Ten candidates are running for the Democratic nomination for mayor of New York on June 24, 2025. Six have led in polling and fundraising: Eric Adams, Brad Lander, Zohran Mamdani, Zellnor Myrie, Jessica Ramos, and Scott Stringer.
City & State NY’s Annie McDonough wrote “The 2025 mayoral race will be one of the first tests for how New York Democrats confront a rightward shift in a reliably blue city.” In the 2024 presidential election, Donald Trump made gains with traditionally Democratic-leaning groups across the city, and Kamala Harris (D) won the city by 37 points, down from Joe Biden’s (D) 54-point win in 2020 and down from Hillary Clinton’s (D) 63-point win in 2016. Trump’sperformance was the best for a Republican candidate for president since George H.W. Bush (R) in 1988.
Adams is the incumbent mayor, first elected in 2021. According to Politico’s Sally Goldenberg, Adams said in an interview that he is focusing on “the parts of his record he feels go unnoticed: reduced unemployment for Black New Yorkers, expansion of broadband for public housing residents, retiring medical debt.” He is also campaigning to reduce crime and says, “There are those in the city who have made up their mind — we are going to continue to commit crimes no matter what you say. And we keep allowing them to do it. The judges have to get on board, our lawmakers have to get on board.”
Lander is the incumbent city comptroller, first elected in 2021. Lander says he is focused on providing the best solutions to the city regardless of ideology and says, “There are so many priorities that New Yorkers overwhelmingly agree with whether they are conservative or moderate or progressive.” He is also campaigning on ending homelessness, and says his plan would focus on “connecting people with stable housing and services.”
Mamdani is a state Assemblyman for District 36. Mamdani is campaigning on the cost of living and says, “[it’s] the outrageous cost of living that most people are talking about. New Yorkers are being crushed by rent and child care. Working people are getting pushed out of the city they built.” He has proposed a rent freeze on apartments, and his website says he would “immediately freeze the rent for all stabilized tenants, and use every available resource to build the housing New Yorkers need and bring down the rent.”
Myrie is a state Senator for District 20. He is campaigning on the cost of housing and says he is running for mayor”because we need a vision as big as the challenges we face — and that starts with tackling our housing crisis.” He is also running on hiring up to 3,000 more police officers and says, “What we are feeling right now in this city is a sense of disorder in our public spaces, and I believe that our police officers play a role in keeping us safe.”
Ramos is a state Senator for District 13. Ramos supports creating an affordable childcare program for the city. Her website says she would “Introduc[e] the Early Learning Childcare Act to provide affordable, high-quality care for families across New York, supporting both children and working parents.” She also is campaigning on reducing homelessness and says she will declare homelessness a public health emergency, saying, “I will declare a mental health emergency on Day 1 of my administration so we can deliver services to suffering New Yorkers swiftly and effectively.”
Stringer was the city’s comptroller from 2014 to 2022. He ran unsuccessfully for mayor in 2021. Stringer is campaigning against corruption and says, “New York City needs a proven reformer to clean up City Hall and get the government back to delivering for people in this city.” He is also campaigning to make childcare more affordable and says, “It’s time to rewrite the rules with transformative solutions that make childcare affordable, accessible, and fair for every parent in every neighborhood.”
Additionally, former Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) has also been viewed as a potential candidate. Cuomo spokesperson Rich Azzopardi said of Cuomo’s thoughts: “A lot of people have come to him saying the city is in crisis and it needs to be fixed, and they think he’s the guy to do it…He just hasn’t decided yet. It’s purely personal, it’s whether or not he wants to commit the time and the energy.” Polling shows Cuomo leading all other challengers. As of February 11, Cuomo has not declared his candidacy.
In the aftermath of the 2024 presidential election, observers have debated how the results will affect the outcome of the primary. Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine (D) called the results a “shift in the tectonic plates of New York City…It’s too soon to know how much Democratic leadership will hear that message. But…you do see it in the mayor’srace, where pretty much every candidate is talking about the affordability crisis, public housing, childcare, and evenpublic safety.” Democratic strategist Eli Valentin says that the 2024 presidential results reflected concerns over economic and public safety and that “[c]andidates who can address this concern…whether progressive or moderate-are likely to gain significant support.” John Jay College of Criminal Justice Prof. Susan Kang says a progressive candidate could also win if they take advantage of the city’s ranked-choice voting (RCV) system, saying, “What matters is they have to have some messaging around ‘rank us one or two. Otherwise it’s going to be Cuomo.”
Michael Blake (D), Cleopatra Fitzgerald (D), Deirdre Levy (D), and Whitney Tilson (D) are also running.
This is the second election in the city that has used ranked-choice voting. The system allows for voters to rank up to five candidates, and if their first candidate is eliminated, their vote will be be transferred to a different candidate. Voters can still pick only one candidate or rank less than five. This system is only used in the primary.
As of 2024, New York had term limits for the position of mayor: Mayors could serve two consecutive four-year terms and then could only hold office again after one full term elapsed.