On November 4, 2025, the New York City mayoral election will be held. This will give NYC residents the opportunity to either vote for a brand new mayor, or keep the same mayor for another term. This particular election may be the most controversial one yet. Candidates include Mayor Eric Adams and Former Governor Andrew Cuomo.
Although it’s too early to tell, there are two politicians in particular who are most likely to face off in the fall. Starting off with the mayor of New York City, Eric Adams. Hoping to gain a second term as mayor of the Big Apple, Adams will be running as a member of the Independent Party rather than a member of the Democratic Party. This is partly due to the fact that Adams was held on federal charges for corruption for about 5 months, until the charges were officially dropped in an agreement by judge Dale Ho, according to NBC news. His sudden switch to the Independent party may deliver a crushing blow to his quest for reelection, as a large majority of New Yorkers as well as overall Americans seem to be focused on the Republican and Democratic parties rather than third-party candidates.
However, a surprising appearance by former Governor Andrew Quomo and his declaration of participation in this race has greatly turned the tides. Back in 2021, Quomo officially resigned from his position as Governor of New York, after legal pressure causeed by an alleged sexual assault case involving 11 women while he was in office. According to a poll done by Quinnipiac University in 2021, 7 out of 10 New Yorkers believed Cuomo should resign, and 55% believed he should’ve been charged due to his legal troubles. There’s also been disapproval when it came to him handling the initial outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. According to Marist Poll, he initially had an approval rating of 72% in terms of handling the issue. However, over the summer it dropped down to 54%. Even though it was over 5 years ago, the pandemic played a crucial role in not just his political career, but also had a major impact on his reputation. This certainly goes to show how Quomo’s action will directly impact his chance at earning this spot as mayor.
However, Adams and Quomo aren’t the only ones in the race. A candidate such as Zohran Mamdani is on the rise and just might be our next mayor. Mandani is a resident of Astoria, Queens. He’s received plenty of endorsements from organizations and politicians, such as the New York City Democratic Socialists of America, United Auto Workers Region 9A, and socialist lawmakers, including state Sen. Kristen Gonzalez and Assembly Member Phara Souffrant Forrest. If he becomes New York City’s next official mayor, what are his intentions to better the lives of New Yorkers like you and I? According to the City and State of New York, Mamdani’s intentions revolve around freezing the rent of NYC residents, making and childcare buses free, and building public supermarkets. However, his overall lack of recognition and extremist political views seem to be preventing him from really going all out in this election.
There is one more particular candidate that’s making his way through the polls. Meet Brad Lander, the New York City comptroller. Lander is from Missouri, but “put his roots down” in Brooklyn. He currently resides in Park Slope. In terms of his interests for New York City’s future, Lander is focusing on a wide variety of issues, such as getting homeless people with mental health issues into stable/affordable housing, restoring original funding for early education, and continuing to carry out capital projects and other reforms he’s originally planned to do as a comptroller. He’s been endorsed by politicians and some political organizations such as United Auto Workers Region 9A, Independent Neighborhood Democrats, New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams and state Sen. Liz Krueger. However, there are some problems that are hurting his chances at getting a shot of being the leader of NYC. According to the City and State of New York, “Lander is a nerdy white guy who may struggle to build support in the outer boroughs, and he may be seen as too far left to build a winning coalition.” Unfortunately, many politicians are held back in terms of being potentially elected due to their overall failure to connect with residents, as well as having their own political biases that some may not completely agree with. This serves as a major issue for both Lander and Mamdani, as both have far-leaning political views and should try to connect with everyday New Yorkers.
On June 24th, 2025, the city will officially hold its primary election. In this election, voters will be able to decide which candidates are worthy of being eligible to run in the general election in the fall. The candidates who I’ve previously mentioned will most likely be participants of the primary election. That’s why it’s extremely important to run in this upcoming election.
I’m here with Year 2 Johan Martin, a student at Bard Queens. I interviewed Johan about his opinions on Eric Adams and his fit for re-election and asked this anonymous student about Andrew Quomo in a similar manner.
Q:What is your opinion on the current mayor Eric Adams?
A: It doesn’t feel like he’s making much of a difference in general, I barely know he exists.
Q: Do you think he would be fit for re-election?
A: No, just no.
Q:What is your opinion on the former governor Andrew Cuomo?
A: I don’t hear a lot about him in terms of news. He’s very quiet, he hasn’t really made an impact on the state. I only know him because of CNN.
Q: Would you approve of him becoming the next mayor of NYC?
A: Hell no, it’s time to move on.
Q: Will you be voting in the primaries for this election?
A: Probably
Q: What about the general election?
A: Probably
Although there are many unofficial details that have yet to be revealed over the next 8 months, these four individuals will most likely take the place as the primary candidates in this crucial election. Go out and vote New York, it matters.