Andrew Cuomo concedes to Zohran Mamdani in Democratic primary for NY’s next mayor

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: Zohran Mamdani, a 33-year-old democratic socialist and state lawmaker, is on track to bring a stunning win in the Democratic primary for New York City mayor.

On Tuesday, June 24, the former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo called Mamdani to concede his defeat after more than one million Democratic voters cast their ballots for the next chief executive of the nation's most populous city.

With 95% of ballots counted, Mamdani received 43.5 percent of the first-place votes, compared to Cuomo’s 36.3 percent, according to early results from the New York City Board of Elections on election night.

However, the outcome is not final yet, as the board is set to release full results on July 1 in an election that used ranked choice voting, which allows New Yorkers to vote for up to five candidates in order of preference, according to Newsweek.

Andrew Cuomo congratulates Zohran Mamdani

After seeing the obvious result, the former three-term governor called Zohran Mamdani to concede and congratulate him on his expected victory.

"Tonight was Assemblyman Mamdani's night, and he put together a great campaign," Cuomo said in front of his supporters, according to Fox News.

"He touched young people and inspired them and moved them and got them to come out and vote. He really ran a highly impactful campaign. I called him. I congratulated him. I applaud him sincerely for his effort,” he claimed before adding that "tonight is his night. He deserved it. He won."

As the unofficial results of the first round of voting trickled in, Cuomo assured his supporters that his campaign would be "having conversations" about how to proceed to help both the Democratic Party and New York City moving forward.

"Now I want to look at all the numbers, as they come in, and this ranked choice voting and what the numbers actually say and do," he stated.

After the former governor's address, a Cuomo campaign staffer said that he is leaving the door open for a potential independent or third-party run in November.

Zohran Mamdani declares he will be Democratic nominee for NYC mayor

With 43.5% votes in his bank, Zohran Mamdani, who was backed by progressive darlings like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Independent US Senator Bernie Sanders, topped not just Andrew Cuomo but also nine other candidates in a crowded primary field.

If elected following the November election, the state assemblyman would make history as New York City’s first Muslim and Indian American mayor.

While Cuomo was backed by a multi-million dollar political action campaign, Mamdani focused on affordability, offering free childcare, freezing rent in tens of thousands of rent-controlled apartment units, raising taxes on the wealthiest residents to fund free buses, and establishing city-owned grocery stores to avoid a rising cost of living crisis in one of the country's most expensive cities.

His social media-savvy campaign included more than 50,000 volunteers who canvassed across the city, according to the Independent.

During an election night celebration across town, Mamdani acknowledged that Cuomo had called him to surrender the race when they were talking about the "need to bring this city together."

"I will be your Democratic nominee for the mayor of New York," Mamdani declared.

He then went on to describe his vision for New York City’s future as a place "where the mayor will use their power to reject Donald Trump's fascism, to stop mass ICE agents from deporting our neighbors and to govern our city as a model for the Democratic Party."

"I will be the mayor for every New Yorker," Mamdani said. "Whether you voted for me, or for Governor Cuomo, or felt too disillusioned by a long broken political system to vote at all, I will fight for a city that works for you, that is affordable for you, that is safe for you. I will work to be a mayor you will be proud to call your own."

Ocasio-Cortez also reacted to the concession by applauding the New York state assemblyman.

"Congratulations, @ZohranKMamdani! Your dedication to an affordable, welcoming, and safe New York City where working families can have a shot has inspired people across the city. Billionaires and lobbyists poured millions against you and our public finance system. And you won," the congresswoman wrote on X.