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Residents of the Big Apple will find out who will be their new city leader this election day, in a contest that will determine who runs and protects the country's most populous metropolis at a moment when the former president has threatened to send military troops to the city.

In this context, New York has experienced a race for mayor that has matched two very different Democrats against each other. The contest has become an acrimonious face-off, marked by accusations of racism and anti-Muslim sentiment, but it is the ideological divide between the two main contenders that could have major implications for how the Democratic party performs in next year's midterm elections.

The Rising Progressive

On the left side is Zohran Mamdani, the young progressive candidate whose meteoric rise and people-powered movement has brought global notice. Representing the old guard is the former governor, the ex- Democratic New York governor now running as an independent – and benefiting from the support of wealthy contributors and corporations.

With days to go, it is Mamdani, the former longshot who defeated Cuomo in the party primary who is firmly installed as the leading candidate. The candidate, who has run on a platform of affordability and promised to freeze rent for about two million city residents, has outpaced Cuomo by double-digits in every poll conducted in the fall, and it is very much the younger man's election to throw away.

The Controversial Campaign

However, the former governor, who resigned as governor in 2021 amid allegations of misconduct, has stated clearly he will fight to the end, and not necessarily in an above-the-belt manner. He has trashed Mamdani's goals as unrealistic, and in the final stretch chuckled along as a broadcaster made anti-Muslim comments about Mamdani, who is a Muslim. Recently, Cuomo was strongly criticized as bigoted after posting an artificial intelligence video that included a series of racist stereotypes and showed Mamdani releasing a group of criminals.

It's been a rather grubby end to an race that could be critical to the direction that the party, struggling in its response to Trump's authoritarian grabs, takes in the near future.

Broader Consequences

If the progressive wins convincingly, the party establishment who have declined to support his campaign will be compelled to address a message that has appealed to Americans' anger at inequality, inflation and the establishment. It would be hard for the Senate leader and Hakeem Jeffries not to adopt at least a portion of Mamdani's progressive proposals about affordability, given the fresh face has created an enthusiasm within the party perhaps not witnessed since the Vermont senator campaigned for the White House eight years ago.

However, if the former governor, who had been expected to sail to victory in the June primary, achieve a remarkable comeback win, it could reinforce national Democrats' current model of cautious, lackluster resistance – a strategy that has infuriated grassroots members. A NYC defeat of Mamdani's progressive, positive message could convince party leaders that the wisest course is to remain in the center – even as polls show the present version of the party is widely disliked across the country.

Voter Enthusiasm

Residents of New York appear to favor the progressive agenda. Surveys show that his backers are far more enthusiastic about their choice than his opponent's supporters, something that has been apparent during the race. The candidate's snappy videos on social media, his optimistic vision for the city and his readiness to actually get out and connect with voters in the city has attracted an army of more than 50,000 supporters, many of them young or new participants.

Personal Attacks

However, Cuomo, in his late sixties, continues to fight. And with the stakes against him, the ex-leader has turned to negative campaigning in recent weeks.

Following extensive throwing basically everything at his opponent to see what might stick, Cuomo has concentrated on attacking Mamdani directly. He has labelled his rival, who was of Ugandan origin to South Asian heritage, an "radical", and popped up on Fox Business for an interview with Maria Bartiromo, where the candidate asserted the city “will not survive” his opponent 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 terrorist incident.

Political Landscape

The line of attack mirrors much of what Trump, who has deployed the national guard to Washington DC and threatened to take similar action to New York, has said about the progressive, and perhaps that is expected. A set of wealthy residents, including some who contributed to Trump in the last presidential race, have invested heavily into trying to get Cuomo into office, as other influential figures have pressured Curtis Sliwa to withdraw from the race.

Candidate Backgrounds

For the his team, and his billionaire supporters, are concerned, it should never have come to this. When the assemblyman, one of 150 state legislators, launched his mayoral bid in October 2024, not many had heard of him, and in reality, barely anyone even noticed.

The former governor, by comparison, entered smoothly into the contest in this year and became the immediate frontrunner. He was the political heavyweight who seemingly held all the advantages. The classic establishment figure, he had wed a political dynasty member and served in Bill Clinton’s administration. He became the state's leader in 2011, seventeen years after his parent, the former governor, stepped down from the identical role.

Mamdani, who was elected to the New York state assembly in 2020, does not have the comparable background. But his dedication to providing no-cost transit and affordable child services – along with the rent control promise – offer a more positive vision of the city's direction than his opponent's dire warnings about “mayhem” and unfettered crime, and his promise to increase police presence.

Recent Challenges

Still, the candidate has encountered difficulties in the final phase, after video surfaced 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 clip, filmed at a DSA convention in recent years. Mamdani, a longtime critic of Israel who has said the country is engaging in atrocities in Gaza, suggested he was questioning joint training exercises between the city police and IDF.

Emotional Response

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

Mamdani responded to the independent's terrorism comments in an emotional video. In it, the candidate recalled how, when he first campaigned for the legislature, a Muslim uncle advised to him that he did not have to disclose about his religion. It was a realization, Mamdani said, that many Muslim New Yorkers had been told “again and again”: “That safety could only be found in the shadows of our city. That it is in those hidden spaces alone where Muslims could embrace their full identities, and that if we were to step out from those seclusion, then it is in those shadows that we must leave our beliefs.”

Addressing the actions of his opponents, who has alleged Mamd