NYC mayoral election updates: Mamdani, Cuomo, Sliwa vie to lead New York

You can continue to follow our coverage of the NYC mayoral race in our election results live page here.

If you’d like to learn more about the closing stages of the race, you can read our coverage here.

You can also read about how the city’s voters are responding to President Trump’s endorsement of Cuomo here.

We will be closing this live page soon. Here’s a brief review of today’s main developments:

• Residents of New York City have gone to the polls to cast their vote for the city’s next mayor.
• Progressive Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani is facing off against former state Governor Andrew Cuomo, running as an independent after his loss in the Democratic primary, and Republican anti-crime figure Curtis Sliwa.
• New York City is on track to see exceptionally high voter turnout, with nearly 1.75 million total voting check-ins recorded by the NYC Board of Elections, including early voting.
• Community groups have expressed alarm over the widespread Islamophobia directed against Mamdani during the campaign. Cuomo and numerous right-wing figures have suggested that Mamdani, who would be the city’s first Muslim mayor, would have been sympathetic to the September 11, 2001, attacks.
• Several other elections are taking place across the country, with progressive mayoral candidates facing centrist incumbents in cities such as Minneapolis and Seattle, and voters in California going to the polls to decide whether to adopt new legislative maps in response to partisan redistricting in Texas.

Progressive youth activist David Hogg has poked fun at Trump and his allies, who have urged people to vote for Cuomo, suggesting that their backing has become something of an anti-endorsement for Cuomo in the strongly Democratic-leaning municipality.

“I just talked to a volunteer for Zohran, who told me that this morning two voters at the polling site were undecided and she told them Cuomo had been endorsed by Donald Trump and they said well that decides that I’m for Zohran,” Hogg said in a social media post. “Thank you 🙏 Donald Trump.”

While conservative backers have expressed support for Cuomo as a means of preventing a Mamdani victory, the Mamdani campaign has also been able to use those affiliations to depict Cuomo as an ally of the Trump administration.

I just talked to a volunteer for Zohran who told me that this morning two voters at the polling site were undecided and she told them Cuomo had been endorsed by Donald Trump and they said well that decides that I’m for Zohran

Thank you 🙏 @realDonaldTrump

— David Hogg 🟧 (@davidhogg111) November 4, 2025

While the NYC mayoral race has generated significant national attention, it is not the only notable election taking place in the US today.

In addition to races in municipalities such as Boston, Seattle, and Minneapolis, the western state of California is holding a special election on Proposition 50, a measure that would adopt new electoral maps in response to partisan redistricting in the Republican-led state of Texas.

Recent polling shows Prop 50 on track to pass in the Democratic stronghold, despite some misgivings about drawing electoral maps along partisan lines.

You can read our report on Prop 50 here.

Samad Ahmad, a 34-year-old cybersecurity consultant, says making history is not enough for Mamdani.

“Personally, I’ve never felt like there was a right candidate to vote for; someone that represents me as a New Yorker,” he said, adding that this was the first local election he voted in.

“I loved Cuomo, to be honest, during the pandemic, but then all the reports and the scandals,” he said. “He’s not the person that we hoped him to be, right? The leader, the courageous fighter that always stands up for New York. He’s not that person.”

“Mamdani is getting a lot of labels, right?” He said, pointing to the fact that he would be the first Muslim mayor, the first person of South Asian descent and the first person born in Africa to lead the city.

“But it’s up to him to prove us right,” he said. “Otherwise, he’ll be out the door very soon. That’s how New Yorkers are. That’s how the Americans are.”

This election is happening at a time when President Donald Trump has been at odds with local officials in many Democratic cities and states, sending National Guard troops and immigration (ICE) agents.

This is heightening the stakes not only for New York but for the Democratic Party across the country.

Mamdani really energised local voters with his promises to make the city more affordable, but his opponents have been challenging his inexperience, saying that he’s not up to the job, that he can’t stand up to Donald Trump, and questioning his ability to enact these policies going forward.

So this has made this election very much a test case that has captured the attention of the country, and indeed, the world.

Muslim community activist Asad Dandia says that the Cuomo campaign has tried to weaponise Islamophobic attacks against Mamdani during the final weeks of the campaign, while simultaneously trying to capitalise on schisms within the Muslim community.

“It’s shameful that Andrew Cuomo is spending his last days in public office trafficking in Islamophobia, while simultaneously questioning Zohran’s commitment to his faith,” Dandia said in a message. “Sadly, Cuomo knows he can weaponise both Islam and Islamophobia, because treating Muslims both as tools and as targets is politically profitable.”

