We are in the final stretch of the 2025 election cycle, and one of the most heavily anticipated outcomes in the nation will come for New York City, whose mayoral race will potentially change the course of the metropolis for the foreseeable future. The three remaining candidates participated in an energetic debate following the withdrawal of incumbent Mayor Eric Adams, whose administration has experienced significant controversy since he came to power in 2021.
Those who remain- disgraced Democratic Governor Andrew Cuomo, socialist wunderkind Zohran Mamdani, and beret-loving Curtis Sliwa- laid out very different visions for our nation’s largest city. Mamdani controls the lion’s share of the polling, currently holding about half the city’s voters. Cuomo, who resigned his gubernatorial glory in 2021 following a sexual harassment scandal, seems to have picked up most of the incumbent Adam’s leftover support after he dropped out of the race, but still trails Mamdani by 10+ points. Sliwa, who rose to fame in the late 1970s for taking the city’s crime into his own hands and founding the anti-violence civilian group known as the Guardian Angels, has remained at a steady 15% since he announced his run.
Cuomo- who boasts the most direct political experience of the trio- took Mamdani to task over his nascent qualifications. “He literally has never had a job. On his resume, it says he interned for his mother. This is not a job for a first timer. Any day you could have a hurricane, God forbid, a 9-11, a health pandemic, if you don't know what you’re doing, people will die." In addition to a slim-to-nonexistent experience, Mamdani has never run an election against a Republican. The Ugandan immigrant- who holds a degree in Africana Studies from Bowdoin College- has been an assemblyman for almost a whopping four years, but has never faced a conservative challenge due to the aggressively liberal makeup of his district in Queens.
His liberal legacy of radical pandering came back to haunt him during the debate, when extremist statements made during past primaries surfaced. Positions such as defunding the police and supporting the extermination of Israel were suddenly convictions of yore, despite having been held through July’s primary. Mamdani struggles to capture the city’s Jewish vote, with only 29% support.
Sliwa- sans chapeau- offered the only conservative vision for New York City, although Cuomo’s read barely Liberal Lite™ when contrasted with Mamdani’s absurd socialist proposals. Specific Sliwa suggestions include a restructuring of the city’s property taxes and converting unused commercial space into affordable housing. All three promised to oppose National Guard troops in NYC. None of them suggested they supported the reelection of Cuomo’s replacement, Governor Kathy Hochul. They will face off once more before election day.
What is the worst-case scenario for NYC if Zohran Mamdani is elected? How can policy in our largest city be felt nationally?
Hilary Gunn is a Connecticut native with a degree in Criminal Justice from the George Washington University. She works for a nonprofit and has previously collaborated with the CT GOP as an activist, political campaign manager and field director, and social media organizer. She is currently serving in her fourth term of municipal office and has previously acted as a delegate on the Republican Town Committee.