A NYC Mayoral Victory For Zohran Mamdani Could Create An Outline For Progressives In Future Democratic Primaries
Jun 12, 2025
January 20 2025 initial polls including Mamdani had the progressive polling at 4.4 percent with four different candidates above him. The leader of the pack with 31.5 percent of the vote was former Governor Andrew Cuomo. The former Governor resigned in disgrace after the DOJ released information that Cuomo had sexually harassed 13 women that worked for the state.
Fast forward to April 1 2025 and Mamdani sees a significant upswing to 13 percent. The notable point here though is that it boosts him into the second place spot behind the former Governor. Mamdani has seen a consistent gain of the share the last two months with the Cuomo holding steady between 35-39 percent. By June 1 2025 Mamdani had carved out 18 percent of the vote but less then two weeks later and one Mayoral debate done Mamdani has surged to an impressive 31 percent with Cuomo seeing his first real downturn to 33.5 percent.
Zohran Mamdani is a New York State Assemblymember and proud Democratic Socialist. The 33-year-old has bold ideas with bold plans to enact them with free fast buses, city-owned grocery stores and a freeze on the rent in the city. This young progressive isn’t just all ideas and plans though, the Queens Assembly Member helped introduce a free-fare pilot bus program across the five boroughs in 2023.
The Mamdani campaign isn’t looking to shy away from strong stances on usually divisive issues like previous Democratic campaigns, instead being ready with thoughtful nuanced responses. This was evident during the first Mayoral debate where Zohran went straight at Andrew Cuomo, who seemed to be playing defense against all other candidates on stage. During the debate the candidates were asked about their first foreign visit as Mayor would be, Mamdani’s response would separate himself from the other candidates and garner support online.
People found this interaction extremely odd considering the fact the initial question didn’t even mention Israel, the moderator seemed to then imply anything but Israel was a response that needed exploring. Following that Cuomo then try’s to nail Mamdani on a view he doesn’t even hold regarding Israel’s right to exist. The nuanced response of a two state solution where everyone’s human rights are treated equally in the region, is a growing consensus among Americans.
In an interview with PIX11 news in NYC Mamdani was asked about how he plans to afford all these social programs and plans. The response gave specific examples and tangible outcomes while making it known that landlord lobby groups donated over $2 million to Cuomo “Because they know, what I know, he’s going to raise the rent, I’m going to freeze the rent.” Full interview here.
This recent success and surge in the polls by Zohran Mamdani is shedding light on just how popular progressive ideas can be, especially for cities with large populations. The success so far is a roadmap for future progressive’s in primaries or general elections. Recent endorsement of AOC was seen as a significant step and could help compound support for Mamdani 12 days before New Yorkers vote on June 24, 2025.
The second Mayoral debate is scheduled for tonight June 12, 2025 at 7 p.m you can find more information on how to watch here.