Zohran Mamdani most prominently ran against former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and Republican Curtis Sliwa in the 2025 New York City mayoral race.

Core matchup

  • In the June 2025 Democratic primary for mayor, Mamdani’s main opponent was Andrew Cuomo, who attempted a political comeback by running on a more centrist, public-safety-focused platform.
  • Mamdani defeated Cuomo in that primary, then went on to face Republican Curtis Sliwa in the general election.

General election field

  • The November 4, 2025 mayoral election featured Zohran Mamdani as the Democratic nominee, Andrew Cuomo running as an independent after losing the primary, and Curtis Sliwa as the Republican candidate.
  • Cuomo emphasized crime and public safety, while Sliwa attacked both candidates from the right with a tough-on-crime message.

Why this race mattered

  • The contest drew unusually high turnout for a New York City mayoral race, with Mamdani ultimately winning on an affordability-focused, democratic socialist platform.
  • Cuomo’s re-entry as an independent made the race a three-way showdown, but Mamdani still secured a narrow but historic victory citywide.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.