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New Yorkers will discover who will be their next mayor this Tuesday, in a race that will decide who governs and protects the country's most populous metropolis at a moment when Donald Trump has threatened to deploy armed forces to the city.

In this context, New York has witnessed a race for mayor that has pitted two very different Democrats against one another. The election has turned into an acrimonious face-off, laced with accusations of racism and Islamophobia, but it is the political differences between the two main candidates that could have significant consequences for how the Democratic party fares in next year's congressional races.

The Progressive Challenger

On the left side is Zohran Mamdani, the young progressive candidate whose rapid ascent and people-powered movement has brought international attention. Representing the old guard is Andrew Cuomo, the former New York governor now campaigning independently – and benefiting from the support of wealthy contributors and big business.

As the election approaches, it is Mamdani, the former longshot who beat his opponent in the party primary who is firmly installed as the leading candidate. The candidate, who has run on a agenda of affordability and promised to halt rent increases for about 2 million New Yorkers, has outpaced Cuomo by double-digits in every poll conducted in the fall, and it is very much the younger man's race to throw away.

The Controversial Campaign

Yet, the former governor, who stepped down as governor in 2021 amid allegations of sexual harassment, has made it clear he will fight to the end, and not necessarily in an above-the-belt fashion. He has trashed his opponent's objectives as unrealistic, and in the final stretch chuckled along as a radio host made anti-Muslim comments about the candidate, who is a Muslim. Recently, the independent was widely condemned as bigoted after sharing an artificial intelligence video that included a slew of racial caricatures and showed Mamdani releasing a convicts.

This represents a rather grubby conclusion to an race that could be key to the direction that the Democratic party, struggling in its response to Trump's authoritarian grabs, takes in the near future.

Broader Consequences

Should the progressive secures a clear victory, the establishment party leaders who have declined to support his campaign will be compelled to address a message that has appealed to voters' anger at inequality, inflation and the political elite. It would be hard for the Senate leader and Hakeem Jeffries not to adopt at least a portion of Mamdani's ambitious ideas about economic justice, given the newcomer has created an excitement within the Democratic ranks arguably not witnessed since the Vermont senator ran for president in 2016.

Conversely, if Cuomo, who had been expected to sail to victory in the Democratic primary, complete a remarkable comeback win, it could cement the party's existing approach of cautious, uninspiring opposition – a strategy that has angered the party base. A New York defeat of the progressive's progressive, positive message could persuade party leaders that the wisest course is to stick to the center – even as polls show the present version of the party is deeply unpopular nationwide.

Voter Enthusiasm

Residents of New York seem to prefer the Mamdani vision. Surveys show that his backers are much more excited about their choice than his opponent's supporters, something that has been evident throughout the campaign. Mamdani's snappy videos on digital platforms, his hopeful outlook for New York and his willingness to actually venture out and connect with voters in the city has drawn an army of over fifty thousand volunteers, many of them youth or first-time voters.

Personal Attacks

However, Cuomo, 67, isn't giving up. And with the stakes stacked against him, the former governor has turned to negative campaigning in the final days.

Following extensive launching various attacks at Mamdani to see what might stick, Cuomo has narrowed his focus on attacking the candidate personally. He has labelled Mamdani, who was of Ugandan origin to South Asian heritage, an “extremist”, and appeared on Fox Business for an interview with Maria Bartiromo, where the candidate claimed New York “will not survive” Mamdani as mayor. It reached a nadir last week, when Cuomo chuckled and said “that’s another problem” after a radio host said the candidate would “cheer” another terrorist attack.

Political Landscape

The line of attack echoes much of what Trump, who has deployed the military reserves to the capital and threatened to do the same to NYC, has said about the progressive, and maybe that shouldn’t come as a surprise. A set of wealthy residents, including some who contributed to Trump in the last presidential race, have invested heavily into trying to get Cuomo elected, as other powerful voices have pressured the Republican candidate to withdraw from the contest.

Political Histories

As far as the his team, and his wealthy backers, are concerned, it should not have reached to this. When the assemblyman, one of 150 state legislators, launched his campaign for mayor in October 2024, few had heard of him, and in reality, barely anyone even paid attention.

Cuomo, by contrast, eased his way into the contest in this year and became the instant favorite. He was the big beast who apparently held every edge. The classic establishment figure, he had married a political dynasty member and served in Bill Clinton’s administration. He assumed office as New York governor in over a decade ago, 17 years after his father, the former governor, left office from the identical role.

The progressive, who was voted in to the state legislature in recently, does not have the comparable background. But his commitment to providing free buses and affordable child services – along with the rent control promise – present a more positive vision of the future than his opponent's pessimistic predictions about “mayhem” and rising criminal activity, and his vow to hire more police officers.

Campaign Controversies

Still, the candidate has encountered some challenges in recent days, after footage emerged appearing to show him implying the NYPD and the IDF 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, recorded at a DSA gathering in 2023. Mamdani, a vocal opponent of the Israeli government who has said the country is committing genocide in the Palestinian territory, indicated he was criticizing cooperative programs between the city police and Israeli forces.

Emotional Response

With the election nearing, the candidate seems to have gained sympathy and support, however, for his response to his opponent's escalating attacks.

Mamdani addressed the independent's terrorism comments in an heartfelt recording. In it, the candidate recalled how, when he first campaigned for state assembly, a family member suggested to him that he did not have to disclose about his Muslim faith. It was a realization, he said, that many local Muslims had been told “again and again”: “That security could only be found in the margins of our community. That it is in those shadows alone where Muslims could express their true selves, and that if we were to emerge from those seclusion, then it is in those shadows that we must set aside our beliefs.”

Addressing the actions of Cuomo and Sliwa, who has alleged Mamd