5 things to watch in New York's primaries
Voters across New York are heading to the polls on Tuesday for primaries across the state, but most of the attention will be on New York City for its Democratic mayoral primary.
Former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has for months seemed to be in a strong position to mount what at one time would’ve been considered an unlikely political comeback as the clear front-runner in the field. But state Assembly member Zohran Mamdani, who's sought to coalesce progressive opposition behind his candidacy as the Cuomo alternative, is hoping to pull off a major upset as polls suggest momentum is on his side.
Several other races with high-profile individuals are also taking place in the city.
Here are five things to watch for in New York’s Tuesday primaries:
Can Mamdani pull off an upset?
For much of the race, the story of New York City’s Democratic primary has been Cuomo’s march back to political relevance.
But the narrative has shifted in recent weeks, with Mamdani, a democratic socialist with the backing of Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), gaining in the polls.
An Emerson College Polling/PIX11/The Hill survey released Monday showed Mamdani virtually tied with Cuomo, and beating him in the final round of a ranked-choice simulation.
A victory by Mamdani would be a stunning upset for a candidate who was basically unknown to most voters just a few months ago. It would also be the latest setback for Cuomo, who resigned from his position as New York governor in 2021 amid sexual harassment allegations and reports that his administration undercounted nursing home deaths during the pandemic.
Cuomo still enters Tuesday as the likely favorite. He recently scored an endorsement from influential Congressional Black Caucus member Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.), and The New York Times editorial board last week urged voters not to support Mamdani.
But Mamdani appears to have momentum on his side in a city that last delivered a stunning primary upset in 2018, when Ocasio-Cortez ousted........
© The Hill
