants to make Columbia and NYU pay taxes and put that money back into CUNY.”
The Manhattan Institute cites their survey, saying “Most New York City voters (66%) believe that the city is heading in the wrong direction.”
It remains to be seen who New Yorkers will choose to address the issues they care about.
This is a developing story, The Vanguard will provide updates as they become available.