Mamdani Leads NYC Mayoral Race Amid Attacks

New York City's mayoral election next Tuesday is a three-way race in which Democratic socialist Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani is leading many polls against former governor Andrew Cuomo (running as an independent) and Republican Curtis Sliwa, amid high early‑voting turnout. Mamdani has drawn high‑profile progressive support and held sold‑out rallies with figures such as Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio‑Cortez while campaigning on hiring teachers, freezing rents for regulated apartments, expanding affordable housing and providing universal childcare. His rapid rise has provoked sustained attacks from Republican lawmakers and conservative outlets, including calls for a Justice Department review of his 2018 naturalization and proposals to denaturalize him, as well as Islamophobic rhetoric, a deleted Cuomo campaign post and reported death threats. Cuomo has tried to position himself as a centrist alternative while facing his own history of misconduct allegations and recent inflammatory remarks. Polling generally shows Mamdani with a plurality rather than an outright majority as the next mayor would inherit urgent challenges on housing, affordability and public safety.