Live results: 2025 New York City mayor election

WASHINGTON (AP) — The nation’s largest city will choose its next mayor Tuesday in an election that has sparked debate about the future of the Democratic Party.

Democratic candidate Zahran Mamdani, the 34-year-old state Assemblyman and Democratic Socialist who shook up the party by winning the New York City primary in June, will face former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo for the second time. Cuomo lost the Democratic primary and is running as an independent. Curtis Sliwa is the Republican Party’s nominee for the second consecutive election.

Read more: Mamdani, Cuomo and Sliwa clash in final New York City mayoral debate

Incumbent Mayor Eric Adams initially planned to seek re-election as an independent, but amid sub-basement approval ratings, he withdrew in late September. He will remain on the ballot.

New York City voters will also vote in elections for City Council and other offices. The candidates include Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, who oversaw a slush case against President Donald Trump and is seeking re-election.

Mamdani has become a symbol of the progressive, younger wing of the Democratic Party. Moderate Democrats, both in New York and nationally, are distancing themselves from Mamdani, whose digitally savvy campaign has focused on progressive solutions to cost-of-living concerns. Congressional leaders, including New York’s, have been slow to embrace Mamdani: House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries endorsed him on Oct. 24 — one day before early voting began — while Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer had not weighed in until Wednesday. Meanwhile, leftist members of their party rallies embraced Mamdani.

Republicans delighted in associating Mamdani and his far-left policies with the Democratic Party. Trump, a former New Yorker, attacked Mamdani, calling the candidate a “communist” and even threatening to deport him.

In a city where registered Democrats outnumber Republicans nearly 6-to-1, Mamdani enters the general election as the candidate to beat. As of October 28, he has spent nearly $12.8 million this year, with an additional $4 million in the bank, according to the New York City Campaign Finance Board. By comparison, Cuomo spent $12.1 million, including $900,000 in the bank. Sliwa has spent approximately $5.1 million and has $866,000 remaining.

Four years ago, Adams was elected mayor with more than two-thirds of the vote, losing only Staten Island — the most Republican-leaning borough — to Sliwa. Cuomo’s campaign focused on attracting more moderate voters, as well as the black and Orthodox Jewish voters who anchored his coalition in the primaries.

Other races on Tuesday’s ballot

New York’s second-most populous city will also choose its next mayor on Tuesday, and the entire state will vote on an amendment related to expanding a sports complex in the Adirondack Mountains.

Buffalo will get its third mayor in less than two years. The three-person race includes State Sen. Sean Ryan, former Erie County District Attorney James Gardner and the nonprofit’s founder Michael Gainer. The winner will succeed Acting Mayor Christopher Scanlon, who took office after Mayor Byron Brown, the city’s longest-serving mayor, resigned last year to accept a job as president and CEO of Western Regional Off-Track Betting.

He defeated Ryan Scanlon in the Democratic primary.

He greatly outclassed his opponents. Going into the election, Ryan announced spending of just over $1.5 million. Gardner, a Republican, had spent just over $9,700, and Jenner, an independent, just under $9,400, as of October 28.

The last Republican to serve as mayor of Buffalo was Chester A. Kowal, who was in office from 1962 to 1965.

A “yes” vote on Proposition 1 — the only statewide ballot measure this year — would allow the winter sports complex around Lake Placid to develop up to 323 acres of land into new Nordic skiing and biathlon trails. The land is currently designated as a state forest reserve.

A “yes” vote would also expand the forest preserve by about 2,500 acres. The state legislature must approve the expansion.

Under New York State election law, an automatic recount is held in races with more than 1 million votes if the margin of victory is less than 5,000 votes. For small races, an automatic recount is triggered if the margin of victory is either 0.5% or less, or up to 20 votes. In ranked choice elections, if the margin between the last two candidates reaches the recount threshold, all ballots in the election will be recounted round by round. The AP may declare a winner in a race eligible for a recount if it can determine that the lead is too large for a recount or legal challenge to change the outcome.

The Associated Press does not provide projections, and will declare a winner only when it is determined that no scenario exists that would allow the late nominees to close the gap. If the race is not called, the AP will continue to cover any newsworthy developments, such as candidate concessions or announcements of victory. In doing so, the AP will make clear that it has not yet announced a winner and explain why.

Here’s a look at what to expect on Tuesday:

Election day

Elections for New York City’s mayor, city council and other municipal offices, as well as Buffalo’s mayor and ballot measure, will be held on Tuesday. Polls close at 9 p.m. ET.

What’s on the ballot?

The AP will present voting results and announce the winners of the New York City mayoral election, the Buffalo mayoral election, and one statewide ballot proposition.

Who is entitled to vote?

Any registered voter in the municipality may participate in the mayoral election, and any registered voter in the state may vote on the ballot proposal.

What do voter registration and turnout look like?

As of February 20, there were 5.1 million registered voters in New York City. Of these, 65% were Democrats and 11% were Republicans. About 1.1 million voters are not registered with any party.

Statewide, there were 13.1 million registered voters in New York State. Of these, 48% were Democrats and 23% were Republicans. About 3.9 million voters are not registered with any party.

In New York City’s recent municipal election, just over 1.1 million voters cast ballots, about 21% of registered voters.

How long does it usually take to count votes?

In the 2024 presidential election, the AP first reported New York City’s results at 9:01 p.m. ET, about a minute after polls closed. New York City’s election night tabulation process ended overnight in Queens at 12:25 a.m. ET with about 90% of the total ballots counted across the city.

Are we there yet?

As of Tuesday, there will be 364 days until the 2026 midterm elections and 1,099 days until the 2028 general election.

– Maya Swidler, The Associated Press

Find out more 2025 voting coverage