Is the Financial Capital of the World About to Elect a Socialist Mayor?
As New York City prepares for a consequential mayoral primary Tuesday, a generational and ideological rift inside the Democratic Party has exploded into public view.
Zohran Mamdani, a 33-year-old Democratic Socialist and state assemblyman, has surged in the polls to become a serious threat to former governor Andrew Cuomo, a symbol of the party's old guard. What was once assumed to be a smooth comeback for Cuomo has become a defining test of youth-driven insurgency, progressive momentum and the Democratic establishment's grip on power.
With the Democratic primary vote set for June 24, the contest pits Cuomo, 67, who resigned from the governorship in disgrace amid sexual harassment allegations, against Mamdani, a first-term assemblyman and son of Indian and Ugandan immigrants, who is campaigning to freeze rents, eliminate bus fares, and raise taxes on the wealthy.
A new Emerson College poll released just days before the vote shows the two candidates effectively tied in final ranked-choice simulations. Betting markets reflected the late momentum shift: Polymarket and Kalshi, which had favored Cuomo by wide margins just a week ago, narrowed to nearly even odds by Monday.
The race in New York is also reflecting a national tension between young progressives eager for radical change and older Democrats clinging to traditional power structures. Cuomo has the backing of major unions and senior Democrats like Jim Clyburn, the 84-year-old South Carolina kingmaker who all but resuscitated Joe Biden's 2020 campaign.
Mamdani, in contrast, is endorsed by progressive firebrands Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Bernie Sanders and is running a social media-powered campaign targeting millennials and Gen Z voters.
"This is symptomatic of a theme around the country," said Joshua Lafazan, a former New York state legislator and political analyst. "You're seeing younger candidates decide they don't need institutional endorsements. They can use new tools that didn't exist before, like social media, to reach voters outside of party norms."
Democratic strategist Kaivan Shroff echoed Lafazan's view, saying Mamdani reflects a rebellion against the party's aging leadership. "It seems the Democratic Party is extremely hesitant to let younger leaders step up, while the Republican Party is lifting up newer voices like JD Vance and Byron Donalds," Lafazan added.
Struggle for Identity
That kind of generational friction isn't limited to New York. In Washington, Jasmine Crockett, a 44-year-old Democrat from Texas, launched a bid to succeed the late Congressman Gerry Connolly—who passed away in May—as the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee.
Crockett's bid—energized by progressive support and social media clips—marked a broader challenge to the party's tradition of seniority-driven leadership.
"The fight is going to play out in 2028," Lafazan said, "but local and state elections over the next year will determine whether it's the old guard or the new insurgencies that take priority."
In New York, the showdown between Cuomo and Mamdani is shaping up to be a referendum on the Democratic Party's shifting stance toward Israel, a deeply sensitive issue in a city with more Jewish residents than Tel Aviv or Jerusalem.
Cuomo is a strong supporter of Israel and has faced little criticism from older voters for his alignment with the Netanyahu government. In contrast, Mamdani has been one of the city's most outspoken critics of Israel's offensive in Gaza, calling it "genocide," advocating for the arrest of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and rejecting the idea that anti-Zionism is the same as antisemitism.
"In a city where Jews are the number one targeted minority, having a mayor who can't even condemn the phrase 'globalize the Intifada' is sure gonna be an issue for voters," Lafazan said.
Shroff agreed the Israel debate is politically combustible but said Mamdani's framing has still resonated with many younger voters.
"I think most voters don't necessarily see a direct connection to why the mayor of New York should be focused on international relations," he said, referencing Mamdani's viral video response that he would stay in New York to focus on his job rather than travel to Israel.
Big Promises, Big Risks
Mamdani's proposals—rent freezes, 200,000 new affordable housing units, free city buses—are appealing to younger voters overwhelmed by the city's cost of living and who feel otherwise abandoned by the national party. He proposes paying for these initiatives with a higher corporate tax and a new flat tax on millionaires.
Yet Mamdani's critics warn that his ideas lack practicality and legislative muscle. "He's never dealt with a natural emergency, a union negotiation, or a hurricane," Cuomo said during a recent debate. "He's never done any of the essentials."
In response, Mamdani fired back: "I have never had to resign in disgrace. I have never cut Medicaid. I have never stolen hundreds of millions of dollars from the MTA... I am not you, Mr. Cuomo."
Lafazan, while noting Mamdani's appeal to younger New Yorkers, said the candidate's rhetoric and platform risk alienating critical swaths of the electorate. "You can't just win a New York mayoral race on vibes," he said. "You need a coalition that includes working-class Black and Latino voters, union households, older progressives—and Mamdani hasn't proven he can connect beyond his base."
Errol Louis, writing in New York magazine, called Mamdani's momentum a direct result of elite failure to respond to its younger, more progressive base. "The frantic, all-out effort to disqualify mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani in the closing days of the Democratic primary betrays a lack of serious planning by New York's political and economic elites," Louis wrote. "The same people dumping millions into last-minute attack ads should have been investing time and money to recruit, educate, and encourage young leaders."
Whether Mamdani's insurgent campaign signals a realignment or remains an outlier will hinge on turnout—and whether a rising generation can finally outvote the one before it.
Cuomo's Potential Comeback Is Also About Revenge
While Mamdani's rise has captured national attention, the race has also brought one of New York's most bitter political rivalries back into focus: Andrew Cuomo versus Letitia James.
James, the state attorney general, led the investigations that ended Cuomo's governorship in 2021—probing sexual harassment allegations, nursing home deaths during COVID, and his pandemic book deal. Her findings forced Cuomo to resign. Now, as he seeks a return to office, Cuomo is targeting James in court and in public, accusing her of running politically motivated investigations.
He has sued James's office and the state comptroller to obtain records related to those probes. According to Politico, the legal battle has cost the state nearly $60 million. James, meanwhile, has struggled to regain footing after a failed 2022 run for governor and is no longer seen as a dominant political force in the city.
Some insiders say James tried to block Cuomo's path by urging Council Speaker Adrienne Adams to enter the race—a plan that fizzled. With Mayor Eric Adams under federal investigation and politically weakened, several Democrats now believe that a Cuomo victory in November would give him the leverage to marginalize James further.
The rivalry, once rooted in scandal, now reflects deeper tensions between establishment power and its critics. And if Cuomo wins on Tuesday, it will not just be a personal vindication. It could be the start of a political purge.
Update 6/24/25, 1:06 p.m. ET: This article has been updated to include additional information.