In the most recent AtlasIntel survey, Mamdani led voting intentions by seven points, with 41%, against 34% for former state governor Andrew Cuomo
New Yorkers went to the polls this Tuesday (4) to choose the city’s new mayor. Among the names with the greatest voting intentions to take office, the Muslim leftist stands out , who appears as a favorite and has been a thorn in President Donald Trump’s side. This election is the first electoral test for the president of the United States, and has been the most closely watched vote in the country. The republican calls Mamdani a “communist” and threatens to block federal resources for the city if the Democrat wins. “I’m not a fan of Cuomo, but if I have to choose between a bad Democrat and a communist, I’ll choose the bad Democrat every time, to be honest,” he said.
In the most recent AtlasIntel poll, Mamdani led voting intentions by seven points, with 41%, against 34% for former state governor Andrew Cuomo, accused of sexual assault and running as an independent after losing the Democratic Party primaries, and 24% for Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa, founder of the anti-crime watchdog group ‘Guardian Angels’. Polling stations opened at 6:00 am local time (8:00 am Brasília time) and must close at 9:00 pm (11:00 pm Brasília time).
Meet the candidates
Born in Uganda In a family of Indian origin, Zohran Mamdani has lived in the United States since he was seven years old. In 2018, the year he was elected legislator from Queens, a neighborhood made up mostly of migrants, he became an American citizen. He is the son of filmmaker Mira Nair (“An Indian Wedding”, “Salaam Bombay!”) and Mahmood Mamdani, professor and respected expert on Africa, which is why some of his critics call him “nepo baby”. A football and cricket fan, the candidate recently married American illustrator Rama Duwaji.
Photograph provided by the candidate’s campaign in Alcalá, New York Zohran Mamdani in New York │EFE/ Equipo de Campaña Zohran Mamadani
He attended the prestigious Bronx High School of Science and then Bowdoin College in Maine, a university considered a stronghold of progressive thought. Under the pseudonym ‘Young Cardamom’, he ventured into the world of rap in 2015, influenced by the hip hop group ‘Das Racist’, made up of two members with Indian roots who played with references to this Asian country. He became interested in politics when he learned that rapper Heems (Himanshu Suri) supported a candidate for city council and joined that campaign as an activist. Mamdani then became a foreclosure prevention counselor and helped financially struggling homeowners avoid losing their homes.
A fervent defender of the Palestinian cause since his student years, his positions on Israel (which he classified as an “apartheid regime”) and the war in Gaza (a “genocide”) earned him the hostility of part of the Jewish community. To calm tempers, in recent months he has openly denounced anti-Semitism.
Andrew Cuomo
Andrew Cuomo running for mayor of New York │Darren McGee/EFE
Andrew Cuomo is an American politician from the Democratic Party, known for having governed the State of New York between 2011 and 2021. Born on December 6, 1957, he is the son of Mario Cuomo, who was also governor of New York. Before assuming state government, Cuomo was United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development under Bill Clinton (1997–2001) and Attorney General of New York (2007–2010).
During his administration, he gained prominence for progressive measures, such as the legalization of same-sex marriage and the increase in the state minimum wage. He was also praised for his firm action at the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, in 2020, when his daily press conferences gained national recognition. The political trajectory, however, was interrupted in August 2021, when Cuomo resigned from office after an investigation found that he sexually harassed several women, including government employees. He denied the accusations, but left the post under strong political pressure. Since then, he has remained away from public life.
*With information from AFP
