5 things to watch in New York's primaries

Yahoo

2 days ago

Voters across New York are heading to the polls on Tuesday for primaries across the state, but most of the attention will be on New York City for its Democratic mayoral primary.
Former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has for months seemed to be in a strong position to mount what at one time would've been considered an unlikely political comeback as the clear front-runner in the field. But state Assembly member Zohran Mamdani, who's sought to coalesce progressive opposition behind his candidacy as the Cuomo alternative, is hoping to pull off a major upset as polls suggest momentum is on his side.
Several other races with high-profile individuals are also taking place in the city.
Here are five things to watch for in New York's Tuesday primaries:
For much of the race, the story of New York City's Democratic primary has been Cuomo's march back to political relevance.
But the narrative has shifted in recent weeks, with Mamdani, a democratic socialist with the backing of Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), gaining in the polls.
An Emerson College Polling/PIX11/The Hill survey released Monday showed Mamdani virtually tied with Cuomo, and beating him in the final round of a ranked-choice simulation.
A victory by Mamdani would be a stunning upset for a candidate who was basically unknown to most voters just a few months ago. It would also be the latest setback for Cuomo, who resigned from his position as New York governor in 2021 amid sexual harassment allegations and reports that his administration undercounted nursing home deaths during the pandemic.
Cuomo still enters Tuesday as the likely favorite. He recently scored an endorsement from influential Congressional Black Caucus member Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.), and The New York Times editorial board last week urged voters not to support Mamdani.
But Mamdani appears to have momentum on his side in a city that last delivered a stunning primary upset in 2018, when Ocasio-Cortez ousted former Rep. Joe Crowley (D-N.Y.).
While most candidates in primaries usually declare their support for the party nominee, the Democratic mayoral primary has become increasingly fiery.
A few candidates have strategically cross-endorsed as a way to influence their supporters to include candidates on their ballots more ideologically similar to them, or candidates who are at least more desirable alternatives. Several candidates pounced on Cuomo during the two mayoral debates.
The 'Don't Rank Evil Andrew for Mayor' campaign, or DREAM, formed to call on voters and candidates to back anyone except Cuomo.
And both Cuomo and Mamdani may have an opportunity to face each other again in November regardless of who wins the nomination.
In May, Cuomo formed his own separate party line to run in the general election, called the Fight and Deliver Party, saying he wanted to form the largest coalition possible outside the Democratic brand. He's likely to be a choice in November regardless of Tuesday's result.
Mamdani also could have another avenue to stay in the race through the Working Families Party, a smaller left-wing party that has ballot access in the general election. The party called on voters to rank Mamdani first, but it's also indicated interest in nominating another candidate if Cuomo wins the Democratic nomination.
Party leaders haven't said whom they would choose, but Mamdani would have a strong case for it to be him.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg is facing voters a year after he oversaw the first successful criminal prosecution of a former president, securing a conviction of President Trump on 34 counts of falsifying business records.
The case became a lightning rod in the 2024 presidential race as Trump railed against what he claimed was a politically motivated prosecution. A former federal prosecutor who became the first Black person to hold the office, Bragg called for not prosecuting lower-level nonviolent crimes during his first campaign and ushered in progressive policies, though he's taken some criticism from progressives over accusations of shying away from some of those proposals.
Bragg has touted declining statistics on shootings and crimes like robberies and assaults, but he's facing a primary challenge from Patrick Timmins, a former prosecutor in the Bronx.
One internal poll for Bragg showed him well ahead of Timmins, but Timmins expressed optimism about his chances of winning as his name identification increases.
Two decades after his conviction was vacated, Raymond Santana is attempting to become the second member of the group of five Black and Latino men known as the Central Park Five to be elected to the New York City Council.
Santana is running for the Democratic nomination for Council District 8, seeking to join Council member Yusef Salaam, who was elected in 2023. Salaam, Santana and three others were convicted of charges stemming from an assault on a white jogger in Central Park in 1989.
Their convictions were thrown out in 2002 after the real culprit confessed and DNA evidence proved their innocence.
Santana is facing a crowded primary to succeed outgoing Council member Diana Ayala, who is term limited.
Acting Buffalo Mayor Christopher Scanlon ascended to the position in October after his predecessor, Byron Brown, stepped down to become CEO of Western Regional Off-Track Betting, a public corporation for horse race wagering.
Scanlon was the architect of Brown's successful 2021 write-in campaign after Brown lost the Democratic nomination to a left-wing challenger, and now he's trying to win the primary in his own right against a few candidates, most notably New York state Sen. Sean Ryan (D).
Scanlon appears to be facing a bit of an uphill battle as Ryan secured the endorsements of the Erie County Democratic Party and the Working Families Party. Ryan's also kept pace with Scanlon's fundraising and spending, both raking in significant donations.
The county party endorsement caused significant controversy over allegations that the party chair would be appointed to Ryan's state Senate seat if Ryan became mayor. The chair has denied this.
Issues of city finances and infrastructure have played a central role in the race, which includes three other candidates.
Scanlon has already filed to run as an independent in the general election, while Ryan has the Working Families Party nomination, making a November rematch likely. But winning the Democratic nomination would certainly be an advantage.
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