The Democratic Party primary for the 2025 New York City mayoral election took place on June 24, 2025. Voters ranked up to five candidates using ranked-choice voting. The early voting period began on June 14. Incumbent mayor Eric Adams did not run in the primary, instead choosing to compete for re-election as an independent in the general contest, though he later dropped out.
First-choice results on election night showed assemblymember Zohran Mamdani had a large lead ahead of former governor Andrew Cuomo. Cuomo conceded the race to Mamdani in what was considered to be a major upset victory. In July, ranked-choice results showed Mamdani to be the clear winner with 56.4% of the vote, making him the official Democratic nominee in the November 4, 2025, general election, with Cuomo securing the remaining 43.6% of the vote. The primary was the largest in New York City's history, almost reaching the same turnout as the 2021 mayoral general election.
Background
In 2019, New York City voters passed Ballot Question #1 to amend the City Charter to allow for voters the choice of ranking up to five candidates in primary and special elections for mayor, public advocate, comptroller, borough president, and city council, starting in January 2021. This primary was the second time ranked-choice voting was used in the New York City mayoral primary, following its use during the 2021 New York City Democratic mayoral primary.
In the previous primary on June 22, 2021, then-Brooklyn borough president Eric Adams was narrowly selected as the nominee with 50.4% of the runoff vote, appealing to the political center, over second-placed former New York City Department of Sanitation Commissioner Kathryn Garcia, campaigning as a technocratic problem-solver, who won 49.6%. Adams won the general election for the mayoralty on November 2, 2021 with 66.9% of the vote versus Curtis Sliwa, the Republican challenger. City-wide elections in New York City are solidly Democratic, meaning the Democratic nominee chosen in the primary is likely to win the general election.
Candidates Major candidates The candidates in this section have held elected office or have received substantial media coverage. + Democratic primary candidates Candidate Experience Announced Speaker of the New York City Council (2022–2025)City councilmember from the 28th district (2017–2025)WebsiteNY assemblymember from the 79th district (2015–2021)Vice Chair of the Democratic National Committee (2017–2021)Candidate for Public Advocate in 2019Candidate for in 2020WebsiteGovernor of New York (2011–2021)Attorney General of New York (2007–2010)U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (1997–2001)Website New York City Comptroller (2022–2025)City councilmember from the 39th district (2010–2021)Website NY assemblymember from the 36th district (2021–2025)Website NY State Senator from the 20th district (2019–present) Website NY State Senator from the 13th district (2019–present)Website New York City Comptroller (2014–2021)Manhattan Borough President (2006–2013)NY assemblymember from the 67th district (1993–2005)Candidate for mayor in 2021Website InvestorHedge fund managerWebsite
Other declared candidates Selma Bartholomew, educator Paperboy Prince, artist and perennial candidate
Withdrawn Eric Adams, incumbent mayor (ran as an independent)
Declined Jennifer Jones Austin, lawyer and nonprofit CEO Jamaal Bowman, former U.S. Representative from (2021–2025) (endorsed Mamdani) Justin Brannan, city councilmember from the 47th district (2018–2025) (running for comptroller) Kathryn Garcia, New York State Director of Operations (2021–2026), former Commissioner of the New York City Department of Sanitation (2014–2020), and candidate for mayor in 2021 Dan Goldman, U.S. Representative from New York's 10th congressional district (2023–present) (endorsed Myrie) Letitia James, Attorney General of New York (2019–present) and former New York City Public Advocate (2014–2018) (running for re-election, co-endorsed Adrienne Adams, Lander, Mamdani, and Myrie) Mark Levine, Manhattan Borough President (2022–2025) (running for comptroller) (endorsed Mamdani post-primary) Yuh-Line Niou, former state assemblymember from the 65th district (2017–2022) and candidate for in 2022 (endorsed Mamdani) Antonio Reynoso, Brooklyn Borough President (2022–present) (running for re-election, co-endorsed Adrienne Adams, Lander, and Mamdani) Jumaane Williams, New York City Public Advocate (2019–present), candidate for lieutenant governor in 2018, and candidate for governor in 2022 (running for re-election, co-endorsed Adrienne Adams, Lander, and Mamdani)
Campaign Early in the campaign, incumbent mayor Eric Adams was criticized for his handling of policing, the city budget, and the influx of migrants. By September 2024, Comptroller Brad Lander, former Comptroller Scott Stringer, state Senator Zellnor Myrie, and state Senator Jessica Ramos had announced campaigns for mayor. Adams increasingly faced calls to resign after being indicted on September 25, which resulted in multiple city officials resigning. Following the scandal, multiple more candidates announced their campaigns to challenge Adams, including investor Whitney Tilson, former state Assemblymember Michael Blake, and state Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani.
In March 2025, former Governor Andrew Cuomo, who had resigned several years earlier amid a sexual harassment scandal, and City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams announced their campaigns. The progressive "Don't Rank Eric or Andrew for Mayor (DREAM) for NYC" campaign—later renamed "Don't Rank Evil Andrew for Mayor"—urged voters not to rank Eric Adams or Andrew Cuomo on their ballots. In April, Eric Adams withdrew from the Democratic primary race and announced that he would continue to seek re-election as an independent candidate. That same month, criminal charges against Eric Adams were dismissed at the request of the Department of Justice, which argued that the case distracted him from enforcing President Trump's immigration program.
