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New Yorkers will learn the identity of their next mayor this election day, in a contest that will determine who governs and protects the country's most populous metropolis at a moment when the former president has vowed to deploy armed forces to the city.

Against that backdrop, New York has experienced a mayoral election that has matched two distinctly opposing Democratic figures against each other. The contest has turned into an increasingly bitter face-off, laced with alleged racism and anti-Muslim sentiment, but it is the political differences between the two leading candidates that could have significant consequences for how the Democratic party fares in next year's congressional races.

The Rising Progressive

In the progressive corner is the democratic socialist, the 34-year-old democratic socialist whose meteoric rise and grassroots campaign has brought international attention. Representing the old guard is the former governor, the ex- Democratic New York governor now running as an independent – and benefiting from the backing of ultra-rich donors and big business.

As the election approaches, it is the progressive, the former longshot who defeated Cuomo in the Democratic primary who is solidly positioned as the leading candidate. Mamdani, who has run on a platform of affordability and pledged to freeze rent for about 2 million city residents, has outpaced Cuomo by significant margins across all surveys taken in October, and it is very much the progressive's race to lose.

The Controversial Campaign

Yet, the former governor, who resigned as the state's leader in recent years amid allegations of misconduct, has stated clearly he will fight to the end, and not necessarily in an fair fashion. He has criticized his opponent's goals as unrealistic, and in recent days chuckled along as a radio host made anti-Muslim comments about Mamdani, who is a Muslim. Two weeks ago, the independent was strongly criticized as racist after posting an artificial intelligence video that featured a slew of racial caricatures and showed his opponent releasing a group of criminals.

It's been a rather grubby conclusion to an election that could be critical to the path that the party, struggling in its response to Trump's authoritarian grabs, adopts in the coming years.

National Implications

If the progressive wins convincingly, the establishment party leaders who have declined to support his bid will be compelled to address a message that has appealed to Americans' anger at inequality, inflation and the establishment. It would be hard for Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries not to embrace at least a portion of Mamdani's ambitious ideas about economic justice, given the fresh face has generated an excitement within the party arguably not seen since Bernie Sanders campaigned for the White House in 2016.

Conversely, if Cuomo, who had been expected to sail to victory in the June primary, complete a surprising comeback victory, it could cement national Democrats' current model of considered, uninspiring resistance – a tactic that has angered grassroots members. A New York rejection of Mamdani's progressive, positive message could persuade party leaders that the best plan is to remain in the political center – even as polls show the present version of the Democratic party is widely disliked nationwide.

Campaign Energy

Residents of the city seem to prefer the progressive agenda. Surveys show that his backers are much more excited about their candidate than his opponent's supporters, something that has been apparent during the race. Mamdani's engaging content on social media, his optimistic vision for the city and his willingness to actually venture out and connect with voters in the city has drawn an force of over fifty thousand volunteers, many of them youth or new participants.

Personal Attacks

However, Cuomo, 67, continues to fight. And with the stakes stacked against him, the former governor has resorted to negative campaigning in recent weeks.

After spending months launching various attacks at his opponent to see what might resonate, Cuomo has narrowed his focus on targeting the candidate directly. He has called Mamdani, who was of Ugandan origin to Indian parents, an "radical", and appeared on Fox Business for an interview with a rightwing host, where Cuomo claimed New York “will not survive” his opponent as mayor. It hit bottom recently, when Cuomo laughed along and said “that’s another problem” after a radio host said the candidate would “cheer” another 9/11-style incident.

Political Landscape

This strategy mirrors much of what Trump, who has sent the military reserves to Washington DC and threatened to take similar action to NYC, has said about the progressive, and perhaps that is expected. A set of wealthy residents, including some who contributed to Trump in the last presidential race, have invested heavily into trying to get the independent elected, as other influential figures have urged the Republican candidate to drop out from the race.

Candidate Backgrounds

As far as the his team, and his billionaire supporters, are concerned, it should never have come to this point. When the assemblyman, one of one hundred fifty New York state assembly members, launched his campaign for mayor in last year, not many had heard of him, and in truth, few even noticed.

Cuomo, by comparison, eased his way into the contest in this year and became the immediate frontrunner. He was the political heavyweight who seemingly held every edge. The classic political insider, he had wed a political dynasty member and served in a Democratic presidency. He assumed office as the state's leader in 2011, 17 years after his parent, Mario Cuomo, stepped down from the same position.

The progressive, who was elected to the New York state assembly in recently, does not have the comparable background. But his commitment to providing no-cost transit and affordable child services – along with the freeze-the-rent pledge – present a more positive vision of the future than Cuomo’s pessimistic predictions about “mayhem” and rising criminal activity, and his promise to hire more police officers.

Recent Challenges

Nevertheless, the candidate has faced difficulties in the final phase, after footage emerged appearing to show him implying the NYPD and the IDF were connected.

“We have to make clear that when the boot of the NYPD is on your neck, it’s been influenced by the Israeli military,” Mamdani said in the recording, recorded at a DSA convention in recent years. The progressive, a vocal opponent of the Israeli government who has said the country is committing genocide in the Palestinian territory, suggested he was questioning joint training exercises between the NYPD and Israeli forces.

Emotional Response

With the election nearing, Mamdani seems to have gained sympathy and support, however, for his reaction to his opponent's escalating attacks.

Mamdani responded to Cuomo’s 9/11 remarks in an heartfelt recording. In it, Mamdani remembered how, when he first ran for the legislature, a Muslim uncle suggested to him that he did not have to disclose about his Muslim faith. It was a realization, he said, that many local Muslims had been taught “again and again”: “That safety could only be found in the shadows of our community. That it is in those shadows alone where followers of Islam could embrace their full identities, and that if we were to emerge from those shadows, then it is in those silence that we must leave our beliefs.”

Addressing the behavior of Cuomo and Sliwa, who has claimed Mamd