Mamdani wins primary, tight Queens local races up for grabs
/
Queens Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani declared victory in the Democratic primary for mayor on Tuesday night after former Governor Andrew Cuomo conceded the race. Eagle photo by Ryan Schwach
By Ryan Schwach, Noah Powelson and Celia Bernhardt
Queens Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani is the apparent victor in the Democratic primary for mayor, defeating former Governor Andrew Cuomo in a stunning upset that was called far earlier than expected.
Despite ranked choice voting tabulations still unfinished, Cuomo conceded the race for mayor early Tuesday night to Mamdani, who began the race as a relatively unknown Queens legislator.
In recent weeks, the 33-year-old skyrocketed in the polls and held on to a lead on election night as numbers started to come in.
Although Mamdani is the expected winner, results won’t be official until as late as next week as ranked choice tallies are counted.
With the RCV numbers still unknown, several local City Council races in Queens are without a clear winner.
The three open City Council races in Queens remain too close to call. Shanel Thomas-Henry maintains a lead in District 21, Tyrell Hankerson is holding on in District 28 and Phil Wong is holding a tight lead on his competitors in District 30.
However, some things are clear:
In the races for Queens Civil Court, Sheridan Chu, Juliette-Noor Haji and Eve Cho Guillergan are headed to the bench, Jumaane Williams will return to another term as public advocate, Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine will be the next comptroller, Councilmember Shekar Krishnan will serve another term in the council and firefighter Benjamin Chou will likely be the Democratic nominee to face Councilmember Vickie Paladino in District 19 in November.
Cuomo concedes to Mamdani
Speaking to his supporters after 10 p.m. on Tuesday night, Cuomo told supporters he called Mamdani and congratulated him as the assemblymember held a seven point lead.
“Tonight was not our night,” he said. “Tonight was Assemblymember Mamdani’s night….He deserved it. He won.”
Cuomo added that he would take a look at the numbers and consider his run on an independent line in the November general election.
“I’m very proud of the campaign,” he said.
Former Governor Andrew Cuomo conceded the race for mayor on Tuesday night, and left whether or not he would run as an independent in November unclear. AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura
It was a surprise that Cuomo conceded so early, and many expected the mayor’s race to not be called until the ranked choice tabulations were finished sometime around July 1.
Mamdani was likely pushed forward by an increase in voter turnout amongst the city’s youngest voters and progressive enclaves, as well as strong, somewhat unexpected inroads in Asian communities and parts of Manhattan and Queens that usually go to more moderate candidates.
In Long Island City, Mamdani and his supporters celebrated his apparent win in the primary.
“Tonight, we made history,” he said. “Today, eight months after launching this campaign
with the vision of a city that every New Yorker could afford, we have won. We have won from Harlem to Bay Ridge. We have won from Jackson Heights to Port Richmond. We have won from Maspeth to Chinatown.”
“We have won because New Yorkers have stood up for a city they can afford,” he added.
Zohran Mamdani (yellow) performed exceedingly well in Queens’ Asian neighborhoods, and won in other parts of the borough and city that have historically gone to more moderate candidates. Map via atlasizer
Now the question for Mamdani becomes if the junior legislator can turn his victory into the successes he hopes to bring to the city, and overcome possible obstacles from in and outside of the party that made him their nominee on Tuesday night.
Prominent Democrats who did not endorse Mamdani’s campaign have congratulated him on his win and said they hope to work with the nominee going forward, including Governor Kathy Hochul and Queens Congressmember Grace Meng.
“I look forward to discussing his plans for our city & how they will address the challenges faced by my constituents and all NYC families,” Meng said in a post on X Wednesday.
Mamdani will likely face Cuomo, current Mayor Eric Adams, and Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa in November.
Queens races remain too close to call
In Queens local races, as election night became Wednesday afternoon, a few races did not have a clear winner.
With 97 percent reporting, local organizer Thomas-Henry held a five point lead in the race for D21, with progressive Erycka Montoya behind her.
Democratic Party endorsed candidate Yanna Henriquez and Hiram Monserrate endorsed candidate David Aiken Jr. were both trailing behind Montoya.
"I am incredibly humbled by the outpouring of support that I received from my neighbors in East Elmhurst, Jackson Heights, and Corona,” Thomas-Henry said in a statement on Wednesday. “Our campaign’s lead after Round one of this primary election was hard-fought, made possible by the trust of the community that raised me, and the selfless dedication of our grassroots movement. With an incredible staff and committed volunteers, my campaign knocked over 30,000 doors, made countless phone calls, and spoke with over 3,000 voters about the issues that we struggle with every single day. As overjoyed as I am with our campaign’s success, I know that ranked choice voting results will determine the winner.”
