By: Matthew Winograd
On June 24th, the Democratic primary elections for the 2025 New York City mayoral elections will be held. The two favorites offer very different visions for the city, and the outcome of this race may provide insight into what the future of the Democratic Party looks like. Will the party turn farther left, electing the young, energetic Democratic Socialist Zohran Mamdani? Or, will the party turn to the center and elect the traditional, moderate, and experienced Andrew Cuomo?
Meet the Candidates
Zohran Mamdani is a 33 year old New York State Representative, representing New York’s 36th district, which is in Queens and includes Astoria, Ditmars-Steinway, and Astoria Heights. Mamdani is a democratic socialist whose platform includes free city buses, a rent freeze for rent stabilized apartments, free childcare, and city-owned grocery stores. Mamdani plans to pay for his expansive spending projects by raising corporate tax rates and taxing the wealthiest 1%. Mamdani has been hailed as a breath of fresh air in the current political scene. He has run an energetic, joyful campaign that has gained traction with younger voters. Mamdani’s opponents have criticized his inexperience and ineffectiveness as a representative as reasons he would not make a good mayor. His struggle to push through his agenda as a representative has caused many to question if he will be able to gain the funding necessary to implement his agenda as mayor. Overall, Mamdani is a polarizing candidate. He is extremely liberal, and his youthfulness and energy have attracted a strong voter base, but questions remain about his ability to create change and whether his agenda will effectively address the issues facing New York City today.
Andrew Cuomo is a 67 year old former governor of New York. He is considered a moderate progressive. He is well funded, experienced, and has been an effective and popular governor. Cuomo’s time as governor was cut short due to his resignation after he was accused of sexual harassment by 13 women. These accusations have been a topic of contention and much of the criticism Cuomo receives is because of these accusations. Cuomo’s policies are more moderate than Mamdani’s and are designed to reduce the cost of living. He focuses on increasing the supply of affordable housing, guaranteeing universal 3-K, increasing the size of the NYPD, and focusing on mental health care to reduce chronic street homelessness. Supporters of Cuomo view him as moderate, pragmatic, and capable, being willing to resist Trump’s attacks and move New York forward. Critics of Cuomo point first to the allegations against him as reasons not to elect him. Many also view Cuomo as too moderate and have concerns about him receiving large donations from big corporations. Far-left commentators see a vote for Cuomo as bending a knee towards Trump. Overall, Cuomo is a complex candidate. He was a popular and legislatively successful governor but the allegations against him are serious and have dissuaded many voters. He has been seen as the favorite for much of the lead-up to the elections, in large part due to his funding, which far exceeds that of any other candidate. Cuomo is much more moderate than Mamdani but is still progressive in his own right, with targeted policies designed to improve quality of life and combat the affordability crisis.
Policy plans:
Housing and Renting:
| Mamdani | Cuomo |
| – Freeze the rent for all rent stabilized tenants – Crack down on bad landlords by reforming the Mayor’s Office to Protect Tenants – Construct 200,000 affordable homes over the next 10 years – Increase funding for NYCHA, DCP, HPD | – Build more affordable housing using public land – Improve and expand NYCHA through redevelopment – Enhanced enforcement of rent-stabilization laws – Ensure that every tenant facing eviction has counsel in housing court |
Public Safety:
| Mamdani | Cuomo |
| – Creation of the Department of Community Safety – Investment in mental health programs – Increase accessibility of mental health programs – Dedicated outreach workers in subway stations to assist the homeless | – Increased number of NYPD officers and MTA officers in stations – Increased outreach to homeless individuals on subways through partnerships with mental health services and shelters – Increase enforcement of drug laws – Crack down on lower level crimes |
Health and Wellness:
| Mamdani | Cuomo |
| – Create corps of outreach workers to help New Yorkers navigate healthcare system – Ensure every New Yorker has access to reproductive care – Increase hospital funding – Increase funding for NYC Health+Hospitals – Protect against federal attacks on public health | – Bring more healthcare services to schools and public housing – Establish targeted programs to reduce disparities in quality of and access to maternal care – Create stronger connections between private and public hospitals – Increase funding for NYC Health+Hospitals – Protect against federal attacks on public health |
Economic Development and Affordability:
| Mamdani | Cuomo |
| – Raise minimum wage to $30 by 2030 – Protect delivery drivers and regulate delivery apps more strictly – Cut small business fines in half – Work with unions to improve working conditions – Raise the corporate tax to 11.5%Tax the wealthiest 1% of New Yorkers a flat 2% – Free city buses – City-owned grocery stores focused on keeping prices low | – Expand programs designed to help at-risk men enter the workforce – Invest in infrastructure, like creating new Metro-North stations – Build up the AI sector – Expand workforce training and apprenticeships to help people enter the workforce – Speed up outdoor dining permit process – Provide tax relief to lower and middle class citizens – Make transportation more affordable |
Education and Childcare:
| Mamdani | Cuomo |
| – Free childcare for every New Yorker aged between 6 weeks and 5 years – NYC Baby Baskets with information and essential goods and resources for free – Creation of “School Streets” without cars – Massive CUNY investment – CUNY tuition-free for all students | – Reduce class size – Guarantee every New Yorker 3-K options – Increase the number of School-Based Health Centers – Strengthen career and technical education – Address chronic absenteeism – Reduce teacher attrition by improving their safety and working conditions |
The policy plans for Zohran Mamdani and Andrew Cuomo as mayor are very different. Mamdani’s plans focus on the working class of NYC and he has massive spending projects designed to help this class. Mamdani’s supporters believe that his changes will help lower and middle class New Yorkers in a way few other mayors have. They also believe that Mamdani will finally make the wealthy pay their fair share, something working class New Yorkers have always fought for. Critics of Mamdani believe his plans include unreasonable and irresponsible government spending. These critics believe that the changes planned by Mamdani will not only fail to address the affordability crisis faced by New Yorkers, but will drown the city in debt. Cuomo on the other hand proposes more moderate plans which aim to improve the city economically so that people have more money in their pockets to pay rising prices. Critics of Cuomo’s plans think they are not progressive enough and won’t do enough to bring the city out of an affordability crisis.
This Democratic primary is a significant one for not only the city of New York, but the future of the Democratic Party. Will voters stick to a familiar, experienced, traditional Democrat and vote for Andrew Cuomo? Will voters turn to the next generation and usher in a more progressive era of New York City by electing Zohran Mamdani? Will New York shock the world and elect someone who isn’t one of these two? Wherever you are, make sure you’re paying attention to this election. Its impacts will range far beyond New York City’s borders.
https://www.andrewcuomo.com/issues
https://www.zohranfornyc.com/platform
https://www.politico.com/news/2024/01/26/cuomo-sexual-harassment-doj-00138140
politicsblog.org 
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