Going into New York City’s mayoral primary, on Tuesday, June 24, Fmr. N.Y. Gov. Andrew Cuomo had the unanimous support of the Democratic establishment.
President Bill Clinton, former three-term mayor Michael Bloomberg, former governor David Paterson, Rep. Tom Suozzi, D-N.Y., scores of elected and party officials and community leaders, over 2 dozen labor unions, (including the powerful 1199 SEIU), and Wall Street moguls, all jumped on the Cuomo bandwagon.
To shore up the Black vote, the distinguished Rep. James Clyburn, D-S.C., the man responsible for salvaging Joe Biden’s 2020 presidential aspirations, flew up to New York to announce his support for Cuomo.
Yet, with all the endorsements and a $25 million campaign fund, Cuomo lost to a little-known radical antisemitic socialist whose standing in the polls earlier this year stood at 1% when Cuomo was at 45%.
What happened?
Zohran Mamdani followed the playbook of Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D.Y., (AOC), promising lots of free stuff to young, coddled left-wingers who were indoctrinated in leftist propaganda during their college years.
Mamdani pledged to stack the New York City Housing Board with members who would "freeze rents" on 400,000 rent-stabilized apartments.
He vowed to eliminate bus fares, provide free childcare, open government-owned supermarkets, go after hospitals that do not perform gender affirmative care, spend $65 million annually to promote such care, and create an office of LGBTQIA+ Affairs.
A past supporter of the "Defund the Police," movement he declined to say if he would hire more law enforcement, but said he will empty jail cells, eliminate police overtime, cut back police patrols in minority neighborhoods, and repeal all criminal misdemeanors.
To pay for all of this — which will cost at least $10 billion annually — he told his followers that he would increase corporate taxes and Gotham's income tax on the top 1% of taxpayers — who are already paying the highest combined state and city income taxes in the nation.
Thousands of young adults charged by his quixotic policies canvased door-to-door throughout the city to turn out votes for Mamdani.
These campaigners reminded this writer of the anti-Vietnam war college kids who flocked to New Hampshire in 1968 to support Senator Eugene McCarthy over President Lyndon B. Johnson.
And the efforts of Mamdani zealots paid off — he won in a walk.
Mamdani’s ludicrous proposals, his antisemitic rhetoric — "Globalize the Intifada" — his refusal to recognize Israel as a state, and his support of the International Criminal Courts ICC) indictment of Benjamin Netanyahu as a war criminal — did not seem to matter to voters.
Mamdani outpolled Cuomo in three of the city’s five counties: Manhattan, Brooklyn, and in Cuomo’s home county of Queens.
Overall Mamdani received 432,000 first choice votes to Cuomo’s 361,000.
In early voting, the under-40 crowd cast 40% of the ballots.
First time voters totaled 22,000 versus 10,000 in the 2021 mayoral primary. Early voting hit 385,000 up from 191,021.
Of Mamdani’s supporters, 45% were young white voters.
Democratic strategist, Trip Yang, rightly observed that the Mamdani victory "is the biggest upset in modern New York history."
The astonishing results sent chills down the backs of the wealthy and business owners.
A front-page headline in The Wall Street Journal (June 26, 2025) read "Wall Street Frets Over Prospect of Socialist New York City Mayor."
The New York Post reported that "within minutes of Mamdani winning the Democratic nomination Tuesday night, real estate agents like Ryan Serhant were flooded with calls from clients looking to walk away from deals to buy apartments in New York City.
"High-end buyers are now looking to purchase property outside of the city."
Publicly-traded Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) invested in New York City properties tanked on Wednesday.
For example, the value of the Empire State Realty Trust fell 7.6%.
As for Mamdani prospects in November, at the moment he is the favorite to win.
However, Mayor Eric Adams, running on an independent line this fall, is delighted.
Calling Mamdani a "snake oil salesman," the current mayor believes Cuomo supporters, as well as Wall Street and Upper East Side establishment voters, will rally around him to stop Mamdani.
He might be right.
But the Republican candidate, the highly unqualified "Guardian Angel" Curtis Sliwa, may help put Mamdani over the top with only a plurality of votes, by siphoning off Adams supporters.
The race could be similar to the mayor’s race in 1969 when leftist John Lindsay beat center right opponents, Democrat Mario Proccacino and Republican John Marchi, with 42% of the vote.
The New York Democratic Party is now in the hands of the radical left wing whose policies will destroy the city both fiscally and economically.
My guess is their next target will be Gov. Kathy Hochul, D-N.Y., in 2026.
If the Socialists evict her and take complete control of the state government, New York’s best days will be far behind it.
George J. Marlin, a former executive director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, is the author of "The American Catholic Voter: Two Hundred Years of Political Impact," and "Christian Persecutions in the Middle East: A 21st Century Tragedy." Read George J. Marlin's Reports — More Here.