She also recognized her opponents in what was the least-drama filled race in Queens.
“I congratulate my fellow candidates on running campaigns based on ideals, community engagement, and shared values,” she said. “Whether Erycka, Yanna, or myself – I am ready to make sure our next Councilmember is ready to go on Day one."
Montoya said it was too close to call, and is still optimistic.
The race for City Council District 21 between Shanel Thomas-Henry (yellow), Erycka Montoya (green), Yanna Henriquez (blue) and David Aiken (purple) remains up for grabs. Map via atlasizer
"I’m anxious but hopeful,” she told the Eagle. “We ran an incredible race, I've had an incredible time talking to my neighbors and learning from them. Making sure we're really building out a vision that really serves our community here. So it's been really exciting, but of course I'm nervous, I'm anxious, which I think is normal. But I think we are all very hopeful and very proud of what we've done."
Thomas-Henry performed strongly in the northern parts of the district near LaGuardia Airport, as well as the southern tip of the district adjacent to Queens Center Mall.
Henriquez did not respond to a request for comment.
Ranked choice voting will ultimately determine if Montoya has enough to come back.
In the race for Speaker Adrienne Adams’ 28th District, her district Chief of Staff Tyrell Hankerson was holding on with a ten point lead with 34 percent of the vote, trailed by insurgent candidate Japneet Singh.
Latoya LeGrand trailed eight points behind Singh, and Ruben Wills and Romeo Hitlall were behind her.
Hankerson came into Election Day with the most money and institutional support, but Singh was hoping to pull it out as an insurgent, anti-establishment candidate, often criticizing Hankerson's close ties to the district’s current office holder.
D28’s votes were almost directly split down either side of the Van Wyck Expressway with Hankerson pulling in the predominantly Black neighborhoods to the east, and Singh pulling in the voting districts to the west that are predominantly South Asian and Indo-Caribbean.
The district’s final results were still unclear with ranked choice voting still being a factor and no concessions from any candidate.
Hankeron’s camp believes that victory is in the grasp.
"Ty is leading after the first round and earned the most first-choice votes,” his campaign said in a statement “We are up by approximately 1,300 votes. We built the broadest coalition across District 28 and we are cautiously optimistic that after RCV is done this time next week, Ty Hankerson will be victorious.”
In Queens’ City Council District 28, Tyrell Hankerson (yellow) and Japneet Singh (green) split the vote down the Van Wyck Expressway. Latoya LeGrand (blue) pulled in some election districts near York College. Map via atlasizer
Singh did not respond to requests for comment.
In the race to succeed term-limited Councilmember Bob Holden in District 30, one of his staffers, Phil Wong, had a tight lead over his two opponents.
With 93 percent reporting, Wong was holding 35 percent of the vote, Paul Pogozelski had 32 percent and Queens Democratic Party backed Dermot Smyth was behind with 30 percent.
While their numbers were close, and nowhere near the needed 50 percent threshold, Wong told the Eagle he felt good about where he was.
“We’re trying to bring it over the finish line,” Wong told the Eagle on Tuesday night. “Being a grassroots candidate it’s been a difficult journey with fundraising and petitioning, canvassing, field teams. It’s been a lot of work. Definitely looking forward to it being over and looking forward to the next leg of the journey.”
Wong was likely pushed-forward by Holden’s support in the contest.
If he does win the race, Wong will face his Holden office co-worker Alicia Vaichunas in the general.
Phil Wong (yellow) is maintaining a tight lead in City Council District 30 over Paul Pogozelski (green) and Dermot Smyth (blue). Map via atlasizer
Pogozelski, a local civil leader and founder of a roller hockey league in Maspeth, did not concede, and said he would “see this through.”
“As of today, the results for the Democratic primary are still too close to call, but the early numbers and energy we’ve seen so far give us every reason to be optimistic about the path ahead,” he said. “What we accomplished together is remarkable. This campaign was built by neighbors across District 30 who came together for a better future, and I’m proud of what we built together.”
Pogozelski won the majority of the election districts in the Ridgewood portion of D30, which leans more progressive, while Wong won the majority of the remaining precincts.
The race remains close however, Pogozelski and Smyth were separated by less than 200 votes, and the two are neck and neck in election districts that had only around half of their votes counted as of Wednesday afternoon.
