Fact Check: Zohran Mamdani scores stunning upset over Andrew Cuomo in NYC primary!

Fact Check: Zohran Mamdani scores stunning upset over Andrew Cuomo in NYC primary!

Published June 25, 2025
VERDICT
True

# Fact Check: "Zohran Mamdani scores stunning upset over Andrew Cuomo in NYC primary!" ## What We Know Zohran Mamdani, a 33-year-old democratic socia...

Fact Check: "Zohran Mamdani scores stunning upset over Andrew Cuomo in NYC primary!"

What We Know

Zohran Mamdani, a 33-year-old democratic socialist and current member of the New York State Assembly, declared victory in the Democratic primary for New York City mayor on June 24, 2025, after Andrew Cuomo conceded the race. This outcome is characterized as a "stunning upset" given Cuomo's prior status as a prominent political figure and former governor of New York, who had been considered the front-runner throughout the campaign (AP News, BBC).

Mamdani's campaign focused on progressive issues such as housing reform, public transportation, and social justice, resonating with a significant portion of the electorate. His victory was attributed to a substantial lead in first-choice ballots and the challenges Cuomo faced due to his controversial political history, including a sexual harassment scandal (AP News, CNN).

Analysis

The claim that Zohran Mamdani scored a stunning upset over Andrew Cuomo is supported by multiple credible sources. The Associated Press reported Mamdani's declaration of victory and Cuomo's concession, emphasizing the unexpected nature of the result given Cuomo's experience and prior popularity (AP News). Additionally, the BBC highlighted Mamdani's potential to become the first Muslim mayor of New York City, further underlining the significance of his win (BBC).

However, it's important to note that while Mamdani's victory is indeed remarkable, the term "stunning upset" may carry a subjective connotation. The New York Times reported on the election results, indicating that while Mamdani had a commanding lead, the final outcome would still depend on ranked-choice voting, which could complicate interpretations of the results (New York Times).

The sources used in this analysis are reliable, with the Associated Press and BBC being well-established news organizations known for their journalistic integrity. The New York Times, while sometimes criticized for its editorial stance, provides comprehensive election coverage and data.

Conclusion

The claim that "Zohran Mamdani scores stunning upset over Andrew Cuomo in NYC primary" is True. Mamdani's victory in the primary, marked by Cuomo's concession, represents a significant shift in New York City's political landscape, particularly given the contrasting backgrounds and platforms of the two candidates. The evidence from multiple credible sources confirms the accuracy of this claim.

Sources

  1. Zohran Mamdani - Wikipedia
  2. Zohran Mamdani leads NYC Democratic mayoral primary ...
  3. Zohran Mamdani - Simple English Wikipedia
  4. New York City Mayoral Primary Election Results 2025
  5. Zohran Mamdani stuns Andrew Cuomo in NYC mayor ...
  6. Who is Zohran Mamdani, the democratic socialist running for …
  7. In NYC primary, Zohran Mamdani says "I will be your ...
  8. NYC Election Results: Poll shows Mamdani beating Cuomo in Primary

Have a claim you want to verify? It's 100% Free!

Our AI-powered fact-checker analyzes claims against thousands of reliable sources and provides evidence-based verdicts in seconds. Completely free with no registration required.

💡 Try:
"Coffee helps you live longer"
100% Free
No Registration
Instant Results

Comments

Leave a comment

Loading comments...

More Fact Checks to Explore

Discover similar claims and stay informed with these related fact-checks

Fact Check: Zohran Mamdani scores stunning upset over Andrew Cuomo in Democratic primary!
False
🎯 Similar

Fact Check: Zohran Mamdani scores stunning upset over Andrew Cuomo in Democratic primary!

Detailed fact-check analysis of: Zohran Mamdani scores stunning upset over Andrew Cuomo in Democratic primary!

Jun 25, 2025
Read more →
Fact Check: Zohran Mamdani scores shocking upset over Andrew Cuomo in mayoral primary!
True
🎯 Similar

Fact Check: Zohran Mamdani scores shocking upset over Andrew Cuomo in mayoral primary!

Detailed fact-check analysis of: Zohran Mamdani scores shocking upset over Andrew Cuomo in mayoral primary!

Jun 26, 2025
Read more →
Fact Check:  Andrew Cuomo says he 'will move to Florida' if Zohran Mamdani becomes NYC mayor
Partially True
🎯 Similar

Fact Check: Andrew Cuomo says he 'will move to Florida' if Zohran Mamdani becomes NYC mayor

Detailed fact-check analysis of: Andrew Cuomo says he 'will move to Florida' if Zohran Mamdani becomes NYC mayor

Jul 28, 2025
Read more →
Fact Check: Zohran Mamdani shocks establishment by defeating Andrew Cuomo in mayoral primary.
False

Fact Check: Zohran Mamdani shocks establishment by defeating Andrew Cuomo in mayoral primary.

Detailed fact-check analysis of: Zohran Mamdani shocks establishment by defeating Andrew Cuomo in mayoral primary.

