2025 New York City Mayoral Election
Live blog: New York Election Day 2025
Updates from three mayoral candidates, juggernaut voter turnout, one divided city.
Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo talks to press after casting his vote. Annie McDonough
The whole country is watching New York City today. Follow along with us as we fan out across the city to talk to voters, follow candidates to the polls, hit up election night watch parties and process results. We’ll also have some updates from major races around the state.
3:30 p.m. – Ossé not on WFP line
New York City Council Member Chi Ossé was not listed on the Working Families Party line on Tuesday's ballot, despite receiving the party's endorsement. While it will not impact the result of the election, as Ossé is running unopposed, it's ... not great. The omission came as a surprise to WFP co-chair Ana María Archila, who said she found out while speaking to a voter in Osse's central Brooklyn district Tuesday.
"This is confusing. We don't understand it," she added.
Both Archila and Elijah Fox, a spokesperson for Ossé, told City & State that Ossé had completed the steps to appear on the WFP line and pointed to the BOE as the likely culprit. "There is nothing that tells us that they rejected the ballot, the signatures, or that there was a concern, like, nothing that we know. So we don't really understand what happened," Archila said. "But we believe it's not something that Chi did wrong or that we did wrong. We believe that there's some mistake inside the Board of Elections, but we don't know."
Vincent Ignizio, deputy executive director at the BOE, said via text that while the BOE was going to look into it, there was "no way that's correct," and suggested that Ossé perhaps did not make the ballot, did not file or was thrown off. "We didn't say, ‘Oops we forgot.’"
There's not much the party can do at this point. "The recourse would be to file some kind of complaint, and that complaint would result in a rerun of the City Council election," Archila said. "We don't want that – it's a waste of taxpayer dollars."
Still, it's a letdown for the WFP. "(Having the WFP line) is a way to really demonstrate the demand for an alternative to the two-party system when the two major parties are so dominated by the influence of the richest few," Archila said. – Sophie Krichevsky
3:20 p.m. - Western New York turnout is steady
Voter turnout by mid-afternoon in Western New York is steady, with most of the vote coming from communities with competitive local races.
Erie County has seen 37,000 early and absentee votes with 71,000 voting in-person by 3 p.m., according to county Board of Elections Republican Commissioner Ralph Mohr. Mohr said turnout remains comparable to four years ago.
Erie County has races for county comptroller and county sheriff, along with competitive local races, including Amherst town supervisor, Cheektowaga town board, Lancaster town board and Hamburg town supervisor. Mohr said much of the turnout has been fueled by those communities. The Buffalo mayoralty is on the ballot with Democratic nominee Sean Ryan heavily favored. Erie County has 620,000 registered voters.
In neighboring Niagara County, 20,577 people have voted countywide by 3 p.m. out of 144,000 registered voters, according to county Board of Elections Democratic Commissioner Lora Allen. “It’s steady,” she said. “It’s not the best I’ve seen or the worst.”
Allen said the two busiest communities are Niagara Falls, which features competitive races for City Council and North Tonawanda, where incumbent Democratic Mayor Austin Tylec is facing off against Republican nominee Tom Krantz, a former police chief, in a competitive race.
Niagara County voters are also being asked to approve a referendum to extend county legislature terms from two years to four years. - John Celock
3:15 p.m. - Cuomo's COVID mea culpa
In his closing message to New Yorkers headed to the polls in the city, Andrew Cuomo offered an apology for the deaths of seniors in nursing homes during the earlier days of the COVID pandemic. It is the most direct mea culpa Cuomo has offered since he first found himself in the hot seat over his decision to discharge COVID-positive seniors from hospitals back to nursing homes. “I apologize to anyone who lost a loved one during that time,” Cuomo said during a morning hit on Fox News. “It was on my watch, and I understand how terrible it was.”
