How to rank the NYC Democratic mayoral primary candidates

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While national politics continue to burn apace, New Yorkers are about to make a highly consequential decision: our next mayor. 

The timing of our mayoral race is never ideal. It’s always the year after a presidential election when people are exhausted by politics, and the winner of the typically low turnout Democratic primary in June tends to be the de facto winner in such a blue city. Add to that the addition of ranked choice voting—a system where you rank five candidates in order or preference instead of voting for just one—for the first time in 2021 and there are undeniable challenges in selecting the person who’s actually best for this city.

It’s been somewhat difficult until now for me to pull myself away from the nationwide strife to focus on local politics, but the stakes feel too high to not weigh in. If you’re a New Yorker, I hope you find my analysis and recommended ranking helpful. And even if you’re not from New York, I hope you find this illuminating. After all, even people who don’t live here are forced to hear ad nauseam about our extremely cursed mayors. Especially our current Mayor Eric Adams who may be the most cursed of all.

Where things stand

There will be 11 candidates appearing on the ballot this year. They’ll be listed in this order as a result of a random draw: Zohran Mamdani; Scott Stringer; Selma Bartholomew; Zellnor Myrie; Adrienne Adams; Andrew Cuomo; Jessica Ramos; Whitney Tilson; Michael Blake; Brad Lander; and Paperboy Love Prince. There will also be space to write in another candidate. It’s essential for voters to fill in all five spots to ensure their preferences are fully reflected in the final tally.

Wednesday evening all but two of the Democratic candidates for mayor smushed onto a stage in NBC New York’s studio for a debate in front of four moderators who appeared equally smushed. It’s hardly an ideal format for any race, but it was particularly challenging given that this was many people’s first introduction to the members of the crowded field; responses were strictly timed and felt rushed. But there was certainly one all-too-familiar face: Disgraced former Governor Andrew Cuomo.

I’ve received many messages from people outside New York asking the same question: “Is Andrew f*cking Cuomo really going to be mayor?” The short answer is he very well could be. Despite well-documented sexual misconduct allegations against him, he has been the solid frontrunner in earlier polling. But as the June 24th primary rapidly approaches, we’re seeing numerous holes in the conventional wisdom that Cuomo has this one in the bag.

Last week an Emerson/PIX 11/The Hill poll came out that showed State Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani closing his gap with Cuomo to single digits. Mamdani has undoubtedly been the breakout star of this election, using his progressive bonafides, youth and social media savvy to present himself as a committed leader who understands the threats faced by this city, both existential and practical. In March he personally confronted Trump’s “Border Czar” Tom Homan in Albany as New York was becoming a target of the administration’s cruelty against immigrants. At the debate Cuomo tried to paint Mamdani as simply a young guy with a smartphone while he batted off questions about how many elderly people died of COVID in nursing homes under his watch as governor. 

A couple of weeks prior, Hell Gate and NY Focus held a joint mayoral forum where all candidates polling 5% or above at the time were invited. Mamdani, Lander and Stringer attended, while Adrienne Adams had a previous commitment and Cuomo didn’t bother to respond to the invitation at all. But it seems as a result of his dwindling lead, suddenly he got real chatty. He’ll participate in another debate this Thursday.

As far as endorsements go, we’ve been waiting for high-profile New York politicians to weigh in on the contentious race—and this past Thursday Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez finally did. She endorsed Mamdani as her number one, followed by Adrienne Adams, Lander, Stringer and Myrie. 

On Friday candidate Jessica Ramos shocked the city by endorsing Cuomo, someone who she previously called a “remorseless bully who sexually harassed all those women, covered up the deaths of all those grandparents, and didn’t sell all those books." She happened to stand next to Cuomo at the recent debate: If an alliance was in the offing, it was in no way evident.

Ramos appeared at an event with Cuomo Friday where he told reporters: “She is endorsing me. I am not endorsing her.” Masterful gambit, Jessica.

