New York City voters will once again be using Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) to determine their new city leaders in the June primary next week. Mayoral candidates are finally announcing their cross endorsements in the race.
RCV is a voting system that allows voters to choose up to five candidates, in order of preference instead of choosing just one, on a single ballot. In the city, this voting system is used for the primaries held on June 24, 2025, the general election held on Nov. 4, 2025, and any special elections for city offices. Voters will have to rank candidates for mayor, public advocate, comptroller, borough president, and city council offices.
If one candidate receives more than 50% of the first choice votes in their race, they win. However, according to New York City Campaign Finance Board (NYCCFB), if no candidate has more than 50% of first choice votes, then votes are tabulated in rounds with the candidate with the fewest votes eliminated each round. If someone’s highest pick is eliminated, then their vote rolls over to the next highest ranked candidate on their ballot. The rounds continue until the candidate with the most votes wins.
As imagined with extremely competitive races, some candidates opt to cross endorse another candidate with a similar platform and voting base. This strategy is intended to boost a particular candidate, prevent vote-splitting, lead to better representation, and promote campaign civility, said FairVote. With about a week out from Election Day on June 24, candidates in this year’s highly anticipated Democratic primary for mayor are finally coming out the woodwork with cross endorsements.
There are 11 candidates officially on the ballot for the primary. But the frontrunners to replace incumbent Mayor Eric Adams so far are Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani, former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, Comptroller Brad Lander, City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, State Senator Zellnor Myrie, former Comptroller Scott Stringer, and former Assemblymember Michael Blake.
As of this Tuesday, June 17, Lander and Blake chose to cross endorse Mamdani as he continues to poll strongly among voters. In at least one survey conducted by Public Policy Polling for Democrat Justin Brannan’s city comptroller campaign, Mamdani is shown overtaking Cuomo in favorability in the race. Other polls show Cuomo as the consistent front-runner.
He urged his supporters to rank Lander and Blake second on their ballots, and to not rank Cuomo at all.
“As Brad and I exposed the ex-governor’s record of corruption and scandal on last night’s debate stage, New Yorkers could see Cuomo for what he really is: a relic of the broken politics of the past,” said Mamdani in a statement. “His campaign has always been a house of cards, and with Brad and I cross endorsing on the eve of early voting, we will topple it together. I am proud to rank our principled and progressive Comptroller #2 on my ballot because we are both fighting for a city every New Yorker can afford.”
Blake was the second to cross endorse Mamdani this week. He added in a statement that “as a fellow son of immigrants” that he was proud to be endorsed by Mamdani and to cross-endorse his campaign. “Because together we’re both fighting for an affordable New York that we deserve,” said Blake. “We are both organizers at heart, rooted in the belief that politics must serve the people, not the powerful.”
Mamdani was also endorsed by Congressmember Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC) and U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders.
In an outstanding plot twist that few could have predicted, Ramos decided to endorse Cuomo.
She had previously called for Cuomo’s resignation while he was being investigated for sexual harassment in 2022 and chastised him early on in the race. Many analysts speculated that Ramos flipped as her chances in the mayoral race dwindled for numerous reasons. For one thing, she’s had a rivalry going on with AOC for years — and now by extension Mamdani since AOC endorsed him. Ramos’ campaign is also reportedly $250,000 in debt.
She joined Cuomo at a labor rally inside the District Council of Carpenters union hall on June 6 to make the announcement, a handful of days after the first New York City Democratic mayoral primary debate.
“I entered this race because working New Yorkers deserve better than Eric Adams,” said Ramos in a statement. “And while I’m staying in this race to keep pushing for higher wages, more housing, and a stronger voice for working people, I know that I am fighting for something bigger than myself. With Trump threatening to bulldoze New York and take us backward, we need someone in City Hall who knows how to hold the line and deliver under pressure. I’ve worked with Andrew Cuomo to raise wages, protect immigrant workers, and pass major labor reforms, and I know he can go toe-to-toe with Trump when it counts.”