On a recent podcast appearance, the former governor appeared to agree when a host suggested that Mamdani, who would be the city’s first Muslim mayor, would have “cheered on” the September 11, 2001, attacks. A pro-Cuomo political PAC has recently shared advertisements depicting Mamdani in front of the Twin Towers.

Those attacks are especially provocative in New York City, where the Muslim and South Asian communities faced a wave of discrimination, as well as surveillance and harassment by law enforcement, following September 11. During a recent debate, Cuomo also said that Mamdani had antagonised the Sunni Muslim community by pushing “haram”, or “forbidden”, policies, such as decriminalising prostitution.

Here are the latest updates:

• This year’s mayoral race has already shattered all turnout records since 2001, with more than 1.4 million votes at 3pm local time (20:00 GMT).
• White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt has called Mamdani’s suggestion that a series of bomb threats against polling stations in neighbouring New Jersey are connected to Trump’s rhetoric, casting doubt on the legitimacy of voting, “irresponsible”.
• Bomb threats at several polling stations in New Jersey were determined to be unfounded, law enforcement and election officials have said.
• Some undecided voters are backing Mamdani after seeing Trump’s endorsement of Cuomo, a Democrat.
• Mamdani and Cuomo have both voted in Queens and Manhattan, respectively, expressing confidence that the outcome will be in their favour.

Robert Barnagg, a retired 72-year-old, used to work on Wall Street.

“I’m afraid of Mamdani. I don’t like his past anti-cop statements and who he used to hang out with,” he said after voting in Jackson Heights.

“I don’t really like Cuomo either, but he’s better than Mamdani,” he said. “I support whoever is better for the community.”

“I don’t like politicians like Mamdani [and] AOC,” he added.

In response to Trump’s endorsement, he said: “I don’t really count it as an endorsement. He said it’s the lesser of two evils.”

For Jessica Dejesus, deciding who to vote for as the next mayor of New York City came down to the final minutes.

The 40-year-old resident of the Mott Haven neighbourhood in the Bronx had, admittedly, not been following the race closely, but planned to vote for former Governor Andrew Cuomo. She recalled his near-nightly television appearances when he was governor of New York state amid the ravages of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“He was our guy during the pandemic,” she reflected.

But a day before the election, Dejesus saw a video on TikTok detailing US President Donald Trump’s endorsement of Cuomo. The nod made her give upstart candidate Zohran Mamdani, a democratic socialist, a closer look.

Read our story here.

There is a steady trickle of people coming to vote in an election that has energised a city that is already pretty energetic. We have to keep in mind that there has been early voting for about a week, and nearly three-quarters of a million people have voted early.

Many of them are likely to have been in support of Mamdani, a candidate who has led a campaign largely on social media. Younger voters tend to head to the polls early; it is the older voters who are likely to be leaning towards Cuomo and who are likely to turn out to vote today.

Sliwa, the Republican candidate, is not expected to do particularly well. Trump has backed Cuomo – but the two cannot actually stand each other. When the US president endorsed him, he did so through gritted teeth. But that puts Cuomo in a difficult position, because he’s a Democrat at heart, and needs to pull those voters on the left who do not want to vote for Mamdani.

Another reminder that city voters don’t fall into clean buckets.

Iftikar Khan, 60, is a driver originally from Bangladesh. He is a registered Republican and a massive Trump supporter, having voted for him in 2016 and 2020.

But he’s voting Mamdani.

“My family convinced me, they really love Mamdani,” he told Al Jazeera.

He would have preferred to vote for Sliwa, saying simply “I just think Republicans do things right.”

“But my family really wanted Mamdani, so I said OK,” he said.

The Bangladeshi community has flexed massive political muscle in New York City this election season.

Zohran Mamdani won the Democratic primary and took everyone by surprise. He’s a 34-year-old democratic socialist. He wants to tax the rich. He was really unknown, serving as a state lawmaker, and yet he ran away with the primary, winning that spot.

He’s energised young Democrats, he’s been critical of Israel, taking all of these positions that conventional political wisdom said wouldn’t work in New York, and it worked.

He got people to come out and vote for him in the primary and has continued to appeal to them in the run-up to election day today.

With hours left to go at the polls, this year’s mayoral race has already shattered all turnout records since 2001.

The latest figures from the Board of Elections, released at 3pm local time (20:00 GMT), show more than 1.4 million votes – 1,451,942, to be exact.

