Zohran Mamdani (Democrat): A 34-year-old state assemblyman from Queens and democratic socialist. He’s the Democratic nominee after winning the June primary in an upset over Cuomo (56.4% to 43.6% in ranked-choice voting). His platform focuses on affordability (e.g., free buses, $30/hour minimum wage by 2030, public grocery stores), housing, public safety reforms, and immigrant rights. He’s leading most pre-election polls by 7–26 points, with strong youth and progressive turnout. If elected, he’d be NYC’s first Muslim and first Asian American mayor.