NYC’s prime political information in 2025
Zohran Mamdani wins a wild NYC Mayor’s Race
Mamdani, a Queens Meeting member who was first elected to public workplace in 2020, got here out victorious within the 2025 mayoral election, surpassing candidates Andrew Cuomo and Curtis Sliwa on Election Day. It was an consequence few folks outdoors the 34-year-old democratic socialist’s interior circle had anticipated when town ushered within the new 12 months final January.
With Mayor Eric Adams mired in controversy, quite a few Democrats, together with Mamdani, launched bids to win the occasion’s nomination from him in June. Adams would finally select to not contest the Democratic major, and as a substitute launched what would turn out to be an ill-fated unbiased re-election bid.
Former Governor Andrew Cuomo.Picture by Lloyd Mitchell
For the primary two months of 2025, a Democrat who hadn’t even formally declared candidacy within the race, Cuomo, led most Democratic major polls. That every one modified on March 1, nonetheless, when Cuomo, the previous governor who resigned from workplace in 2021 after repeated sexual harassment allegations that he has all the time denied, formally declared his candidacy for mayor in a bid for an epic political comeback.
Mamdani and others within the Democratic major subject pounced, hitting Cuomo repeatedly for these sexual harassment allegations in addition to his dealing with of the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly with regard to nursing house deaths.
Mamdani started to emerge as the largest impediment between Cuomo and the Democratic nomination for mayor, combining his assaults on the previous governor with a marketing campaign message targeted squarely on affordability. Utilizing distinctive social media ways, Mamdani closed the hole with Cuomo as the first approached, buoyed by marketing campaign guarantees of a lease freeze for stabilized residences, fare-free buses, and opening city-owned grocery shops to assist decrease the price of meals.
Cuomo, in response, painted Mamdani as an out-of-touch socialist and criticized him for anti-Israel statements, together with the Queens lawmaker’s help for Palestinians through the Israel-Hamas Struggle in Gaza. Mamdani sought to distance himself from using probably the most heated rhetoric, but refused to publicly acknowledge Israel’s proper to exist as a Jewish state and even publicly threatened to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ought to he go to New York.
Zohran Mamdani gained the Democratic nomination for mayor within the June major.Picture By Dean Moses
Within the June Democratic major, Mamdani shocked most pollsters with a convincing win over Cuomo, garnering probably the most votes a Democrat had acquired since David Dinkins within the 1989 major. Undeterred, Cuomo then launched his personal unbiased bid for mayor, believing that he might persuade sufficient average Democrats, independents and even just a few Republicans to win a four-way race between himself, Mamdani, Mayor Adams and Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa.
The race was upended even additional on the finish of September, when Mayor Adams — whose help in most polls by no means obtained out of the one digits — ended his re-election marketing campaign. He would later endorse Cuomo, whom the mayor had beforehand referred to as a “snake” for allegedly spreading rumors about his marketing campaign’s impending demise.
As a Mamdani victory in November appeared imminent, Cuomo and a few Republicans made a push for Sliwa, trailing in third with about 15% help from voters, to drop out of the race and endorse Cuomo, to no avail. Sliwa refused to budge and stayed within the race till the very finish.
Even President Trump provided a last-minute endorsement of Cuomo, hoping to bolster Republican turnout for the previous governor and frequent rival. Cuomo, nonetheless, publicly denounced Trump’s help.
The Nov. 4 election become a runaway win for Mamdani, who gained roughly 51% of the vote and beat Cuomo by 10 factors; Sliwa had lower than 10% help. The election noticed the largest turnout in a mayoral race in over 50 years, as greater than 2 million New Yorkers solid their ballots.
As the primary Muslim mayor to steer the Huge Apple, the nation’s largest metropolis, Mamdani started choosing members of his administration in December and can take workplace on Jan. 1.
Whereas Mamdani gained the mayor’s workplace, different politicians snagged victories in native races this 12 months. Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine gained the race for comptroller, changing Brad Lander. In the meantime, State Sen. Brad Hoylman-Sigal got here out victorious within the race to interchange Levine because the borough president of Manhattan.
Adams’ prison fees dismissed
The surprising political indictment in opposition to Mayor Eric Adams was dropped in early April.
A federal decide dismissed the five-count prison marketing campaign fraud indictment in opposition to the outgoing mayor in a ruling “with prejudice,” which means that federal prosecutors will be unable to deliver again the case in opposition to him.
Adams was charged in 2024 with bribery, marketing campaign finance and conspiracy offenses, however has continued to keep up his innocence.
Julie Menin the probably subsequent NYC Council Speaker
Manhattan Council Member Julie Menin introduced in November that she has sufficient votes from the council to turn out to be speaker of the NYC Council when the brand new session begins in January.
Manhattan Council Member Julie Menin introduced on Nov. 26 she had secured sufficient help to turn out to be the Council’s subsequent speaker.Emil Cohen/NYC Council Media Unit
On Nov. 26, Menin mentioned she garnered public commitments from 36 present and incoming council members, which is 10 greater than the required 26. She is predicted to take workplace on Jan. 7.
Trump takes Penn Station redesign from New York
President Trump’s Division of Transportation took over the MTA’s plans for a brand-new Penn Station in Midtown in April. The transfer was surprising, however finally applauded by Gov. Hochul, who mentioned the federal takeover would save New York taxpayers $1.3 billion that may have been used for the mission.
The federal authorities rolled out its first set of plans for the multi-billion-dollar makeover in August, which incorporates building beginning by the top of 2027.
Brad Lander and Jumaane Williams arrested throughout ICE raids
New York Metropolis Comptroller Brad Lander was arraigned Friday federally after he and a number of other different politicians had been cuffed attempting to examine the Tenth-floor ICE detainment facility in 26 Federal Plaza, however he says he was not the one at fault.Picture by Lloyd Mitchell
ICE brokers raided immigration courtroom all year long. They had been met with opposition from protestors, immigration advocates, and NYC politicians who questioned the company’s ways and the legality of their operations.
Throughout an particularly confrontational raid, Metropolis Comptroller Brad Lander and Public Advocate Jumaane Williams had been amongst a bunch of politicians arrested after demanding entry to holding cells and blocking hallways at 26 Federal Plaza in Decrease Manhattan.
Lander was additionally arrested in a earlier incident on the federal constructing, during which he was supporting a detained immigrant.
ICE will probably proceed its operations into the brand new 12 months, widening the division between homeland safety and immigration advocates.
Stefanik drops out of 2026 gubernatorial race
Republican Congress Member Elise Stefanik introduced in December that she would drop out of the governor’s race, clearing the way in which for Nassau County Government Bruce Blakeman to problem incumbent governor Hochul subsequent 12 months.
Stefanik mentioned she needed to focus extra time on household and posted on X that it’s “not an effective use of our time or your generous resources to spend the first half of next year in an unnecessary and protracted” Republican major.
Casinos rating three spots in NYC
Three on line casino builders lastly scored licenses to open up full-scale gaming within the metropolis, as different bidders dropped out or had been rejected by advisory boards alongside the way in which. The NYS Gaming Fee gave its closing approval to Bally’s within the Bronx, and Metropolitan Park and Resorts World in Queens to construct the multi-billion greenback casinos, formally ending a years-long assessment course of, on Dec. 15.
