Daily London
In the months after Mamdani’s surprise Democratic primary win, the 34-year-old democratic socialist has sought to grow his base and reassure voters wary of his criticisms of Israel’s government and his past support for far-left policies such as defunding the police. His opponents, meanwhile, have revamped their campaigns to try to cut into the frontrunner’s support.
Here are seven stories to get you up to speed on Tuesday’s (Wednesday AEDT) election:
First, Andrew Cuomo’s primary campaign collapsed
Cuomo entered the mayoral race as the frontrunner despite sexual harassment allegations, which he has denied, that forced him to resign from office in 2021.
But the former governor relied on name recognition and donor support instead of building out an extensive ground game, leading to his surprise loss in the June Democratic primary to Mamdani.
“But all but a few involved with the Cuomo campaign acknowledge, at least privately, how much they did wrong.”
Democratic socialists were emboldened and started talking primary challenges
Mamdani pivoted from anti-police rhetoric
The mayoral candidate met with off-duty police officers and held meetings on the proposals in his public safety agenda, which would overhaul the way the city approaches its most vulnerable residents.
The Republican with many cats
New York City hasn’t had a Republican mayor since Michael Bloomberg left office in 2013.
Sliwa has campaigned by riding the subway and running on a tough-on-crime platform. He argued that his longtime ties to the city might help him reach voters who are otherwise opposed to Republican candidates.
To the end, he refused to withdraw from the race despite pressure from Cuomo and others who wanted to consolidate the anti-Mamdani opposition.
“When they come up to me, they don’t say, ‘Oh, the Republican,'” Sliwa told CNN.
“They don’t see me as a politician. They see me as one of them, which is rare.”
The diverse street at the centre of the race
Mamdani’s opponents criticised his support for decriminalising sex work, pointing to it as evidence that he is soft on crime.
Cuomo also hoped to use the issue to reach South Asian and Muslim voters.
Mamdani has clarified that he doesn’t support legalising sex work, but that he backs decriminalising the practice between consenting adults.
“I do not think that we should be prosecuting women who are struggling, who are currently being thrown in jail,” Mamdani said at a mayoral debate.
Many Jewish voters felt they had bad options
For many Jewish New Yorkers, the New York City mayoral election has become emotionally fraught.
Mamdani sought to reach out to Jewish New Yorkers, but the most recent pre-election polls still showed Cuomo drawing about 55 per cent of the Jewish vote.
A different kind of potential first lady
Instead, her influence was felt behind the scenes and on social media, where she promoted her artwork focused on Middle Eastern women and the plight of Palestinians in Gaza.
