Assemblymember Zohran K. Mamdani, a 33-year-old democratic socialist who ran an energetic campaign centered on the cost of living, had an early lead after the polls closed and pulled ahead in the race. Shockingly, former Governor Andrew Cuomo opted to concede just under two hours later. That leaves Mamdani to advance to the November election for mayor of New York City against incumbent Mayor Eric Adams.
As of press time on Wednesday morning, Mamdani garnered 43.51% of the vote, a total of 432,305 votes in the first round. Cuomo had a total of 36.42% of the votes equalling 361,840 votes, according to the New York City Board of Elections (BOE).
“Tonight we made history. In the words of Nelson Mandela, ‘It always seems impossible until it is done,’ ” said Mamdani in his acceptance speech at his watch party, held at the Greats of Craft bar located on 43rd Avenue & 11th Street in Long Island City, Queens. “In our New York, the power belongs to the people.”
Despite the sweltering heat, Mamdani’s watch party was well attended with enthusiastic supporters and electeds such as Councilmember Chi Ossé, Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso, Comptroller Brad Lander, Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, Congressmember Nydia Velázquez, former Congressmember Jamaal Bowman, Assemblymember Khaleel Anderson, and New York State Attorney General Letitia James. Mamdani’s parents, Mia and Mahmoud, as well as wife, Rama, were also in attendance.
“Zohran has been 1,000% focused for eight months now on everything he could do to win the nomination. He’s been focused on 9 p.m. tonight. Nothing further,” said one of Mamdani’s campaign leads, Andrew Epstein. “And that’s how we’ve run this campaign. It’s why we’ve gone from 1% in the polls, where 80% of New Yorkers had no idea who he is, to being on the cusp of toppling this political dynasty. It’s because of that relentless focus. He has been focused on winning today. He has not had any conversations beyond that.”
Down to the last day, pollsters were trying to predict who would rank higher in the race. Many polls, like the Honan Strategy Group, consistently predicted that Cuomo would maintain a strong lead while Mamdani would come in second. But in the beginning of June, a handful of polls made a splash with headlines when they showed Mamdani pulling ahead of Cuomo in the race.
“We knew all along that New Yorkers were hungry for an alternative to Donald Trump and an alternative to Eric Adams and an alternative to Andrew Cuomo,” said Jasmine Gripper, co-director of the NY Working Families Party, at the watch party. “And Zohran Mamdani is the candidate of the people. He built an amazing campaign. People knocked a million doors, talked to voters across the borough, in every borough, and everyone’s excited about this campaign. Everywhere I went, people were excited about this.”
Overflow supporters on the sidewalk outside of Assembly member Zohran Mamdani’s watch party. 
One of Zohran Mamdani’s longtime supporters at his watch party in LIC, Queens. 
Supporters packed Zohran Mamdani’s watch party on Tuesday, June 24. 
One of Mamdani’s supporters became emotional as she heard the news of Cuomo conceding the race. 
Supporters packed Zohran Mamdani’s watch party on Tuesday, June 24. 
According to the New York City Board of Elections (BOE), the unofficial early voting numbers indicated that the highest voter turnout was in Brooklyn and Manhattan this primary, followed by Queens, the Bronx, and Staten Island. Election Night results include the votes from early voting, which were 384,338 total votes cast, and the votes from Election Day before polls closed at 9 p.m.
Ordinarily, the BOE cannot certify an election until all votes are counted. It still has to process all the absentee, military, affidavit, and mail-in ballots that can’t legally be opened or counted until after July 1, as well as the Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) system rounds in other races where a single candidate didn’t get over 50% of the votes. RCV reports are supposed to come out every Tuesday until the BOE certifies the election results with an official winner when all ballots are counted, said the BOE. That means on Tuesday, July 8, there will be a second RCV report and so on.
In 2021, Adams, who was then Brooklyn borough president, and former Sanitation Commissioner Kathryn A. Garcia were leading the mayoral race one week after Election Day. But on June 29, the BOE discovered that there were discrepancies in the initial report and issued an apology statement before rescinding the results. After a recount, Adams was declared the winner.
Cuomo graciously accepted defeat in a concession speech on Tuesday night. He called Mamdani and congratulated him on running a good campaign.
“I called Assemblyman Mamdani to congratulate him on tonight’s victory. I also thank my team, which did a great job during this campaign,” said Cuomo in a statement. “I want to look at all the numbers as they come in and analyze the rank choice voting. I will then consult with my colleagues on what is the best path for me to help the City of New York, as I have already qualified to run for mayor on an independent line in November.”
Mamdani, as a contender, still has to worry about Adams, who is now running as an Independent candidate in the general election this November.