As I stated above, typically the winner of this race is the heir apparent to the mayor’s mansion. However this time around it’s less of a foregone conclusion. Current Mayor Eric Adams is running as an Independent in the November general election in addition to Republican Curtis Sliwa, making it a three-way race. If Cuomo wins the Democratic party, it’s likely the Working Families Party who have a separate ballot line in New York will run a candidate of their own (they’ve endorsed Mamdani as their number one.) So there could potentially be a four-way race this fall, which is equal parts daunting and depressing.

But still, there are choices to be made.

The Handbasket’s recommended primary ranking

This is The Handbasket’s recommended ranking order for the NYC Democratic Mayoral Primary. I’m not going to get into the weeds of their personal bios and policy proposals; There are existing guides written by local politics experts that do a much better job than I could. For now I’ll just share a couple of sentences about why I personally chose to rank each candidate.

1. Zohran Mamdani: I planned to rank the state assembly member number one before AOC made it cool. He’s a gifted communicator with a diverse coalition and seemingly boundless energy to serve. But what comes through most in Mamdani’s campaigning is how much he loves this city—and how badly he wants to make it better. Still not convinced he’s the real deal? In 2021 he participated in a two-week hunger strike to negotiate fair wages for NYC taxi drivers and won. Imagine having that level of commitment to justice in City Hall. And above all, at a time when federal immigration authorities are swarming the city’s immigration courts and abducting innocent people, Mamdani’s experience as an immigrant himself and commitment to immigrant’s right is essential.

2. Brad Lander: City Comptroller Lander is overall just a good guy. He used to be my city council member and always loudly represented both the needs of his district and those of the city’s most vulnerable. In a race without Mamdani he could have very well been the progressive frontrunner. But if by some twist of math Lander pulls it out, I’d be very happy to have him as mayor. 

3. Zellnor Myrie: The utmost seriousness with which State Senator Myrie takes this city’s glaring issues came through at Wednesday’s debate. His personal stories of being the child of immigrants and dealing with health issues as a kid made it clear that none of this is theoretical for him. Myrie, too, has failed to break through in the polls, but he’s definitely worthy of ranking and could make a great mayor.

4. Adrienne Adams: NYC Council Speaker Adams is a trailblazer, having been the first African American elected to her role. She has the endorsement of New York Attorney General Tish James, one of the country’s fiercest fighters against fascism. But her key endorsement of Eric Adams in 2021 and her current desire to hire more NYPD cops prevented me from ranking her higher. 

5. Michael Blake: I have to be honest, I’d barely heard of Blake before this week's debate. The former NY assemblyman and former vice chair of the Democratic National Committee hasn’t broken through in conversation, let alone in polls. But he displayed a fearlessness in Wednesday’s debate that caught my ear. In response to a question about public safety, Blake said: “The people who don’t feel safe are the young women, mothers and grandmothers around Andrew Cuomo. That’s the greatest threat to public safety in New York City.” He’s clear-eyed about the threat Cuomo poses, and for me that’s rank-worthy. 

Who to definitely NOT rank

• Andrew Cuomo, obviously. Sex pest; deadly governor; doesn’t even live here; beholden to corporations; funded by billionaires, including some Trump supporters. Need I go on?

• Jessica Ramos: The State Senator showed her true colors when she threw everything she purported to believe in out the window to endorse Cuomo. There’s zero chance anyone so willing to sacrifice their morals for power could fairly and justly lead this city. 

Resources

The recommendations above are just that. You should feel empowered to make the choices that are best for you.

• If you’re unsure of which candidates align best with your priorities, this quiz from THE CITY is fantastic. 

• Here is a sample ballot so there are no surprises when you fill out your mail-in ballot or when you’re in the voting booth at your polling place (which you can locate here).

• You can create a visual of your own personal ranking list (like mine above) with this handy tool. 

• My friend and ultra-talented illustrator Megan Piontkowski made this wonderful pocket-sized zine that includes ranking recommendations and helpful information about the ranked choice system. You can print it for free here and hand it out to neighbors. And the best part? The whole thing fits on one piece of paper.

• For a deeper look at why Cuomo simply cannot be the next mayor, the group Don’t Rank Evil Andrew for Mayor (DREAM) put together this helpful guide.

• The final primary debate is happening on Thursday, June 12th and will be co-hosted by The City, NY1 and WNYC. You can watch live coverage here starting at 6:30pm ET.