From the echoes of #MeToo to the deafening drumbeat for Israel's "right to exist," 2025's New York City Democratic mayoral primary has touched on practically every major issue important to young voters across the country. While the primary began with a crowded field of eleven candidates, the race has boiled down to disgraced former governor Andrew Cuomo facing off against progressive state Rep. Zohran Mamdani.

As many may remember, Andrew Cuomo resigned from being New York's governor in 2021 due to sexual harassment allegations from more than 10 women working in his administration. He's gone on record saying that he regrets the decision to resign and continues to proclaim his innocence. What many thought would be a disqualifying history was immediately forgotten by many establishment Democrats who rallied to support Cuomo's candidacy for NYC mayor.

Meanwhile, state Rep. Zohran Mamdani has led a fierce ground game, slowly growing his support through small-dollar fundraising and door-to-door canvassing. Initially sidelined by traditional media as a longshot candidate, Mamdani took to social media where his campaign went viral far beyond New York City. He's captured national attention with a distinctly progressive platform that hinges on a localized, three-pronged plan that he's cleverly turned into a call-and-response at his rallies: freeze the rent, make buses fast and free, and deliver universal childcare. Not only has Mamdani resonated with working-class New Yorkers and narrowed Cuomo's polling lead, his campaign has inspired young voters across the country to believe that progressive politicians can make a difference. But the intense backlash from centrist Democrats has these voters questioning if they truly have a home in today's Democratic party.

Israel: NYC's Sixth Borough?

The first debate between Democratic mayoral candidates on June 4 ended on an odd note as moderators held a "lightning round" where they asked each candidate where they'd make their first foreign visit if elected mayor. Mamdani said that he would "stay in New York City" as he reiterated his plan to focus on New Yorkers. The moderators then lobbed several pointed questions only to Mamdani about his willingness to visit Israel specifically and his opinions on Israel's "right to exist as a Jewish state". Cuomo interrupted Mamdani's answers to cast his opponent's responses as anti-Semitic, despite Mamdani clearly stating, "you need not travel to Israel to stand up for Jewish New Yorkers."

"I'll be standing up for Jewish New Yorkers and I'll be meeting them wherever they are across the five boroughs... because ultimately we need to focus on delivering on their concerns." -Zohran Mamdani

Many young viewers took to social media to call out this odd round of questioning. First and foremost, voters were confused about why any candidates' opinions on Israel are relevant in a local election. In addition, many felt like this was a 'gotcha' moment set up specifically for Mamdani as his detractors repeatedly shame him for insufficiently supporting Israeli interests. This issue in particular is galvanizing for young voters not just in NYC but across the nation, as they're the age group most likely to view Israel unfavorably. Many share Mamdani's view that what's happening in Gaza amounts to genocide and applaud his willingness to stand up against violence at a time when most other legislators won't. This tense moment during the debate immediately went viral as it was emblematic of the struggles young voters across the country face in voicing their support for Palestinians.

Racism and Islamophobia

The injection of Israel into the race has brought about consistent controversy, primarily due to the way Cuomo's campaign has preyed upon the issue. The final weeks of the mayoral race have exposed the ugliest sides of Andrew Cuomo's campaign as he and his allies have resorted to blatant racism and Islamophobia to turn the tide against Mamdani. The second mayoral debate was punctuated by Cuomo's persistent mispronunciation of Mamdani's last name, even after Mamdani forcefully corrected Cuomo early on in the debate. Since this spat, ads from Cuomo's allies have consistently brought attention to Mamdani's Muslim background. A Cuomo supporting superPAC was caught darkening Mamdani's beard in ads in ways that misrepresented his true appearance. Cuomo allies have also run ads that exclusively feature Mamdani in a South Asian kurta and tie him to an increase in violent crime. These subtle race-based jabs are having a dangerous effect: Mamdani has been subject to repeated racism on the campaign trail, most recently culminating in a bomb threat.

Establishment Dems Support Cuomo Regardless

Despite his sexual harassment scandal, his inability to sway young voters, and his allies' willingness to traffic in racist dog whistles, Cuomo has still won the endorsements of establishment Democrats across the country. Prominent Democrats like Bill Clinton, Mike Bloomberg, and many sitting Democratic members of congress are included amongst Cuomo's endorsements. Many of the same Democrats who called for him to resign in 2021 have turned around and endorsed his re-entry into politics. Meanwhile, young voters are watching this switch-up in disbelief and are organizing en masse against Cuomo in response. A recent poll showed Cuomo only winning 18% of NYC voters under 45 compared to Mamdani winning more than half of this group (52%.)

Since Mamdani's candidacy has been a social media lightning rod for young people across the country, this election is functioning as a proxy battle for a much larger intraparty war amongst Democrats. Young voters see a progressive candidate with new ideas facing off against an old-guard, scandal-ridden centrist who appears incredibly willing to relinquish his morals for power. Establishment support for Cuomo is a signal for young progressive voters that the Democratic party is unwilling to change. The party talks endlessly about trying to reach the very working class voters that are energized by Mamdani's campaign. And yet, rather than supporting Mamdani's approach, centrists are desperately clinging to the old guard while resorting to divisive campaign tactics that cause harm to marginalized groups.

Regardless of whoever wins in the primary, it's unlikely to be smooth sailing through the general election. If Cuomo loses, he has already filed to run in the general election on a ballot line separate from the Democratic party (much like disgraced mayor Eric Adams.) Therefore, even if Mamdani wins the primary, he'll still have to face off against Cuomo and Adams in November. If Cuomo wins, there's a real chance that many voters will be too burned by the primary to bother showing up for Cuomo.

While there are many left-leaning NYC voters who support other candidates beyond Mamdani, they're all in agreement on one thing for this primary: Don't Rank Andrew Cuomo. They've already established an opposition group called DREAM (a clever acronym for: Don't Rank Evil Andrew for Mayor) that pools resources to ensure Cuomo doesn't become the nominee. In the event that Cuomo prevails, don't count on this coalition to drop their fight as easily as establishment Dems did when Cuomo first mounted his comeback.

This election has flared up existing tensions amongst Democrats that won't simmer down once this primary finishes on June 24. Because no matter who wins, NYC Democrats won't be easily united after such a bruising primary season.

Leftover Links

• Don't understand Ranked Choice Voting? This easy-to-understand explainer walks through the basics and how it impacts NYC's mayoral election.
• Some see Cuomo's Trump-like tendencies as an asset, others see them as a liability.