This beats every mayoral race in New York City since Republican Michael Bloomberg faced off against Democrat Mark Green in 2001, shortly after the September 11 attacks. That year, 1,469,454 total votes were cast, according to Board of Election data.

Here’s the total votes in previous mayoral races, per board data:

• 2021, Democrat Eric Adams vs Republican Curtis Sliwa: 1,125,258
• 2017, Democrat Bill de Blasio vs Republican Nicole Malliotakis: 1,148,665
• 2013, Democrat Bill de Blasio vs Republican Joe Lhota: 1,087,710
• 2009, Independent Michael Bloomberg vs Democrat Bill Thompson: 1,154,802
• 2005, Republican Michael Bloomberg vs Democrat Fernando Ferrer: 1,289,935
• 2001, Republican Michael Bloomberg vs Democrat Mark Green: 1,469,454

The US voting schedule has left some Kentuckians confused.

Although multiple cities and states have races under way today – including mayoral elections in NYC, Boston, Minneapolis and Seattle, as well as governor’s races in Virginia and New Jersey – there are no elections in the Bluegrass State.

The US midterm general election is scheduled for November 3, 2026, while preceding midterm primary elections will occur on different dates depending on the state.

Michael Adams, Kentucky secretary of state, weighed in with a post on X, telling Kentuckians: “You cannot vote today in Kentucky for the mayor of New York City or the Governor of Virginia. Sorry.”

“Have I mentioned my repeated call for civic education,” he quipped in a follow-up post.

We’re getting calls about polls being closed. They are closed because we do not have elections today. Kentucky votes next year. You cannot vote today in Kentucky for the mayor of New York City or the Governor of Virginia. Sorry. https://t.co/O71e7asXaW

— Michael Adams, KY Secretary of State (@KYSecState) November 4, 2025

Megan Marks, 52, a freelancer, said she reluctantly voted for Zohran Mamdani.

“I feel like we have nothing to lose. He’s idealistic and a little young,” Marks said.

She believes, however, that his progressive leadership could serve as a counterbalance to Republican control in Washington, where the GOP holds the White House, Senate, and House of Representatives.

“We might as well balance what is happening in the country by having someone from a very different perspective, so I’ve decided to get behind him [Mamdani],” she said.

While she voted for Mamdani, Marks remained critical of some of his plans. On housing, she argued that Mamdani’s proposal to build more housing across New York City could be disruptive.

“I don’t know about this ambitious plan. I’m just trying to be realistic, and I feel like Cuomo had a little more realism, but I really did not like his approach,” she said.

For 40-year-old Jessica Dejesus from the Bronx, the decision truly came down to the last minute.

She was not super engaged in the race, but planned to vote for Cuomo. “During the pandemic, he was always on TV, giving us updates,” she told Al Jazeera. “He was our guy during the pandemic.”

But yesterday, she saw a video on TikTok about Trump’s endorsement of Cuomo – and that began to change her mind.

“We can’t have that. I don’t disagree with everything Trump does, but he cut back on food stamps and that affects a lot of people,” she said, referring to restrictions on US Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits in a bill passed by Trump and Republicans earlier this year.

“I understand you have to stop bad people coming over the border, but there’s are a lot of good immigrants here as well,” she added.

Heading into the polling site, she was still not sure, and said, “I’ll have to wait until that paper’s in front of me”.

A few minutes later, she emerged.

“I voted for Mamdani!” She said.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt has said that Mamdani was “irresponsible” to suggest that a series of bomb threats against polling stations in neighbouring New Jersey are connected to Trump’s rhetoric casting doubt on the legitimacy of voting.

Lieutenant Governor Tahesha Way said that there were “no credible threats at this time” and that voting could proceed as normal following a series of bomb threats that temporarily halted voting in some parts of the state. Trump has frequently spread false claims casting doubt on the security of voting in Democrat-led states, allegations that critics say have helped fuel violent threats targeting the electoral process.

Mamdani called the bomb threats “part of the general approach the Trump administration has taken to trying to intimidate voters with baseless allegations of voter fraud as a means of trying to repress the voice of Americans across this country”.

“I saw those comments from Mamdani. I thought they were completely irresponsible and they are based on zero evidence,” Leavitt told reporters.

Alex Lawerance, 55, a lawyer, initially supported Cuomo in the Democratic primary in June but reconsidered before the general election.

“In the primary, I did not vote for him, but I changed my vote to him after some reflection,” Lawerance said.

“I’m not as progressive as him [Mamdani], but he has a positive message, he has integrity, and I think he will do a fine job. I want to give the guy a chance.”