Read the article without a paywall here, (FUCK the New York Times)

This hit piece came out at the conclusion of the second day of early voting here in NYC, where totals for days 1 & 2 are nearly double those from our last mayoral election cycle in 2021, despite miserable rainy weather on both days.

Additionally, some early voter demographics are in as well, and they bring some troubling news to the political establishment, who are deeply invested in seeing the failure of Zohran Mamdani’s openly democratic socialist campaign. When Mamdani launched his campaign in November of 2024, he was polling at a mere 1%, with only 12% name recognition. After a meteoric rise through a well communicated ad campaign across social media platforms, Zohran Mamdani has been able to reach all of the voters that traditional Democratic Party politics have been hemmorhaging recently: young people, Muslim voters, and white men, which has brought Mamdani’s campaign to a near tie (49%-51%) with disgraced ex-governor Andrew Cuomo in the final round of ranked choice voting.

High voter turnout and enthusiasm are extremely important factors if Mamdani wants to win, and with two days of voting in the books, some trends have emerged. At many election precincts (including my own), the Mamdani campaign canvassers were the only ones present, handing out campaign material and ranked choice voting instructions in multiple languages tailored to the neighborhood each polling place is located.

Disgraced ex-governor Andrew Cuomo has already committed to running an independent campaign for mayor in the general election if he loses the Democratic primary. Additionally, current (also disgraced) current mayor Eric Adams has committed to running an independent campaign for mayor in the general election. The Working Families Party, a minor party slightly to the left of Democrats here in New York, has stated that they are strongly considering running a Mamdani campaign in the general election should he lose the Democratic primary. Republicans will also field a candidate, meaning the upcoming general election will be contested by at least 4 major candidates.

  • blobjim [he/him]@hexbear.netEnglish
    44·
    3 days ago

    The polls indicate that two candidates have emerged as the frontrunners: Andrew Cuomo, a former governor and federal housing secretary, and Zohran Mamdani, a state legislator who represents a Queens district. Mr. Mamdani, a charismatic 33-year-old, is running a joyful campaign full of viral videos in which he talks with voters. He offers the kind of fresh political style for which many people are hungry during the angry era of President Trump.

    Unfortunately, Mr. Mamdani is running on an agenda uniquely unsuited to the city’s challenges. He is a democratic socialist who too often ignores the unavoidable trade-offs of governance. He favors rent freezes that could restrict housing supply and make it harder for younger New Yorkers and new arrivals to afford housing. He wants the government to operate grocery stores, as if customer service and retail sales were strengths of the public sector. He minimizes the importance of policing.

    • neo [he/him]@hexbear.netEnglish
      59·
      3 days ago

      when you read on about cuomo

      He also made significant mistakes, such as his mishandling of Covid at nursing homes

      Oh that pile of old dead corpses is just a mistake that was mishandled.

      Still, Mr. Cuomo has the strongest policy record of the candidates.

      Yeah. Because he’s fucking old and has been in politics all his life so obviously he has a record.

      He has won the most impressive collection of endorsements, too, including from Mr. Bloomberg

      New Reich Times cannot help itself ever.

    • happybadger [he/him]@hexbear.netEnglish
      40·
      2 days ago

      He wants the government to operate grocery stores, as if customer service and retail sales were strengths of the public sector

      I’ve been to government-run liquor stores in Ontario. They’re fine. It’s just a generic liquor store but they aren’t sandwiched into every shitty stripmall available and actually check IDs. A government-run grocery, especially municipal, would be so much better for me and the workers than my current choices.

        • happybadger [he/him]@hexbear.netEnglish
          19·
          2 days ago

          Of all the local grocery options, Trader Joes is the only one I like. The others are a national or regional monopoly which sell substandard or unaffordable food. Trader Joes has one brand option for most things, it rotates stock, and everything I’ve bought there has been good enough for a decent enough price. I just want a nationalised Trader Joes with more of what they do right and none of the profit-seeking things that make Trader Joes bad in its current form.

      • infuziSporg [e/em/eir]@hexbear.netEnglish
        26·
        2 days ago

        Didn’t it come out in recent months that grocery stores had inflated their prices opportunistically, well above what the tariffs would dictate?

      • DefinitelyNotAPhone [he/him]@hexbear.netEnglish
        15·
        2 days ago

        I know they’re propagandists and tailoring their complaints to make sure the intended message gets across, but I find it disgusting that these ghouls look at a grocery store and have their first thoughts be “Gee, I sure hope their sales figures look strong and they’re extra pliant for some nightmare customer whining that their chicken went bad after sitting on the counter for two days after purchase!” instead of just hoping they feed people in the most efficient way possible.