Still, the former governor did not admit to any wrongdoing on his part, reiterating that he followed federal guidance and advice from leading health experts at a chaotic time when little was known about the new disease. Cuomo’s handling of the pandemic, and COVID in nursing homes in particular, has haunted him since he resigned from office and on the campaign trail. - Rebecca C. Lewis
3 p.m. – Creeping toward record turnout
The city Board of Elections released new voter numbers at 3 p.m., showing that about 1.45 million people have cast ballots so far. Roughly 250,000 people voted in the past three hours. The rate of turnout has remained consistent since polls opened at 9 a.m., without much of a midday lull. That rate would put turnout at just under 2 million, without accounting for the likely after-work surge and mail-in ballots. – Rebecca C. Lewis
2:30 p.m. – Friends in Low(er East Side) places
Zohran Mamdani’s whirlwind tour of the city on Tuesday included a stop on the Lower East Side, where he joined Assembly Members Grace Lee, Jordan Wright, Harvey Epstein and City Council Member Chris Marte for a brief voter meet-and-greet. It’s ultra friendly territory for Mamdani, and the response from young voters and fans on the street reflected that. But the stop also served to bring a little extra attention to down-ballot races. P.S. 020, where Mamdani and the other elected officials greeted voters, is right on the border of City Council Districts 1, which is represented by Marte, and 2, very likely soon to be represented by Epstein. Not that Marte and Epstein, Democrats with heavy advantages, really need the boost. Marte is also running for City Council speaker.
New York Working Families Party co-director Jasmine Gripper said she’s enthused by the energy she’s seen around Mamdani today, though she said she’s seen an increase in Cuomo’s presence on the trail since the primary. (She suggested that presence includes paid canvassers, however.) “There was one Cuomo volunteer that covered up his stickers and asked to take a picture with Tish James,” Gripper said with a laugh. – Annie McDonough
2 p.m. – Mamdani mobbed in Fort Greene
Zohran Mamdani received a warm welcome from a tight crowd of supporters on a street corner across from a Fort Greene polling site. WFP leadership, along with Rep. Nydia Velázquez, state Attorney General Letitia James, Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, Council Member Crystal Hudson, state Sen. Jabari Brisport and Bed-Stuy DSA Assembly candidate Eon Huntley all joined the fray.
Mamdani took a few questions, but didn’t deliver a speech, opting to chat and take photos with people as he shuffled through the crowd. Some supporters were meeting the candidate in person for the first time; some introduced him to their toddlers or their dogs.
A few minutes in, electeds led an “I believe that we will win” chant.
Asked by a reporter if he’d support Hudson for Council Speaker, Mamdani said he liked the council member but was zeroed in on his own election. Asked by Politico if he’d take a nap or party upon winning, he responded “I’m gonna get to work.”
WFP National Director Maurice Mitchell said he was feeling good. “Every now and then, our politics actually become cultural expressions of where everyday people are, and political leaders actually become movement leaders, and that’s what’s happening right now.” – Celia Bernhardt
12:30 p.m. – Reports of swatting at Manhattan polling sites
Three polling places in Manhattan have received emailed threats of a terroristic nature, MSNBC reported. The Daily News reported that the New York City Police Department is considering the threats, to polling locations in Midtown, Harlem and Greenwich Village, to be swatting, and no polling sites have been closed.
Bomb threats briefly shut down polls in seven New Jersey counties Tuesday morning as Garden State voters go to the polls to decide a competitive gubernatorial race. New Jersey Lt. Gov. Tahesha Way, who oversees state elections, said law enforcement deemed the threats non-credible. – John Celock
12:05 p.m. – Curtis Sliwa hangs out in Whitestone
GOP mayoral candidate Curtis Sliwa criticized President Donald Trump’s endorsement of Andrew Cuomo while stumping with GOP Council Member Vickie Paladino in Whitestone, Queens. “He's the guy who said that Andrew Cuomo was a lousy governor, and during COVID-19, in the lockdown,” Sliwa said. He also knocked Zohran Mamdani for finally voting on the housing ballot proposals, noting Sliwa is now the only candidate who voted against them. The proposals are unpopular in suburban areas like Paladino’s district.
Cuomo tried to get Paladino’s endorsement, but she turned him down, City & State scooped. – Tsehai Alfred
12 p.m. – NYC passes 1 million votes
With the latest update in turnout from the New York City Board of Elections, the city officially surpassed 1 million votes cast in today's elections, with almost 1.2 million total votes as of noon, including early votes. BOE numbers also show a huge increase in turnout between 9 a.m. and 12 p.m. on Election Day – 268,906 people cast ballots in that time. That's a more than 78,000-person bump from the first three hours of the day. - Sophie Krichevsky
11:00 a.m. – Kristy Marmorato projects confidence
Locked in her own competitive City Council race, Kristy Marmorato met up with Republican nominee for mayor Curtis Sliwa to greet poll workers in her East Bronx district. “We thank them for their service because they put in really long hours so it’s nice to say thank you,” Marmorato told City & State, referring to Sliwa’s visit.
