The primary race for New York City mayor has garnered national attention as its outcome could serve as a reflection of the future of the Democratic Party.

On Tuesday (June 24), the New York City mayoral primary will see emerging frontrunner Zohran Mamdani, a 33-year-old Democratic Socialist and state assemblyman, face off against former governor Andrew Cuomo, an old guard of the Democratic party, per Newsweek.

A recently released Emerson College poll showed the two candidates effectively tied in final ranked-choice simulations. Betting markets also reflected nearly even odds between the two on Monday (June 23). A race that was once seen as a landslide in favor of Cuomo, who resigned from the governorship amid sexual harassment allegations, has become a close contest and a test of youth-driven insurgency and progressive momentum.

Mamdani, a first-term assemblyman and son of Indian and Ugandan immigrants, is campaigning to freeze rents, eliminate bus fares, and raise taxes on the wealthy. He's been endorsed by popular progressives, including Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Bernie Sanders, and is running a social media-driven campaign targeting millennials and Gen Z voters.

Cuomo has been backed by major unions and senior Democrats like former President Bill Clinton and Jim Clyburn. The winner of Tuesday's race could serve as an indicator of whether the Democratic party will continue to cling to traditional power structures or allow younger progressives to emerge.

"The fight is going to play out in 2028," Joshua Lafazan, a former New York state legislator and political analyst, said, "but local and state elections over the next year will determine whether it's the old guard or the new insurgencies that take priority."

Mamdani's critics have argued that his campaign proposals, like creating 200,000 new affordable housing units, free city buses, and a flat tax on millionaires, lack practicality and legislative muscle.

"He's never dealt with a natural emergency, a union negotiation, or a hurricane," Cuomo argued during a recent debate. "He's never done any of the essentials."

"I have never had to resign in disgrace. I have never cut Medicaid. I have never stolen hundreds of millions of dollars from the MTA... I am not you, Mr. Cuomo," Mamdani responded.

Cuomo is also a strong supporter of Israel, a stance that has faced little criticism from older voters in the party, while Mamdani has been one of the city's most outspoken critics of Israel's offensive in Gaza, calling it "genocide." Mamdani has redirected backlash from his stance by saying he would stay in New York to focus on his job rather than travel to Israel.

The mayoral primary has also brought national attention to New York City's ranked-choice voting system, where voters can rank as many as five candidates in order of favorability rather than casting a vote for a single candidate. In the first round of ballot counting, only first choices are tallied. A winner can be determined if they receive a clear majority of more than 50 percent of the vote.

If there is no clear majority, the candidate who receives the lowest number of first-choice votes is dropped, and the votes of those who ranked them first accrue to the second-choice pick on their ballots. That process continues until only two candidates remain, with the one receiving the most votes winning.

Tuesday’s race could serve as a bigger test for the effectiveness of ranked-choice voting and for state of the Democratic Party.

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