Since New York City’s June 24 Democratic primary, it has become clear that democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani is the only anti-Trump candidate for mayor.

Even before the election, it was obvious that the incumbent mayor, Eric Adams, had essentially become Donald Trump’s vassal. In what looks very much like a quid pro quo, the Trump administration ordered federal prosecutors not to pursue corruption charges against Adams; the mayor then agreed to assist the president in his aggressive deportation drive. Adams, whose reputation with Democratic voters is in the toilet, sat out the primary and instead plans to run on two independent ballot lines: “EndAntisemitism” and “Safe&Affordable.” (The Board of Election says that election law limits him to one ballot line, but Adams isn’t known for his penchant for following the law.)

There was also always plenty of reason to doubt that former governor Andrew Cuomo would stand up to Trump as mayor. In April, the president told reporters that he’d “always gotten along with” Cuomo. And as Mamdani emphasized throughout the primary campaign, Cuomo has received massive financial support from some of the same ultrarich donors who backed Trump in 2024, including billionaire hedge funder Bill Ackman.