Zohran Mamdani, a 33-year-old state politician and self-described democratic socialist, appears poised to win New York City's Democratic mayoral primary election in a surprising upset over former New York governor Andrew Cuomo.
In brief remarks to supporters, Mr Cuomo, 67, who had been seeking a political comeback four years after resigning amid sexual harassment allegations, said he had called Mr Mamdani to congratulate him.
"Tonight is his night," Mr Cuomo said while conceding the race to Mr Mamdani.
Mr Mamdani, who entered the campaign as a virtual unknown, was ahead of Mr Cuomo 43.5% to 36.4% with nearly 95% of ballot scanners reporting, according to the city's elections board.
Nine other Democratic candidates trailed far behind.
The outcome will not be final until next week, due to New York's ranked-choice system that allows citizens to pick up to five candidates in order of preference.
But Mr Mamdani's lead in preliminary results appeared too large for Mr Cuomo, or any other candidate, to overcome, particularly since the third-place finisher, city comptroller Brad Lander, encouraged his supporters to list Mr Mamdani second.
The race was seen as an early read on the direction Democrats believe the party should take five months into Republican President Donald Trump's second term.
Their differences were clear: Mr Cuomo, a moderate backed by the establishment who served a decade as governor, or Mr Mamdani, a progressive newcomer who promised a break with the past.
Mr Mamdani will likely be the favourite in November's general election in a city where Democrats dominate.
The current mayor, Democrat Eric Adams, will also appear on the November ballot as an independent, but a series of corruption scandals and his perceived ties to Mr Trump have weakened his standing.
The Republican candidate is Curtis Sliwa, a radio host best known as the founder of the Guardian Angels anti-crime patrol, who lost to Mr Adams in 2021.
For some voters, Mr Mamdani represented a chance to usher in a new era for the party.
"I think it's time for somebody young, a person of colour, something different," Ignacio Tambunting, a 28-year-old actor, told Reuters outside a polling station.
Another voter, Leah Johanson, said she listed Mr Mamdani first even though she was concerned he was too liberal. But she did not rank Mr Cuomo.
"No. God, no," said Ms Johanson, 39, who voted in Queens, where Mr Mamdani lives.
"I'm not going to vote for a man who is credibly accused of molesting women."
Mr Cuomo has denied the harassment accusations, which he has characterised as ill-conceived attempts to be affectionate or humorous.
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Self-described democratic socialist
Born in Uganda to a family of Indian descent, Mr Mamdani, who would be the city's first Muslim mayor, has a history of pro-Palestinian activism.
He was elected to a state assembly seat in New York's Queens borough and has garnered the support of US Senator Bernie Sanders and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, two prominent progressives.
Mr Cuomo accused Mr Mamdani of lacking the experience required, while Mr Mamdani attacked Mr Cuomo over the harassment allegations.
Mr Cuomo, who emerged as a vocal critic of Mr Trump during his first term, won the endorsements of former US president Bill Clinton and former New York mayor Michael Bloomberg.
In ranked voting, the last-place candidate is eliminated after each round, and their votes are redistributed to the second choice marked on the ballots of their supporters.
The process is repeated until one candidate achieves 50% of the total.
Mr Mamdani seems likely to expand his lead when the additional counts are conducted, after he and Mr Lander endorsed one another and urged their supporters to rank the other as second choice.
Mr Lander, who was the first choice on 11.6% of ballots counted yesterday, made headlines in the US last week when he was briefly detained while escorting a defendant out of an immigration court.