Mamdani's campaign focused on affordability, proposing a rent freeze, increased public housing construction, free buses, universal childcare, and tax increases for those earning above $1 million annually. Cuomo's campaign focused on crime, supporting an increase in police and building housing. Lander's campaign supported building housing, services to immigrants, and investment in education. Adrienne Adams' campaign supported closing Rikers Island and investment in housing and education. Stringer's campaign supported recruiting more police and ethics reform. Myrie's campaign supported building more housing. Blake's campaign supported tax incentives for businesses and funding mental services. Ramos's campaign supported improving mental health services. Tilson's campaign largely focused on education.
Throughout the race, Cuomo consistently led in polls, with Mamdani emerging in second place. In May, in response to a request from Republican members of Congress, the Justice Department opened an investigation into Cuomo's testimony before Congress regarding the COVID-19 pandemic in New York. The polling margin between Cuomo and Mamdani began to shrink in June, though most polls continued to show a Cuomo lead. Cuomo created the "Fight and Deliver" party, which he planned to run on regardless of the outcome of the primary. The Working Families Party said it was very unlikely to endorse Cuomo if he won.
The first debate was held on June 4, where Cuomo was pressed on his sexual harassment allegations and the frontrunners shared their stances on Israel. The second and final debate was held on June 12, where Cuomo was again criticized for his record, with increased attention to his administration's nursing home scandal, and Mamdani was criticized for inexperience and his identity as a socialist.
Prominent endorsements for Mamdani included the Working Families Party, Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and Senator Bernie Sanders. Cuomo received endorsements from former mayor Michael Bloomberg, who also donated millions of dollars to his super PAC, Representative Jim Clyburn, and former President Bill Clinton. On June 6, Ramos endorsed Cuomo while remaining on the primary ballot. During the second debate, Tilson endorsed Cuomo second. Mamdani and Lander cross-endorsed each other for second place, and Mamdani and Blake cross-endorsed each other a few days later. On June 16, The New York Times editorial board advised voters not to rank Mamdani while criticizing Cuomo.
On June 18, Mamdani was criticized for appearing to defend the phrase "globalize the intifada" by describing it as "a desperate desire for equality and equal rights in standing up for Palestinian human rights", also denouncing antisemitism and saying the city should increase anti-hate crime funding. On June 19, Lander was briefly detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement while escorting an immigrant out of a court hearing in Manhattan.
On June 20, Mamdani walked the length of Manhattan for seven hours, meeting supporters along the way. At the same time at Astor Place, Mamdani campaign volunteers organized a free merchandise screen printing event for supporters. Mamdani's campaign merchandise and materials used bright colors that stood out from the traditional red, white, and blue designs common in New York City political campaigns; this visual style was created by Philadelphia-based graphic designer Aneesh Bhoopathy and was inspired by the bold colors used by local businesses such as bodegas, taxis, and street vendors. By the end of the campaign, over 10,000 volunteers for Mamdani canvassed over 1 million doors in the city, largely coordinated with the New York City chapter of Democratic Socialists of America, of which he belonged.
After losing the Democratic primary at the end of June to Mamdani, former New York governor Andrew Cuomo changed his campaign branding for an independent run in the general election. He introduced a new logo and a blue and orange color scheme.
Endorsements
Polling Ranked-choice polls
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders mw-collapsible mw-collapsed sticky-header" style="text-align:center; font-size:90%;" ! scope="col" |Poll source ! scope="col" |Date(s)administered ! scope="col" |Samplesize ! scope="col" |Marginof error !scope="col" | RCVcount !scope="col" !scope="col" !scope="col" !scope="col" !scope="col" !scope="col" !scope="col" !scope="col" !scope="col" !scope="col" !scope="col" | Other !scope="col" | Undecided |- ! rowspan="10" scope="row" |Yale Youth Poll/YouGov | rowspan="10" |June 17–22, 2025 | rowspan="10" |416 (LV) | rowspan="10" |± 6.7% |1 |12% |– |1% | style="background:#d7e7ff" |38% |7% |28% |3% |2% |6% |2% | | rowspan="10" |– |- |2 |12% |– |1% | style="background:#d7e7ff" |38% |7% |28% |3% |2% |6% |2%
|3 |12% |– |1% | style="background:#d7e7ff" |38% |7% |28% |3% |2% |6% |2% |– |- |4 |12% |– |– | style="background:#d7e7ff" |39% |7% |28% |3% |2% |7% |2% |– |- |5 |13% |– |– | style="background:#d7e7ff" |40% |7% |29% |3% |– |7% |2% |– |- |6 |13% |– |– | style="background:#d7e7ff" |40% |7% |29% |3% |– |9% |– |– |- |7 |13% |– |– | style="background:#d7e7ff" |40% |8% |30% |– |– |9% |– |– |- |8 |15% |– |– | style="background:#d7e7ff" |41% |– |34% |– |– |10% |– |– |- |9 |17% |– |– | style="background:#d7e7ff" |45% |– |38% |– |– |– |– |– |- |10 |– |– |– | |57% |– |43% |– |– |– |– |– |- ! rowspan="7" scope="row" |HarrisX | rowspan="7" |June 11–22, 2025 | rowspan="7" |3,012 (LV) | rowspan="7" |± 1.8% |1 |9% |– |5% | style="background:#d7e7ff" |38% |8% |19% |4% |6% |7% |4% |– | rowspan="7" |– |- |2 |9% |– |6% | style="background:#d7e7ff" |39% |8% |19% |4% |7% |8% |– |– |- |3 |10% |– |6% | style="background:#d7e7ff" |40% |9% |20% |– |7% |8% |– |– |- |4 |11% |– |– | style="background:#d7e7ff" |41% |9% |21% |– |8% |9% |– |– |- |5 |13% |– |– | style="background:#d7e7ff" |44% |10% |22% |– |– |11% |– |– |- |6 |16% |– |–