In the most populous city in the United States, a mayoral race between traditional politics and a new-age grassroots campaign has captured worldwide attention.
New Yorkers will head to the polls on Tuesday (Wednesday AEST) to elect either young Democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani, former Democratic governor turned independent Andrew Cuomo and the red beret-wearing Republican Curtis Sliwa.
Mamdani is leading, followed by Cuomo. Sliwa is not considered to be a serious candidate.
Dozens of other cities are holding a mayoral election this week, but what makes this one so different is the international intrigue.
Mamdani, the 34-year-old progressive state assembly member and Muslim immigrant, shot in popularity due to his clean and charismatic social media campaign, which saw him collaborate with influencers and artists as well as push his message to voters on the ground.
He has been campaigning about affordability issues, promising rent freezes, universal childcare and free buses, which will be funded by increasing taxes on the rich and promising to work for the people rather than big corporations and billionaires.
His message has been backed by popular Democratic progressives Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
As the polls suggest, Mamdani is poised to make history as New York’s youngest mayor in more than a century and the first Muslim and South Asian mayor.
His campaign has resonated with young voters and residents battling the cost of living.
“We’re talking to young people like we would talk to anyone, we’re not patronising them, we’re not condescending,” Mamdani told The Daily Show.
It has also reached millions across the world, with social media comments from people in Australia, the United Kingdom, Europe, India and Japan sharing their support for him.
“That’s my mayor! (I live in Australia),” one user writes.
“Watching from New Zealand with baited breath,” another says.
“I’m so impressed and inspired by this campaign! Big hug from the Netherlands,” a third says.
“I’m rooting for you from Paris,” a fourth adds.
Mamdani won and knocked out Cuomo as the Democratic nominee in the primaries in June, forcing his opponent to run for mayor as an independent.
His campaign is feared (and hoped for by his supporters) to upend traditional politics.
But his past support for the defund the police movement, comments about Israel and Zionism and ambitious policies have made him a polarising figure.
President Donald Trump has threatened to pull federal funding if New York elects what he called a “100 per cent communist lunatic”.
CNBC reported that the city’s billionaires, like Bill Ackman and Ronald Lauder, have raised more than $40 million to slow down Mamdani’s campaign and support Cuomo.
Mamdani’s youth and lack of experience in an executive role have also caused concern among some voters, in comparison to Cuomo’s decade as governor before he was forced to step down amid sexual misconduct allegations in 2021.
As Sliwa said in a mocking statement during the last debate: “Zohran, your resume could fit on a cocktail napkin, and Andrew, your failures could fill a public school library in New York City.”
