Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo conceded New York City’s Democratic mayoral primary to Zohran Mamdani as the 33-year old member of the state Assembly had a significant lead in the race Tuesday night.
Cuomo’s concession came as the race’s outcome will be decided by a ranked choice count after neither Democrat got a clear majority in the vote.
Mamdani, a 33-year-old democratic socialist member of the state Assembly, started to pull ahead with more than an estimated 80% of ballots counted.
He saw the writing on the wall and decided to make a strategic exit. A definitive defeat now would permanently end his career as a politician, but by conceding he leaves the door open to possible future efforts like a presidential bid.
He’s not going to avoid the definitive defeat, the votes are still going to be counter, he’s just not holding out to the bitter end refusing to recognize reality. That might help make the final tally a less interesting news story.
Based on the results reported that’s already in the bag. There’s no doubt he can’t govern with what his current support looks like.