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Residents of the Big Apple will learn the identity of their next mayor this Tuesday, in a contest that will determine who governs and protects the nation's largest city at a moment when the former president has vowed to send military troops to the city.

Against that backdrop, New York has experienced a race for mayor that has pitted two very different Democratic figures against one another. The election has turned into an acrimonious face-off, laced with alleged racism and Islamophobia, but it is the political differences between the two leading contenders that could have major implications for how the Democratic party fares in next year's midterm elections.

The Rising Progressive

In the progressive corner is the democratic socialist, the 34-year-old democratic socialist whose meteoric rise and grassroots campaign has brought global notice. On the establishment side is Andrew Cuomo, the ex- New York governor now running as an independent – and benefiting from the backing of ultra-rich donors and corporations.

With days to go, it is the progressive, the one-time underdog who defeated Cuomo in the Democratic primary who is firmly installed as the leading candidate. The candidate, who has campaigned on a platform of affordability and promised to freeze rent for about 2 million city residents, has led Cuomo by significant margins in every poll taken in the fall, and it is very much the younger man's election to lose.

The Controversial Campaign

Yet, the former governor, who resigned as governor in 2021 amid accusations of sexual harassment, has stated clearly he will fight to the finish, and not necessarily in an above-the-belt fashion. He has criticized his opponent's goals as unrealistic, and in recent days laughed as a broadcaster made anti-Muslim comments about Mamdani, who is Muslim. Recently, Cuomo was strongly criticized as bigoted after sharing an AI-generated ad that included a slew of racial caricatures and showed Mamdani releasing a group of criminals.

This represents a rather grubby end to an race that could be key to the direction that the Democratic party, floundering in its response to Trump's power moves, adopts in the near future.

Broader Consequences

If the progressive wins convincingly, the party establishment who have refused to endorse his bid will be forced to reckon with a platform that has appealed to Americans' frustration at inequality, soaring price rises and the establishment. It would be hard for the Senate leader and the House leader not to adopt at least a portion of Mamdani's ambitious ideas about economic justice, given the fresh face has created an enthusiasm within the party perhaps not seen since the Vermont senator ran for president in 2016.

Conversely, if the former governor, who had been predicted to win easily in the June primary, complete a surprising comeback win, it could reinforce the party's existing approach of considered, lackluster resistance – a tactic that has infuriated grassroots members. A New York defeat of Mamdani's optimistic platform could convince Schumer and Jeffries that the wisest course is to remain in the political center – even as polls show the present version of the party is deeply unpopular across the country.

Voter Enthusiasm

Voters in the city appear to favor the Mamdani vision. Polls show that Mamdani supporters are much more excited about their candidate than his opponent's supporters, something that has been apparent during the race. Mamdani's snappy videos on social media, his hopeful outlook for New York and his willingness to actually venture out and meet people in the city has attracted an force of more than 50,000 volunteers, many of them young or first-time voters.

Negative Tactics

However, the former governor, 67, continues to fight. And with the risks against him, the ex-leader has resorted to negative campaigning in the final days.

Following extensive launching various attacks at his opponent to see what might resonate, Cuomo has concentrated on attacking the candidate personally. He has called Mamdani, who was born in Uganda to Indian parents, an "radical", and appeared on conservative media for an interview with a rightwing host, where Cuomo asserted the city “will not survive” Mamdani as mayor. It reached a nadir recently, when the former governor chuckled and said “that’s another problem” after a radio host said the candidate would “cheer” another 9/11-style incident.

Campaign Dynamics

The line of attack echoes much of what the former president, who has sent the national guard to Washington DC and threatened to do the same to NYC, has said about the progressive, and perhaps that shouldn’t come as a surprise. A group of wealthy residents, including some who contributed to the Republican in the 2024 election, have invested heavily into trying to elect Cuomo elected, as other influential figures have urged Curtis Sliwa to drop out from the race.

Candidate Backgrounds

As far as the Cuomo camp, and his billionaire supporters, are worried, it should never have come to this. When the assemblyman, one of one hundred fifty New York state assembly members, started his campaign for mayor in October 2024, few had known him, and in truth, few even noticed.

Cuomo, by comparison, entered smoothly into the contest in March 2025 and became the instant favorite. He was the political heavyweight who seemingly held all the advantages. The quintessential political insider, he had married a Kennedy and served in Bill Clinton’s administration. He became the state's leader in 2011, seventeen years after his parent, Mario Cuomo, left office from the same position.

Mamdani, who was elected to the state legislature in 2020, does not have the comparable background. But his dedication to providing no-cost transit and free childcare – along with the freeze-the-rent pledge – offer a brighter outlook of the future than Cuomo’s dire warnings about “mayhem” and rising criminal activity, and his vow to hire more police officers.

Recent Challenges

Nevertheless, Mamdani has encountered some challenges in recent days, after footage emerged appearing to show him suggesting the New York police department and the Israel Defense Forces were connected.

“We have to make clear that when the pressure of the police is on your throat, it’s been influenced by the IDF,” the candidate said in the recording, recorded at a DSA gathering in recent years. Mamdani, a vocal opponent of the Israeli government who has said the country is engaging in atrocities in the Palestinian territory, indicated he was criticizing joint training exercises between the city police and Israeli forces.

Emotional Response

As the race closes, Mamdani appears to have won empathy and backing, however, for his reaction to Cuomo’s increasing rhetoric.

The progressive addressed the independent's 9/11 remarks in an heartfelt recording. In it, Mamdani remembered how, when he first ran for state assembly, a family member advised to him that he did not have to disclose about his Muslim faith. It was a lesson, Mamdani said, that many Muslim New Yorkers had been told “again and again”: “That security could only be found in the shadows of our city. That it is in those hidden spaces alone where Muslims could embrace their true selves, and that if we were to step out from those seclusion, then it is in those shadows that we must set aside our faith.”

Addressing the behavior of Cuomo and Sliwa, who has claimed Mamd