Your Guide To The 2025 New York City Mayoral Election: Dates, Candidates, And Key Issues

Last Updated:October 27, 2025, 17:22 IST

With Election Day approaching on November 4, Zohran Mamdani, Andrew Cuomo, and Curtis Sliwa face off in New York City’s fiercely contested 2025 mayoral election

Democratic candidate Zohran Mamdani speaks during a mayoral debate with Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa and independent candidate former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, in New York, (Pool via REUTERS/File Photo)

After months of heated debates, high-profile endorsements, and ideological clashes, New York City’s mayoral race is entering its final stage. The outcome, observers say, could influence national political trends ahead of the 2026 US midterm elections, when Americans vote to fill seats in Congress and several state offices halfway through the president’s four-year term.

With early voting already drawing tens of thousands of New Yorkers, Election Day on November 4 is fast approaching.

When Is The NYC Mayoral Election Day, And How Does Voting Work?

Election Day in New York City is scheduled for Tuesday, November 4, 2025. Polling stations across the city’s five boroughs—Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, and Staten Island—will open at 6 a.m. and close at 9 p.m. local time. Voters who are in line by 9 p.m. are legally entitled to cast their ballots.

New York’s election system allows voters to either cast their votes early in person, vote on Election Day, or submit an absentee ballot. Early voting began on October 25 and will continue through November 2. Ballots can also be dropped off at early voting centres until November 2 or submitted at Election Day poll sites by 9 p.m.

During the first weekend of early voting, CBS reported more than 1,64,000 ballots cast—around 50,000 each in Manhattan and Brooklyn, and roughly 38,000 in Queens. The New York City Board of Elections has provided online tools for voters to locate their polling places and check eligibility for absentee voting.

Who Is Running For Mayor?

Three candidates are contesting the race for New York City mayor, an office often described as the most powerful municipal position in the US. The city elects its mayor every four years through a direct popular vote, similar to how the president is elected nationally.

Political parties first choose their nominees through internal elections known as primaries, where registered party members vote to decide who will represent them in the general election.

On this year’s ballot are Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic nominee and a state assembly member representing Astoria in Queens; Andrew Cuomo, the former New York governor running as an independent after losing the Democratic primary; and Curtis Sliwa, the Republican nominee and founder of the street-patrol group Guardian Angels.

The contest originally included the city’s current mayor, Eric Adams, who suspended his independent re-election campaign and endorsed Cuomo, a sharp reversal from his earlier criticism of the former governor. Mamdani’s earlier victory over Cuomo in the Democratic primary, seen as a major upset within the party, propelled the 34-year-old legislator to national prominence as a new voice from the progressive wing of American politics.

What Do The Candidates Stand For?

Mamdani, aged 34, has centred his campaign on affordability and public welfare. His platform includes proposals such as free city bus services, rent freezes, city-run grocery stores, and universal healthcare. He has framed his candidacy as a fight to make New York “a city for everyone, not just the wealthy."

He has also been a vocal critic of US President Donald Trump and promised to oppose federal policies he views as harmful to New Yorkers. If elected, Mamdani would become the city’s first Muslim mayor.

Cuomo has built his campaign around promises of safety, stability, and experience in government. He has sought support from moderate Democrats, independents, and even some Republicans. His campaign has focused on public safety, combating anti-Semitism, and addressing New York’s housing crisis. “There is an affordability crisis, and the real answer is to build more affordable housing — I’m going to build 500,000 additional units," Cuomo told CBS News.

Sliwa, the Republican nominee, has run on a tough-on-crime agenda, promising to roll back bail reforms, reduce violent crime, and reopen the Rikers Island jail complex. “I am the law-and-order candidate. That was clear in the debates," he said, arguing that safety is the city’s most urgent priority.

What Are The Main Issues For Voters?

Affordability and public safety have dominated the campaign. Housing costs and rent burdens have surged across New York, pushing these concerns to the forefront of debates. Public safety has been a central theme, especially after crime statistics became a flashpoint for political attacks and counterclaims among the candidates.

Mamdani has called for a Department of Community Safety to “prevent violence before it happens," saying that police have been made to handle issues better addressed through social programmes. He has also clarified that he intends to work with the NYPD despite his past criticism of its approach to policing. Cuomo, in contrast, has argued that Mamdani’s proposals are unrealistic and has sought to portray himself as the candidate of order and competence.

Who Is Leading In The Race?

Recent reports by Politico suggest Mamdani continues to hold a double-digit lead over both Cuomo and Sliwa, with strong backing among younger and working-class voters in Queens and Brooklyn. His campaign has benefited from grassroots enthusiasm and a network of progressive volunteers across the city.

What Endorsements Have Shaped The Race?

Mamdani has received endorsements from leading progressives, including Bernie Sanders, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and New York Governor Kathy Hochul. Cuomo’s most notable supporter is Eric Adams, whose endorsement came after he suspended his own campaign. Sliwa, meanwhile, has drawn backing from several police unions and business associations.

What Controversies Have Emerged?

The race has been marked by bitter exchanges and allegations. Cuomo’s campaign has faced reminders of the scandals that forced him to resign as governor in 2021, following multiple allegations of sexual harassment, which he has denied. He has also been criticised for withholding data on COVID-19 deaths in nursing homes during his administration. During a summer debate, Cuomo claimed that his government “didn’t undercount any deaths."

Tensions escalated when, during a radio interview, Cuomo appeared to agree with a host who said that Mamdani would be “cheering" if a terrorist attack took place in New York City. Mamdani called the comments “disgusting" and described them as “racist attacks."

Mamdani himself has been accused by opponents of anti-Semitism over his criticism of Israel’s war in Gaza. He has repeatedly rejected the charge, stating that he supports Israel’s right to exist and has “always spoken out against anti-Semitism" while pledging to fight it as mayor.

Why Does This Election Matter?

New York City’s mayor is one of the most influential municipal leaders in the United States, managing a city budget of over 100 billion dollars, larger than the annual budgets of several countries, including nations such as Croatia, Slovakia, and Kenya. The next mayor will have to confront overlapping crises: soaring living costs, concerns about safety, and ongoing economic recovery.

Beyond the city’s borders, the 2025 race is being viewed as an indicator of where urban American politics may be heading. A Mamdani win would mark the first time a democratic socialist has led America’s largest city, potentially reshaping the national conversation within the Democratic Party.

For many New Yorkers, however, the stakes are more immediate: how affordable, safe, and livable their city will be in the years ahead.

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