Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa (left), Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani, and former Gov. and unbiased candidate Andrew Cuomo.
Pictures by Lloyd Mitchell
New York Metropolis’s 2025 mayoral election is lower than two weeks away now — with early voting beginning this Saturday, Oct. 25. As a fall chill settles over the 5 boroughs, not a lot has modified within the polls — although the warmth is popping up on one candidate to shake the race up in a giant manner.
Meeting Member Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic nominee, holds a powerful lead in all main polls, topping unbiased candidate Andrew Cuomo and Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa constantly by double digits.
Cuomo, who served 2 1/2 phrases as governor earlier than resigning amid allegations of sexual harassment that he has at all times denied, is working a revamped unbiased marketing campaign after struggling a shock blowout loss to Mamdani within the June Democratic major.
The previous governor, polling second to Mamdani, is way behind in most basic election polls and struggling to capitalize additional after a slight bump in polling following Mayor Eric Adams’ departure from the race in September.
As his marketing campaign stagnates, Cuomo is sticking to his technique of attacking Mamdani, arguing that he’s the one candidate with the administration and political expertise required to be mayor.
However, he’s added a brand new technique in his closing push — publicly pleading with Sliwa to drop his bid.
Cuomo courts Republicans, pushing Sliwa to get out
Since a heated mayoral debate on Thursday, Cuomo has repeated the road, “A vote for Curtis Sliwa is really a vote for Zohran Mamdani,” on varied radio reveals and TV appearances, acknowledging that “the math is tricky” for a Cuomo victory until Sliwa drops out.
Although he has repeatedly emphasised that he’s a “lifelong Democrat,” Cuomo has taken to courting Republican voters who, greater than they wish to see a Republican win, hope to see Mamdani lose. Republicans make up solely 11% of the New York Metropolis citizens, in line with the Marketing campaign Finance Board. Nearly two-thirds of registered voters within the 5 boroughs are Democrats.
When reached for remark, Cuomo spokesperson Wealthy Azzopardi pointed New York News to Cuomo’s Tuesday media appearances, wherein he has continued to plead with the Republican nominee to drop his bid and again Cuomo’s marketing campaign.
On a morning WABC 77 radio section with host Sid Rosenberg, Cuomo indicated that he could be “interested in” the prospect of providing Sliwa a place in his potential administration if the Republican dropped out.
“I don’t have horns,” Cuomo joked on the present. “I need your voters to vote for me.”
Nonetheless, the maths is certainly “tricky” for Cuomo.
The 13 most up-to-date polls performed since mid-August all present Mamdani profitable by not less than 11 proportion factors, with some projecting a win by 20 factors or extra. The Meeting member is constantly polling between 40% and 50%, whereas Cuomo is seeing predictions between 24% and 33% and Sliwa is scoring within the teenagers.
A Gotham ballot sponsored by the AARP launched Monday reveals Mamdani and Cuomo in an in depth race in a hypothetical one-on-one, with Mamdani topping Cuomo by 4% in a ballot with a 4% margin of error.
Nonetheless, even when Sliwa opts to drop his bid, he’ll stay on the poll — as will Adams.
Sliwa has reiterated that he has no intention of dropping out of the election. The founding father of the vigilante group Guardian Angels and an animal rights activist, Sliwa ran unopposed within the Republican major and has proven no public curiosity in ceding the marketing campaign to assist Cuomo.
“I suggest Andrew Cuomo come off his high horse,” Sliwa instructed reporters Monday morning when requested concerning the calls from Cuomo to drop out. “If he wants to win this election, go out and campaign for your voters.”
Spokespeople for Sliwa and Mamdani didn’t reply to requests for remark in time for publication.
Skilled sees election ‘glide’ for Mamdani
Democratic strategist Journey Yang mentioned Mamdani “looks to have a glide path to City Hall right now.”
Certainly, Mamdani is getting ready for management. The Meeting member has begun planning extra critically for the mayoralty, although he mentioned in an interview with New York News final week that he stays centered on profitable the marketing campaign itself earlier than making too many plans for governing. Within the interview, he mentioned his marketing campaign has enlisted a whopping 80,000 volunteers who’re knocking over 100,000 doorways every week.
The 34-year-old democratic socialist started his major marketing campaign within the fall of 2024 with nearly no identify recognition outdoors his Queens district, rapidly amassed an unprecedented floor recreation, and received his affordability-centered message out with a contemporary social technique aimed toward a younger viewers.
As for the strain on Sliwa, a few of which has come from his personal social gathering, Yang famous that Sliwa has regular assist from most Republican energy brokers in New York Metropolis and is a troublesome character to push out of a race.
“Curtis Sliwa has been shot before; I think he can weather the scrutiny and the pressure from some Republican leaders to drop out and endorse Cuomo,” Yang mentioned, referring to Sliwa’s tried homicide in 1992, allegedly by the Gambino crime household. “It’s going to take a miracle for Andrew Cuomo to pull this race off or even make it remotely competitive while Sliwa is still out there.”
Relating to Cuomo’s adopted technique of publicly pressuring Sliwa to drop his bid, Yang mentioned Cuomo could also be losing his time.
“Any minute that Cuomo is not focused on criticizing Mamdani with two weeks to go hurts Andrew Cuomo,” Yang mentioned.
If polls are to be believed, it seems unlikely that Cuomo will be capable of pull out a win on Election Day if the make-up of the race stays the identical between now and Nov. 4.
“Even in a one-on-one,” Yang mentioned, “it is very structurally hard for someone unpopular to beat someone more popular.”