Although Smyth, a prominent teacher’s union operative in the borough, wasn’t necessarily holding out hope
“It doesn't look great for us, I'm not delusional,” he told the Eagle on Wednesday. “But it was a great campaign. I'm very, very impressed with the campaign that Phil Wong ran. Bob Holden is a large figure in this community. Phil having his support always meant Phil was a very, very serious opponent. He put together a great campaign.”
“It was a great race, it was a fun race, it was an exciting race,” he added.
Some of Tuesday’s big winners in Queens also celebrated their victories.
“Our victory tonight is a mandate to continue working for our district and delivering real results, increasing green space, protecting immigrant rights, and making our community more affordable,” said Krishnan, who beat retired NYPD cop and veteran Richard Pacheco on Tuesday. “Over the next four years, we will continue to do what my office has done best: serve our community, listen to our neighbors, and fight for New Yorkers at City Hall."
Chou, who defeated WFP-backed candidate Alex Caruso in District 19, acknowledged his opponent and the voters of northeast Queens.
“We won this race without endorsements from establishment politicians or unions, and without big-money donors,” he said. “Instead, our campaign was powered by everyday neighbors who believe in leadership that listens, shows up, and fights for our entire community. This victory belongs to all of you and proves we are stronger together.”
Queens’ newest borough wide Civil Court judge Sheridan Chu, who defeated attorney John Ciafone, also celebrated his win.
“It is an honor to be the Democratic nominee for Queens County Civil Court Judge,” Chu said. “I am deeply grateful to the Queens Democratic Party and Chairman Rep. Gregory Meeks for this opportunity, and for the support from Democrats across the spectrum — it truly means something. I never changed my message: Husband. Father. Advocate. What is good for my family is good for your family. It is about lifting communities, giving everyone a fair shot, and believing in second chances.”
“We have still got one more hurdle in November, but with Queens united behind me, anything is possible,” he added.
Stay tuned with the Eagle for more as the numbers continue to come in through the next few days.
Here is where the results currently stand (Results as of 11:11 a.m. on Wednesday):
Boroughwide Civil Court
Sheridan Chu - 58.8 percent (99451 votes)
John Ciafone - 40.4 percent (68270 votes)
94.41 percent
Civil Court 1st Municipal District
Juliette-Noor Haji - 69.2 percent (18849 votes)
Thomas G. Wright-Fernandez - 30.35 percent (8267 votes)
96.52 percent
Civil Court 2nd Municipal District
Eve Cho Guillergan - 57.7 percent (20257 votes)
Julie Milner - 41.75 percent (14657 votes)
94.74 percent
Mayor
Zohran Mamdani - 43.5 percent (432305 votes)
Andrew Cuomo - 36.4 percent (361840 votes)
Brad Lander - 11.3 percent (112349 votes)
Adrienne Adams - 4.1 percent (40953 votes)
Scott Stringer - 1.65 percent (16387 votes)
All other candidates received less than 1 percent of the vote
96.05 percent
Comptroller
Mark Levine - 48 percent (428283 votes)
Justin Brannan - 33.5 percent (298690 votes)
Ismael Malave Perez - 10 percent (90754 votes)
Kevin Parker - 7.8 percent (69659 votes)
96.05 percent
Public Advocate
Jumaane Williams - 71.3 percent (630095 votes)
Jenifer Rajkumar - 18.68 percent (164968 votes)
Martin Dolan - 9.38 percent (82870 votes)
96.05 percent
City Council District 19
Benjamin Chou - 67.12 percent (7232 votes)
Alexander Caruso - 32.2 percent (3479 votes)
95.12 percent
City Council District 21 (Too close to call)
Erycka Montoya - 25.3 percent (1848 votes)
Shanel Thomas-Henry - 30.9 percent (2257 votes)
Yanna Henriquez - 22.98 percent (1678 votes)
David Aiken - 20 percent (1465 votes)
95.10 percent
City Council District 25
Shekar Krishnan - 67.26 percent (9282 votes)
Richard Pacheco - 32 percent (4420 votes)
96.81 percent
City Council District 28 (Too close to call)
Japneet Singh - 24.7 percent (3069 votes)
Tyrell Hankerson - 34.8 percent (4316 votes)
Latoya LeGrand - 16.83 percent (2086 votes)
Ruben Wills - 14 percent (1745 votes)
Romeo Hitlall - 9 percent (1127 votes)
91.11 percent
City Council District 30 (Too close to call)
Dermot Smyth - 30.67 (3617 votes)
Phil Wong - 36.1 percent (4259 votes)
Paul Pogozelski - 31.88 percent (3760 votes)
95.24 percent