Jun 25, 2025
Read more →
🔍
Partially True

Fact Check: Paul Krugman Paul Krugman We’re All Rats Now Time to take a stand, again, against racism Paul Krugman Jun 30, 2025 Zohran Mamdani’s upset victory in New York’s Democratic primary has created panic in MAGAland. Stephen Miller, the architect of Donald Trump’s deportation policies, waxed apocalyptic: Scott Bessent, the Treasury secretary, declared that New York is about to turn into “Caracas on the Hudson.” And Sen. Tommy Tuberville of Alabama basically declared New York’s voters subhuman, saying: These inner-city rats, they live off the federal government. And that’s one reason we’re $37 trillion in debt. And it’s time we find these rats and we send them back home, that are living off the American taxpayers that are working very hard every week to pay taxes. These reactions are vile, and they’re also dishonest. Whatever these men may claim, it’s all about bigotry. Miller isn’t concerned about the state of New York “society.” What bothers him is the idea of nonwhite people having political power. Bessent isn’t really deeply worried about Zamdani’s economic ideas. But he feels free, maybe even obliged, to slander a foreign-born Muslim with language he would never use about a white Christian politician, even if that politician were (like some of his colleagues in the Trump administration) a total crackpot. And while Tuberville stands out even within his caucus as an ignorant fool, his willingness to use dehumanizing language about millions of people shows that raw racism is rapidly becoming mainstream in American politics. Remember, during the campaign both Trump and JD Vance amplified the slanders about Haitians eating pets. And now that they’re in office, you can see the resurgence of raw racism all across Trump administration policies, large and small. You can see it, for example, in the cuts at the National Institutes of Health, which are so tilted against racial minorities that a federal judge — one appointed by Ronald Reagan! — declared I’ve never seen a record where racial discrimination was so palpable. I’ve sat on this bench now for 40 years. I’ve never seen government racial discrimination like this. You can see it in the renaming of military bases after Confederate generals — that is, traitors who fought for slavery. You can even see it in a change in the military’s shaving policy that is clearly custom-designed to drive Black men — who account for around a quarter of the Army’s new recruits — out of the service. So racism and bigotry are back, big time. Who’s safe? Nobody. Are you a legal immigrant? Well, the Supreme Court just allowed Trump to summarily strip half a million U.S. residents of that status, and only a fool would imagine that this is the end of the story. Anyway, when masked men who claim to be ICE agents but refuse to show identification are grabbing people off the streets because they think those people look illegal, does legal status even matter? Does it even matter if you’re a U.S. citizen? And the One Big Beautiful Bill Act is set to massively increase ICE’s funding — basically setting up a huge national secret police force. Now, maybe you imagine that you yourself won’t suffer from this new reign of bigotry and imagine that everyone you care about is similarly safe. But if that’s what you think, you’re likely to face a rude awakening. I personally don’t have any illusions of safety. Yes, I’m a native-born white citizen. But my wife and her family are Black, and some of my friends and relatives are foreign-born U.S. citizens. Furthermore, I’m Jewish, and anyone who knows their history realizes that whenever right-wing bigotry is on the ascendant, we’re always next in line. Are there really people out there naïve enough to believe MAGA’s claims to be against antisemitism, who can’t see the transparent cynicism and dishonesty? The fact is that the Trump administration already contains a number of figures with strong ties to antisemitic extremists. The Great Replacement Theory, which has de facto become part of MAGA’s ideology, doesn’t just say that there’s a conspiracy to replace whites with people of color; it says that it’s a Jewish conspiracy. So I’m definitely scared of what the many antisemites inside or with close ties to the Trump administration may eventually do. And no, I’m not frightened at all by the prospect that New York may soon have a somewhat leftist Muslim mayor. Anyway, my personal fears are beside the point. Everyone who cares about keeping America America needs to take a stand against the resurgence of bigotry. Because the truth is that we’re all rats now. MUSICAL CODA Discussion about this post Michael Roseman Jun 30 Edited For a while, American bigotry was ashamed of itself. Or pretended to be. Now it runs the government. Reply Share 106 replies Megan Rothery Jun 30 Edited Take a stand - Call. Write. Email. Protest. Unrelentingly. Use/share this spreadsheet as a resource to call/email/write members of Congress, the Cabinet and news organizations. Reach out to those in your own state, as well as those in others. Use your voice and make some “good trouble” ❤️‍🩹🤍💙 https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/13lYafj0P-6owAJcH-5_xcpcRvMUZI7rkBPW-Ma9e7hw/edit?usp=drivesdk Reply Share 31 replies 852 more comments... No posts Ready for more? © 2025 Paul Krugman Privacy ∙ Terms ∙ Collection notice Start writing Get the app Substack is the home for great culture

