On Thursday, June 5, 2025, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez endorsed State Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani in the New York City Democratic mayoral primary. The endorsement followed the first mayoral debate and aims to strengthen Mamdani’s bid against front-runner Andrew Cuomo in the June 24 ranked-choice primary.
Ocasio-Cortez placed Mamdani at the top of her ranked list, followed by Adrienne Adams in her second slot, Brad Lander third, with Scott Stringer and state Sen. Zellnor Myrie rounding out her remaining two preferences. A recent Emerson College poll showed Cuomo leading with 35% first-choice support and Mamdani trailing at 23%, with final round percentages at 54% and 46% respectively among 1,000 voters.
The endorsement signals progressive efforts to build a working-class coalition to challenge Cuomo’s moderate positions, potentially influencing voter turnout in the ranked-choice primary.
