Former Gov. and mayoral candidate Andrew Cuomo votes within the Democratic major on Election Day on the Excessive College of Artwork and Design. Tuesday, June 24, 2025.
Picture By Dean Moses
The 2 main candidates in New York Metropolis’s Democratic mayoral major — Andrew Cuomo and Zohran Mamdani — hit the marketing campaign path Tuesday as voters braved the sweltering warmth to make their voices heard on Main Day.
Cuomo, the average former governor who’s making an attempt a political comeback after resigning in 2021 amid a number of sexual harassment allegations that he denies, voted at his polling web site at Artwork and Design Excessive College in Midtown East on Tuesday morning. He arrived on the polls round 11 a.m. on June 24, leaping out of a black SUV flanked by two of his three daughters — Mariah Kennedy-Cuomo and Michaela Kennedy-Cuomo.
Cuomo indicated that he solely voted for himself within the mayoral race, leaving the opposite 4 slots within the ranked-choice major clean. He mentioned that he did vote for candidates in down-ballot races however wouldn’t disclose their names, as a substitute saying, “My vote is private.”
Former Gov. and mayoral candidate Andrew Cuomo casts his poll within the Democratic major on Election Day. Tuesday, June 24, 2025.Picture By Dean Moses
Though Cuomo had been main within the polls by a large margin for a lot of the first, he and Mamdani — a democratic socialist Queens Meeting member — had been neck-and-neck in a bombshell Emerson School ballot launched on Monday.
The tightening race has spurred the previous governor to extra aggressively assault Mamdani within the ultimate weeks of the race over his relative inexperience in workplace and fierce criticism of Israel. Rich pursuits have poured tens of millions of {dollars} into an excellent PAC supporting the previous governor’s marketing campaign to blanket the airwaves with Mamdani assault advertisements.
Cuomo pushing for decent turnout
Chatting with reporters earlier than casting his poll, Cuomo inspired voters to return out in order to keep away from what he described as an undesirable consequence.
“We’ve learned the hard way, when you don’t vote and only a small number of people come out, you often get a perverse outcome because a small number of people come out and don’t represent the majority of New Yorkers,” Cuomo mentioned, showing to preview how he’ll push again in opposition to a Mamdani win.
However his sentiment stands in stark distinction to the document early voting turnout in the course of the major—over 384,300 individuals checked in at ballot websites throughout the 5 boroughs in the course of the eight-day interval—and the over 221,000 Election Day check-ins as of midday.
Former Gov. and mayoral candidate Andrew Cuomo speaks to reporters earlier than voting within the Democratic major. Tuesday, June 24, 2025.Picture By Dean Moses
Cuomo hopes for a excessive turnout amongst his base of older voters, who sometimes forged their ballots on Election Day. In an obvious effort to induce his supporters to move to the polls regardless of the oppressive warmth, Cuomo sought to minimize the depth of the steamy circumstances.
“Is it a little warm today? Yes, it’s a little warm,” Cuomo mentioned. “Is it oppressively hot today, like they said? I don’t believe so. It’s a little warm, but today is the day, and you have to vote.”
Temperatures on Tuesday are forecasted to achieve over 100 levels Fahrenheit, with a fair increased warmth index. The town is ready to interrupt a document within the afternoon for the highest-ever recorded temperature on June 24 since 1888.
Mamdani seeks ‘turning the page’
In the meantime, Mamdani gathered with supporters at Astoria Pool, which lies in his Meeting district, early Tuesday morning to kick off his Election Day. He framed his rebel marketing campaign because the “dawn of a new era” within the metropolis.
“We are turning the page on the corrupt politics of the past that made this the most expensive city in the United States of America today,” Mamdani mentioned, presumably referring to Cuomo and present Mayor Eric Adams. “I am filled with gratitude for the more than 50,000 volunteers who have powered this campaign for the last eight months, for the tens of thousands more who have already cast their ballots. And I’m filled with conviction that we will win this race.”
Meeting Member and mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani talking to supporters at Astoria Pool on Election Day. Tuesday June 24, 2025.Picture courtesy of Z
Mamdani’s marketing campaign has surged as a consequence of enthusiasm amongst younger voters, who resonated along with his platform of tackling the town’s affordability disaster.
Later Tuesday morning, Mamdani joined his cross-endorsed fellow candidate, metropolis Comptroller Brad Lander, to talk with voters on the Higher West Facet. Lander, who has been polling at a distant third place, mentioned the cross-endorsement was mainly designed to cease Cuomo from capturing the mayoralty.
“When we cross-endorsed the number one goal was to add votes together to block Andrew Cuomo so that we don’t wind up with a corrupt, abusive, bitter, sour politics of the past,” Lander informed reporters. “People are excited by the idea of a politics that’s more collaborative. They like the idea of a Muslim New Yorker and a Jewish New Yorker campaigning together.”
