Truthout is a vital news source and a living history of political struggle. If you think our work is valuable, support us with a donation of any size.

With President Donald Trump threatening to flood their communities with federal troops and immigration police, and the Democratic Party struggling in the national polls, voters in major U.S. cities head to the polls today to choose between establishment Democrats and progressives focused on affordability and upending the status quo.

Democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani’s campaign for mayor of New York City has garnered the most attention, both from national media and from Trump.

In addition to Republican Curtis Sliwa, Mamdani is up against former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who is running as an independent after losing to Mamdani in the Democratic primary — and who now has Trump’s explicit endorsement.

Trump, who is increasingly unpopular in polls, previously reportedly tried to push Sliwa and New York Mayor Eric Adams out of the race in order improve the scandal-plagued former governor’s chances of beating Mamdani. Trump also threatened to cut federal funding for the city if Mamdani wins. Meanwhile, one of Mamdani’s top surrogates is New York Attorney General Letitia James, who brought civil fraud charges against Trump’s business. James made her first public appearance at a Mamdani rally in October after pleading not guilty to federal fraud charges handed down as part of the president’s revenge campaign.

Mamdani appears on both the Democratic Party and Working Families Party lines on the New York City ballot. The Working Families Party has also endorsed Minnesota Sen. Omar Fateh in Minneapolis and community organizer Katie Wilson in Seattle, Washington, as well as a nationwide slate of candidates taking on the establishment.

“People are very frustrated with the broken status quo that doesn’t seem to be working for working people, and they want to see Democrats who are standing up and fighting and not rolling over and bowing down to Trump,” said Ravi Mangla, the national press secretary for the........

© Truthout