Trump brands frontrunner Mamdani ‘communist’ as New York votes tomorrow

NEW YORK: New Yorkers will pick a new mayor on Tuesday after an unpredictable race that has drawn attention from far beyond the largest city in the United States, with President Donald Trump branding frontrunner Zohran Mamdani ‘a communist’.

Breakout Democratic Party candidate Mamdani, a naturalised Muslim American who represents Queens in the state legislature, leads former governor and sex assault-accused Andrew Cuomo, running as an independent after losing his party’s primary contest to Mamdani.

The Republican party candidate polling in third place is Curtis Sliwa, 71, who has a colourful past as founder of the Guardian Angels vigilante group, a prolific broadcaster and cat lover.

The latest Quinnipiac University poll conducted October 23 to 27 gives Mamdani 43 per cent of the vote, followed by Cuomo on 33 per cent and Sliwa on 14 per cent. The race has centred on cost of living, crime and how each candidate would handle Trump, who has threatened to withhold federal funds from the city.

“Mamdani is an unusual political figure and really captures the spirit of the moment. This is a moment where a loud anti-Trump voice in America’s biggest city is going to get news,” Lincoln Mitchell, a politics professor at Columbia University, said. “Frankly, a Muslim candidate for mayor of New York is an enormous story.”

Mamdani, 34, has attacked his opponents for Islamophobic rhetoric and smears, calling out both Republicans and Democrats for “anti-Muslim sentiment that has grown so endemic in our city.”

NYC Board of Elections data showed 275,006 registered Democrats had cast ballots, as had 46,115 Republicans, along with 42,383 voters unaffiliated with any party in the first five days of early voting, which ends November 2.

Mamdani’s ascent has highlighted the gulf between the left and centre-right of the Democratic Party. New York’s state governor Kathy Hochul, a centrist, appeared at a Mamdani rally on October 26 but was drowned out by “tax the rich” chants, an AFP correspondent saw.

Hochul has been critical of Mamdani’s proposals to impose a two-per cent income tax on New Yorkers making more than $1 million.

Mamdani’s unlikely ascent has been fired by young New Yorkers canvassing for him, with his campaign claiming 90,000 people have volunteered. “It really comes back to people speaking to other New Yorkers about the city that we all love,” Mamdani told The Daily Show.

Teenager Abid Mahdi, a Queens native who leads canvasses for Mamdani, said that “when I think of Zohran, I think of what Bernie Sanders was to many Americans in 2016 and 2020. He is my Bernie Sanders in a lot of ways.”

Mamdani appeared with leftist standard-bearer Senator Bernie Sanders at a Queens rally on October 26. “I’m 15 right now, I’ll be an adult and paying taxes at 18, right? The majority of laws will apply to me in about three years. So, why should I start caring then?” added Mahdi.

Underscoring the importance of older voters who typically turn out in greater numbers than youngsters, Mamdani attended a “paint and pour” session at an elder care home in Brooklyn Thursday. Torrential rain at the end of the week slowed canvassing, with the three leading candidates touring TV studios in a final push to woo wavering voters.

Ahead of the vote, Sliwa appeared in a surreal conservative rap video wearing a suit and his signature red beret.

Cuomo, 67, sought Thursday to court Black and Muslim voters, campaigning in Harlem with current mayor Eric Adams, a corruption-accused Democrat who bowed out, eventually endorsing his former foe Cuomo.

There was a stir in the week when a British newspaper published what claimed to be an interview with former mayor and Mamdani backer Bill de Blasio in which he appeared to question the affordability of the Democratic socialist’s spending plans.

But the article was removed after the former mayor denied speaking to the journalist.

Meanwhile, in a survey conducted by an American web-based channel TYT.com, Jewish residents of New York City spoke openly about why they’re supporting Zohran Mamdani, highlighting his commitment to housing justice, tenant rights and inclusive community leadership. They say the establishment has misrepresented him — portraying him as radical or disconnected — when his real message is one of solidarity and fairness.

Here’s a breakdown of the perspectives shared by Jewish New Yorkers in the video, organised by individual themes rather than names.

Many younger Jewish participants stressed that their primary decision point was domestic issues — housing, cost of living, transit, opportunity — rather than foreign policy. One interviewee said they don’t feel represented by the older Jewish-establishment politics and believe Mamdani speaks to their generation’s issues.

Some Jewish voters acknowledged disagreements with Mamdani’s statements on Israel/Palestine yet prioritised local governance and felt he could manage NYC competently.

One voter said, although he didn’t always agree with Mamdani’s ideas on Israel, he still trusted him on issues like affordability and public services. This reflects the commentary in Middle East Eye about Jews supporting Mamdani “despite his anti-Israel rhetoric”.

For these voters, the traditional litmus test of being unconditionally pro-Israel is being weighted against a candidate’s local agenda and ability to deliver.

Some interviewees expressed frustration with the Jewish community’s leadership, feeling it has been out of step with progressive priorities or younger generations.

Several stressed they felt the Jewish community’s default alignment with certain foreign-policy stances doesn’t reflect their evolving values or urban concerns.

While some Jewish voters strongly support Mamdani, others voiced serious concerns over his positions on Israel, the slogan “globalise the intifada”, and his refusal to recognise Israel as a Jewish state. One Jewish voter in the video said: “I’m glad he is focusing on housing and transit, but I still need assurance that Jewish New Yorkers will feel safe under him.”

These internal debates reflect a community that’s no longer monolithic—in views on Israel, on what Jewish identity means politically, or on priorities in NYC.

Many of the supporters highlighted that the next mayor needs to deliver for everyday New Yorkers: reduce rents, make transit cheaper, ensure safety and job opportunities—not just signal on foreign policy.

One voter: “I see that the cost of living keeps going up, I see the city changing so fast. I’m voting for the person I think will fix this, not just talk about Israel.”

This mindset is echoed in coverage: “Israel is not the primary predictor of American Jewish politics; many Jewish voters are drawn to Mamdani … by the affordability agenda.”

Supporters pointed out that Mamdani’s candidacy is historic: Muslim American, progressive, younger, representing Queens. They view his rise as more than tactical — it signals broader change. One supporter said: “Having someone who looks like me or represents my generation actually running for mayor — that matters.”

The symbolic weight of this candidacy seemed to matter for many in the Jewish younger cohort who felt the old politics didn’t speak to them.

The video captures a nuanced picture: Jewish New Yorkers who support Mamdani are often younger, progressive, deeply focused on local and economic issues, and willing to set aside or deprioritise traditional foreign-policy litmus tests in favour of pragmatic governance. At the same time, there are significant reservations within the community — on Israel policy, safety, identity — that create internal tension and witness a shifting landscape of Jewish electoral behaviour in New York.