Cheers erupted in Jackson Heights as Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani took the stage before a buzzing crowd waving handmade signs and chanting, “Rent justice now!” The electric rally came just hours after a surprising Emerson College–PIX11 poll showed Mamdani narrowly leading former Governor Andrew Cuomo in New York City’s Democratic mayoral primary 52% to 48% in a ranked-choice voting simulation.
This final momentum shift for Mamdani rocked the race through the days leading to the June 24 primary, his campaign savoring an uptick for their man driven by grassroots mobilization and Cuomo’s staff striving to classify the trend an “outlier.” Backlash is gathering momentum, however, Cuomo’s campaign emphasizing re-surfacing rap rhymes from Mamdani’s old days that have the potential to derail his momentum.
It is a Democrat-dominated city at election time, so the winner of the primary is sure to be the next mayor. The election campaign had shifted from a candidate-centered campaign to an ideological contest between the establishment and the rising progressive wing of the party.
Queens Assemblyman and democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani, 33, has attracted national attention with policy proposals like rent freezes, fare-free buses, and publicly operated grocery stores. Backed by liberal icons Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Mamdani is reaching voters under 50, college-educated New Yorkers, and Asian and white voting blocs.
Andrew Cuomo, a major New York political leader at 67, is campaigning for a comeback after resigning in 2021 amid some numerous charges of sexual harassment. As a centrist candidate, Cuomo is supported by Michael Bloomberg and Bill Clinton, among other backers, and is more firmly supported by older people, Blacks, Hispanics, and less-educated individuals.
The Emerson College poll, conducted June 18–20 among 800 likely Democratic voters, showed Cuomo leading the first round (35% to Mamdani’s 32%), but Mamdani overtaking him after all votes were reallocated under NYC’s ranked-choice voting system. This method allows voters to rank up to five candidates, with lower-performing candidates eliminated and their votes redistributed until someone surpasses 50%.
But Mamdani’s momentum hit turbulence this week. A clip from his 2017 rap track “Salaam”—recorded under the name Mr. Cardamom—surfaced, where he says: “My love to the Holy Land Five. You better look ’em up.” The “Holy Land Five” were leaders of a Texas-based charity convicted in 2008 of funneling $12 million to Hamas.
A post from X.
The lyrics, first flagged by Canary Mission and spreading quickly online, have fueled a media firestorm. Cuomo called the reference “disgusting and despicable,” telling reporters at a Manhattan press conference:
“You don’t get to run a city like New York while showing love to convicted supporters of terror.”
While critics have framed the lyric as an endorsement of extremism, Mamdani’s supporters argue it’s being misused. “It’s a smear campaign plain and simple,” tweeted Assemblymember Phara Souffrant Forrest.
“Zohran has always stood for justice, and that includes questioning unfair prosecutions.”
For international observers, this race illustrates a broader global pattern: young, left-leaning leaders challenging the old guard. In New York, the battle between Mamdani and Cuomo is more than a mayoral contest it’s a test of what kind of Democrat will define the city’s future.
With early voting concluded and the final showdown looming, the question is no longer whether Mamdani can win but whether the controversy will cost him the chance.
