The New York City mayoral race is seriously heating up. For the June 24 primary, New Yorkers have been lining up at the polls since 6 a.m. to weigh in on the candidates they want to see move forward this election cycle, with issues like affordability, education, and public safety top of mind. But although NYC is a big city, this is still a local election — and not even the general election. So why does the entire country seem to be watching?
For weeks, social media has been flooded with posts urging New Yorkers to show up at the polls, with non-New Yorkers sharing their thoughts on who should be elected and how voters should utilize the city’s ranked choice voting process. The discourse is loud, passionate, and unusually widespread for a city-level race.
A huge part of this has to do with the people who are running for mayor — namely, the two Democratic candidates who have gained the most attention: progressive candidate Zohran Mamdani and former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo. Many young progressives are advocating for New Yorkers to vote for Mamdani, a 33-year-old Democratic Socialist with relatively limited political experience. For them, this race is about more than just a new mayor — it represents a larger battle between establishment politics and progressive grassroots movements. Mamdani’s campaign has become a symbol of leftist momentum, pushing policies that prioritize housing affordability, public transit reform, and community safety.
On the other hand, 67-year-old longtime Democrat Cuomo’s re-entry into politics has sparked strong reactions in a different direction. His critics view his campaign as a controversial comeback attempt, particularly after his resignation as governor amid sexual harassment allegations in 2021. Cuomo has denied all the allegations while the Department of Justice confirmed misconduct towards Cuomo but no charges were filed. His presence in the race has intensified the national attention, turning what might have been a routine primary into a referendum on the future of Democratic leadership.
I’m not ranking Cuomo. i also don’t live in New York City and can’t vote there. but i would like some credit
— your wife’s tennis coach (@youwouldntpost) June 24, 2025
And there are plenty of other candidates in the race for people to talk about. For example, the current NYC comptroller and fellow mayoral candidate Brad Lander was recently arrested as he stood in solidarity with an immigrant in court amid President Donald Trump’s ICE raids, making a huge splash among immigrant communities and their allies. He also recently went viral when he and Mamdani cross-endorsed one another, advocating voters rank them No. 1 and No. 2 on their ballots, a show of progressive solidarity many view as a breath of fresh air.
Plus, there’s the social media of it all. As the most viral of all the candidates, Mamdani has gained over 1 million followers across platforms, sharing topical yet funny posts related to his campaign and policy beliefs. Somehow, he’s landed on many FYPs outside of the NYC area. “You can just tweet ‘Zohran Mamdani’ and immediately get 1000 likes,” a June 13 tweet from creator @BumpyNUX reads. The tweet has over 23,000 likes.
And finally, there’s the fact that New York simply holds a ton of influence — it’s widely considered one of the countries’ hubs for culture, power, media, and activism. Many believe the outcome of this election could signal the direction the Democratic Party is heading amid Trump’s second presidency — whether that’s shifting toward progressive values and younger leadership, clinging to centrism and deep political ties, or something else.
As the polls open, all eyes — not just New Yorkers’ — are on the outcome, because what happens could shape the future of Democratic politics far beyond the five boroughs.