Detailed fact-check analysis of: Paul Krugman Paul Krugman We’re All Rats Now Time to take a stand, again, against racism Paul Krugman Jun 30, 2025 Zohran Mamdani’s upset victory in New York’s Democratic primary has created panic in MAGAland. Stephen Miller, the architect of Donald Trump’s deportation policies, waxed apocalyptic: Scott Bessent, the Treasury secretary, declared that New York is about to turn into “Caracas on the Hudson.” And Sen. Tommy Tuberville of Alabama basically declared New York’s voters subhuman, saying: These inner-city rats, they live off the federal government. And that’s one reason we’re $37 trillion in debt. And it’s time we find these rats and we send them back home, that are living off the American taxpayers that are working very hard every week to pay taxes. These reactions are vile, and they’re also dishonest. Whatever these men may claim, it’s all about bigotry. Miller isn’t concerned about the state of New York “society.” What bothers him is the idea of nonwhite people having political power. Bessent isn’t really deeply worried about Zamdani’s economic ideas. But he feels free, maybe even obliged, to slander a foreign-born Muslim with language he would never use about a white Christian politician, even if that politician were (like some of his colleagues in the Trump administration) a total crackpot. And while Tuberville stands out even within his caucus as an ignorant fool, his willingness to use dehumanizing language about millions of people shows that raw racism is rapidly becoming mainstream in American politics. Remember, during the campaign both Trump and JD Vance amplified the slanders about Haitians eating pets. And now that they’re in office, you can see the resurgence of raw racism all across Trump administration policies, large and small. You can see it, for example, in the cuts at the National Institutes of Health, which are so tilted against racial minorities that a federal judge — one appointed by Ronald Reagan! — declared I’ve never seen a record where racial discrimination was so palpable. I’ve sat on this bench now for 40 years. I’ve never seen government racial discrimination like this. You can see it in the renaming of military bases after Confederate generals — that is, traitors who fought for slavery. You can even see it in a change in the military’s shaving policy that is clearly custom-designed to drive Black men — who account for around a quarter of the Army’s new recruits — out of the service. So racism and bigotry are back, big time. Who’s safe? Nobody. Are you a legal immigrant? Well, the Supreme Court just allowed Trump to summarily strip half a million U.S. residents of that status, and only a fool would imagine that this is the end of the story. Anyway, when masked men who claim to be ICE agents but refuse to show identification are grabbing people off the streets because they think those people look illegal, does legal status even matter? Does it even matter if you’re a U.S. citizen? And the One Big Beautiful Bill Act is set to massively increase ICE’s funding — basically setting up a huge national secret police force. Now, maybe you imagine that you yourself won’t suffer from this new reign of bigotry and imagine that everyone you care about is similarly safe. But if that’s what you think, you’re likely to face a rude awakening. I personally don’t have any illusions of safety. Yes, I’m a native-born white citizen. But my wife and her family are Black, and some of my friends and relatives are foreign-born U.S. citizens. Furthermore, I’m Jewish, and anyone who knows their history realizes that whenever right-wing bigotry is on the ascendant, we’re always next in line. Are there really people out there naïve enough to believe MAGA’s claims to be against antisemitism, who can’t see the transparent cynicism and dishonesty? The fact is that the Trump administration already contains a number of figures with strong ties to antisemitic extremists. The Great Replacement Theory, which has de facto become part of MAGA’s ideology, doesn’t just say that there’s a conspiracy to replace whites with people of color; it says that it’s a Jewish conspiracy. So I’m definitely scared of what the many antisemites inside or with close ties to the Trump administration may eventually do. And no, I’m not frightened at all by the prospect that New York may soon have a somewhat leftist Muslim mayor. Anyway, my personal fears are beside the point. Everyone who cares about keeping America America needs to take a stand against the resurgence of bigotry. Because the truth is that we’re all rats now. MUSICAL CODA Discussion about this post Michael Roseman Jun 30 Edited For a while, American bigotry was ashamed of itself. Or pretended to be. Now it runs the government. Reply Share 106 replies Megan Rothery Jun 30 Edited Take a stand - Call. Write. Email. Protest. Unrelentingly. Use/share this spreadsheet as a resource to call/email/write members of Congress, the Cabinet and news organizations. Reach out to those in your own state, as well as those in others. Use your voice and make some “good trouble” ❤️‍🩹🤍💙 https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/13lYafj0P-6owAJcH-5_xcpcRvMUZI7rkBPW-Ma9e7hw/edit?usp=drivesdk Reply Share 31 replies 852 more comments... No posts Ready for more? © 2025 Paul Krugman Privacy ∙ Terms ∙ Collection notice Start writing Get the app Substack is the home for great culture

Jul 20, 2025
Read more →
Fact Check: Zohran Mamdani's upset victory shocks Democratic establishment in NYC.
Partially True

Fact Check: Zohran Mamdani's upset victory shocks Democratic establishment in NYC.

Detailed fact-check analysis of: Zohran Mamdani's upset victory shocks Democratic establishment in NYC.

Jun 26, 2025
Read more →
Fact Check: Zohran Mamdani scores stunning upset over Andrew Cuomo in NYC primary! | TruthOrFake Blog