Early Voting Opens in New York Mayoral Race Dominated by Trump Critic Zohran Mamdani

Early voting for New York City’s mayoral election begins Saturday, with Democratic state lawmaker Zohran Mamdani — a self-described socialist and political outsider — leading the race and poised to upend the city’s political establishment.

The 34-year-old Queens legislator has surged from long-shot status to frontrunner after current mayor Eric Adams dropped out amid corruption allegations and the previous Democratic favorite lost his primary. Mamdani’s campaign, powered by young voters and a sharp focus on New York’s affordability crisis, has redefined the race.

Central to his platform is a pledge to freeze rent for roughly two million residents in rent-stabilized apartments — a promise that has galvanized supporters but drawn fierce criticism from rivals.

In a surprising twist, Adams has endorsed former governor Andrew Cuomo, 67, who trails Mamdani by 18 points in the latest Victory Insights poll conducted October 22–23. Mamdani leads with 47% support, compared to Cuomo’s 29%, while Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa polls at 16%.

Adams’s endorsement of Cuomo came despite his past attacks on the former governor, whom he once called “a snake and a liar.” At a joint appearance Thursday, Adams derided Mamdani as “the king of the gentrifiers,” accusing him of misleading voters with “snake oil” rent promises.

Political analysts say Cuomo faces an uphill climb. “It’s possible, but extremely unlikely, that Cuomo can catch Mamdani,” said Columbia University political scientist Lincoln Mitchell. “His tough-guy image belongs to another era.”

The campaign has been dominated by the city’s cost-of-living crisis — and by how each candidate would deal with President Donald Trump, who has repeatedly attacked Mamdani, calling him a “communist.”

“I wouldn’t be generous to a communist guy that’s going to take the money and throw it out the window,” Trump said earlier this month, hinting he might withhold federal funds from the city if Mamdani wins.

Mamdani has responded that he would work with Trump if it helped lower living costs for New Yorkers, while Sliwa has promised to “negotiate” with the president and Cuomo has vowed to “confront” him.

Mamdani’s message has resonated deeply with working-class voters like tenant organizer Lex Rountree, 27. “I’ve always been hustling to make ends meet,” Rountree told AFP. “It feels strange to imagine a New York where things could finally get a little easier.”

His campaign gained further momentum Friday when House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries endorsed him, praising his focus on affordability and inclusive leadership.

Mamdani is set to headline a “Get Out the Vote” rally on Sunday in Queens alongside Senator Bernie Sanders and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez — a show of progressive unity that could cement his status as the favorite heading into Election Day on November 4.