President Donald Trump on Tuesday urged New Yorkers to vote for Andrew Cuomo and threatened to withhold federal funding from New York City if Democratic state Assembly member Zohran Mamdani is elected mayor.
"I would much rather see a Democrat, who has had a Record of Success, WIN, than a Communist with no experience and a Record of COMPLETE AND TOTAL FAILURE," President Trump wrote on social media.
Polls released ahead of election day show the 34-year-old Mamdani beating leading Cuomo by double digits. Republican Curtis Sliwa is a distant third.
Mamdani's opponents have railed on his lack of experience — but the success of his campaign tactics has likely been influenced by his youth.
He's turned his issues, from free buses to affordable housing, into viral posts delivered in an informal, chatty style.
He's all over social media, and at times prioritizing podcasts over traditional media – even recently holding an influencer-only news conference.
"You've got to do all the above. You got to, you know, court the traditional media, which I think all the candidates are trying to do. But you got to figure out a formula to make sure that people who are among the new media watchers or engagers get their news sources," said Nick Smith, Former First Deputy Public Advocate for New York City.
This strategy propelled Mamdani from being an unknown entity to a national name.
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"I think there are Trump parallels when it comes to messaging, when it comes to how to excite voters," Smith said.
Smith has worked in the halls that Mamdani could soon oversee. He says Mamdani's social success has pushed mainstream democrats into a corner, where they've thrown their support behind him after initially voicing concerns.
"The Democratic Party has lost the White House, they've lost the Senate, they've lost the House, and that's because the Republican Party has been brilliant at messaging, if not policy, for their base. The Democratic Party has to catch up," Smith said.
Viral attacks on Mamdani, including one that accuses him of anti-police and anti-semetic remarks, have made a much smaller impact, likely because of the fast-paced social environment.
"You wake up and you turn on your phone and you see, you know, some attack ad or some attack piece or attack press comes from a candidate, so voters are more aware of both the, let's say, assets, and the liabilities of their candidates," Smith said.
While polls have Mamdani up in the race, only voters will decide who wins. Polls are open in New York City from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Tuesday.