Marmorato faces Democratic nominee Shirley Aldebol, who secured a divisive victory in the Democratic primary this summer. Marmorato became the first Republican to represent the district nearly two years ago, narrowly beating Democrat Marjorie Velázquez. Marmorato said that she is confident about securing her seat, saying, “We have a lot of local support, and that's what I'm the proudest of.” – Tsehai Alfred
10:10 a.m. – Andrew Cuomo is feeling confident
Andrew Cuomo rode in on a white Bronco to save New York City. That was the vibe, at least, from a crowd of Manhattanites happy to see the former governor at an East Side poll site Tuesday morning. It’s the same location where Cuomo cast his vote in the Democratic primary in June, but his position is in a markedly different place today. Back in June, he was the front-runner casting a side glance at an upstart Democratic socialist gaining on him in the polls. Today, that upstart is favored to win the whole race. Fresh off an endorsement from President Donald Trump – which he’s flitted between touting and playing down – Cuomo called Zohran Mamdani an existential threat to New York City. Accompanied by two of his daughters and his son-in-law, the warm reception he received at the High School of Art and Design in Midtown suggested others agree. (This is an area he won in the primary, so it’s unsurprising to see that kind of response.) “Take the communist down!” one man shouted as Cuomo entered the poll site. Shaking hands and taking selfies, Cuomo started off his Election Day on a positive note: “I feel the momentum is on our side,” he proclaimed. – Annie McDonough
10 a.m. – WFP hits Park Slope
Erstwhile mayoral candidate and New York City Comptroller Brad Lander voted for Zohran Mamdani on the Working Families Party line in Park Slope, accompanied by WFP Co-Director Ana María Archila. Lander, a possible candidate for New York’s 10th Congressional District, also voted for a possible rival, City Council Member Alexa Avilés, who represents him. “Obviously, New York 10 is a big, exciting possibility in the primary,” Archila said. – Holly Pretsky
9:30 a.m. – Mamdani flips on even-year elections
All eyes were on how Zohran Mamdani would vote on contentious housing ballot proposals, but his decision on the sixth measure to move city elections to even years is perhaps more interesting. Mamdani voted against a proposal to start the process to move elections to even years on Tuesday. He didn't seem to hold the same belief when he voted to move other municipal elections in the past.
Speaking to reporters after casting his ballot, Mamdani said he was particularly moved by a column in the online news and culture site New York Groove. “I found the arguments in opposition to No. 6 to be quite compelling, especially those making the case for New Yorkers to have a distinct opportunity to weigh their future,” Mamdani said. It was so compelling, it caused him to offer a different opinion than two years ago.
As an Assembly member in 2023, Mamdani voted in favor of a law to move county and town elections from odd years to even years. The state's highest court recently upheld the law, leading Republicans to file a new federal challenge to overturn it.
The arguments against moving municipal elections are not new, with critics long saying that local races would get overshadowed by federal ones to the detriment of voters. Apparently, Mamdani didn't find such appeals persuasive until it could impact one of his own races – and potentially his total time in office. All town and county elected officials in office when the switch occurs starting next year will see their total tenure cut by one year. It’s not clear exactly how the New York City initiative, which would need to make it through a lengthy legislative process, would change Mamdani’s term limits, though there has been speculation that it could lengthen his time in office. – Rebecca C. Lewis
9:15 a.m. – Don’t forget about Curtis – or his cats
Republican mayoral nominee Curtis Sliwa accompanied his wife Nancy to vote on the Upper West Side, where he arrived in style with a cat-festooned tie and a book of “Pawverbs.” That’s because Nancy cast her vote for him on the “Protect Animals” party line, which Sliwa is also appearing on. As for President Donald Trump handing former Gov. Andrew Cuomo an endorsement at the eleventh hour Monday night, Sliwa said he’s not sweating it. “I don’t think he understands the dynamics in the streets and in the subways. He’s no longer here,” Sliwa said of the former New Yorker. “I respect the president. I see what he’s done. But I don't really think it’s going to make much of a difference.” – Annie McDonough
9 a.m. – Turnout high after three hours of voting
The New York City Board of Elections reported that as of 9 a.m., three hours after the polls opened, 926,156 people had cast their ballots in Tuesday’s races, including early voters.
