BREAKING: Andrew Cuomo concedes NYC Democrat mayoral primary to Zohran Mamdani

With 90% of the votes counted in the first round of the Democratic mayoral primary count on Tuesday, former Governor Andrew Cuomo has conceded the race to socialist State Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani. It is likely that Cuomo will run in the general mayoral election in November.

The New York Times reported that Cuomo addressed the crowd at his election night party, saying "Tonight was not our night. Tonight was Assemblyman Mamdani's night." Clairy Fahy for the Times said that Cuomo "says Mamdani ran a great campaign and connected with New Yorkers, adding that he 'inspired them and moved them and got them to come out and vote. He really ran a highly impactful campaign.'"

Cuomo called Mamdani and congratulated him a few minutes before 10:30 pm. "Let's give him a round of applause," Cuomo encouraged supporters. "Tonight is his night," Cuomo said, "He deserved it. He won." 

The first round tally of ranked choice voting saw a 90% return of 975,104 votes counted. Mamdani received 424,442 of that total, or 43.5%, to Cuomo's second plac 36.3%, or 354,160 votes. The remainder of the slate of candidates followed, with City Comptroller Brad Lander taking 11.4% and the rest falling below 5%. 

Mamdani is expected to address his supporters after 11 pm. "The mood in the room at Cuomo’s election party, which was subdued throughout the night, is largely unchanged. Attendees, who all stood as the former governor spoke, have returned to their conversations. Many have headed for the exit," Fahy reported.

The polls going into Tuesday's primary were in Mandani's favor after an initial lead from Cuomo. The general election in November will see Mamdani, likely Cuomo, Eric Adams running as an independent, and Curtis Sliwa for the GOP.