— NYC Board of Elections (@BOENYC) November 4, 2025
That number is already on par with the number of check-ins the BOE reported as of 7:30 p.m. on primary day, at which point, 930,505 people had voted. While it’s not a perfect comparison – there will always be higher turnout in general elections than primaries – it speaks to the sheer volume of people voting in this election. The first three hours of voting Tuesday produced more than any single day of early voting, however, with just under 191,000 people having cast their ballots in that three-hour span compared to more than 151,000 on Nov. 2. – Sophie Krichevsky
8:30 a.m. – Mamdani fires back at Trump
After President Donald Trump endorsed Andrew Cuomo on Monday night, Mamdani criticized Trump’s funding threats. “What we see in the language of Donald Trump is a premise as if it is his decision on whether or not to fund … the very money this city is owed,” Mamdani said, addressing a large crowd of reporters early Tuesday morning. “I look forward to utilizing every single tool at my disposal to fight for the people – that means using the courts, that means using the bully pulpit, that means ensuring that we actually following the letter of the law.”
Zohran Mamdani responds to President Donald Trump’s latest threats to not give federal funding to New York City if he is elected, saying he will “fight for every single dollar this city is owed.” pic.twitter.com/KfHBRCuUO8
— Sahalie Donaldson (@SahalieD) November 4, 2025
The Republican president made his feelings known in a Truth Social post, where he said he would withhold federal funds from the city if the 34-year-old democratic socialist wins the mayoral race. He’s threatened to do as much before, but that wasn’t all. The post also doubled as an endorsement for Cuomo – and a warning not to vote for Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa. “Whether you personally like Andrew Cuomo or not, you really have no choice,” Trump wrote. “You must vote for him, and hope he does a fantastic job. He is capable of it, Mamdani is not!” – Sahalie Donaldson
8 a.m. – Mamdani votes in favor of ballot proposals 1-5
Democratic mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani voted in favor of a series of contentious housing-related ballot measures, at last taking an 11th hour position on the politically-fraught issue.
“We urgently need more housing to be built across the five boroughs, and we also need to ensure that that housing is high quality, creating high quality union jobs,” Mamdani told reporters Tuesday morning outside his poll site at Frank Sinatra School of the Arts in Astoria. “And I also understand that there are council members in opposition to these measures, and their opposition is driven by commitment to their communities and a deep concern about investment in those communities and I share the commitment to that investment. I look forward to working with them and delivering.”
For weeks, Mamdani has been evasive about where he stands on the questions, which are aimed at making it easier to build more housing amid the city’s dire shortage, but would weaken the City Council’s power over some projects. With allies on both sides of the debate, the calculus of whether to support or oppose them – and when – has been complex. But with Election Day underway, the decision could wait no longer. Mamdani said he voted in favor of ballot proposals one through five. The lone proposal he voted against was No. 6, which would move city elections from odd-numbered years to even-numbered years, bringing them in alignment with higher-profile federal elections. Read more here. - Story by Sahalie Donaldson
5 a.m. – Early voter turnout has already broken records
Over 735,000 New Yorkers hit the polls over the nine days of early voting according to data from the city Board of Elections, shattering records and capturing headlines. Altogether, turnout ahead of Election Day was the highest it had been in a non-presidential election year since early voting was implemented by the city in 2019. Juxtaposed against the over 5.3 million registered New York City voters, that’s 14% turnout so far. Some analysts are already speculating that early voting numbers could signal that overall turnout may approach a staggering 2 million.
While there’s plenty on the ballot beyond the mayoral race, there’s no denying that the three-way contest between front-runner Zohran Mamdani, independent candidate Andrew Cuomo and Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa has energized New Yorkers. General elections for New York City mayor have historically been a far more muted affair, but this election cycle has been anything but ordinary.
Manhattan has led turnout so far followed by Brooklyn. And as far as age goes, baby boomers – New Yorkers born between 1946 and 1964 – have led turnout by casting about 29% of early votes. While millennial turnout initially struggled, it recovered toward the end of early voting. As of Sunday, these New Yorkers closed out with about 28% of the early vote, according to The City. – Sahalie Donaldson
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