In Daredevil: Born Again, Wilson Fisk—the Kingpin of Crime—doesn’t just manipulate the system; he becomes Mayor of New York. Because in the Marvel Universe, the best way to consolidate criminal power isn’t through backroom deals—it’s by getting elected. A comic book storyline? Maybe. But in 2025 New York, fiction and politics are on disturbingly good terms.This is the city where Sinatra sang about making it big, Trump gold-plated his ego, and aliens always seem to start their invasions. So naturally, New York’s mayoral race couldn’t just be another bland contest of platforms and pamphlets—it had to be a full-blown cinematic crossover event.
The incumbent, Eric Adams, entered 2025 under a federal indictment—only to be miraculously rescued by the Trump Justice Department. Unburdened but politically bruised, Adams bailed on the Democratic primary and now seeks reelection as an independent via two oddly branded ballot lines: Safe Streets, Affordable City and EndAntiSemitism. Think DJ Khaled meets Bloomberg, but with more subpoenas.In the Democratic primary, the drama centres on two men who couldn’t be more different if they tried: Andrew Cuomo, the scandal-drenched ex-Governor staging a Nixonian comeback, and Zohran Mamdani, a 33-year-old democratic socialist from Queens endorsed by AOC, Bernie Sanders, the Working Families Party, and anyone who uses the phrase “neoliberal hellscape” without irony.Trailing them is a whole gallery of political side characters: Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, Comptroller Brad Lander, State Senators Zellnor Myrie and Jessica Ramos, hedge fund crusader Whitney Tilson, integrity lawyer Jim Walden, and the ever-returning vigilante Curtis Sliwa, whose red beret remains the most consistent part of Republican strategy in NYC.
Eric Adams – The Survivor Mayor
Image credits: Getty Images
Adams’ first term was less a public service than a multi-season streaming show. Crime stats, police drama, migrant shelter chaos, zoning reforms, a revolving cast of commissioners—and all of it interspersed with nightclub appearances and cryptic Instagram captions.Then came the indictment. Then came the acquittal. Now, Adams has reinvented himself as the “competence candidate,” reminding voters that murders are down, rezonings are up, and hey—at least he’s not a felon.But public memory is short and sharp. Most New Yorkers remember the headlines, not the metrics. They remember the vibe. And the vibe was: chaos, ego, and subpoenas. If Adams wins, it’ll be a masterclass in narrative control. If he loses, it’ll be because even New York eventually gets tired of being gaslit.
Andrew Cuomo – The Once and Future Kingpin
Image credits: Getty Images
Cuomo is back. Not because New Yorkers missed him, but because Cuomo missed being Cuomo. His campaign pitch? “Experience matters.” His campaign vibe? “Please forget everything after 2019.”He’s armed with union endorsements, a donor Rolodex fat enough to crush a CitiBike, and the smug certainty of a man who believes he built the state and should get a second chance to ruin the city.But every speech, every op-ed, every photo-op brings back the ghosts: the nursing home scandal, the sexual harassment accusations, the press briefings that felt like hostage negotiations. He’s polling well among moderates, but even his supporters admit it’s less about enthusiasm and more about resignation. Cuomo is the electoral equivalent of a nicotine patch: addictive, unsatisfying, and kind of gross.
Zohran Mamdani – The Socialist from Queens
Zohran Mamdani (Image credit AP)
Where Cuomo evokes the past, Zohran Mamdani is the embodiment of political future-shock. Young, Ugandan-Indian, socialist, multilingual, and unapologetically radical, Mamdani offers New York a campaign that reads like a progressive fever dream: a $30 minimum wage, rent freezes, free public transit, and publicly-owned grocery stores.He’s adored by the left, feared by centrists, and targeted by conservatives who struggle to pronounce “Astoria” without wincing. His campaign ads are multilingual, his rallies are electric, and his vibe is pure disruption.But New York is a city that loves the idea of revolution—as long as it arrives in the back of an Uber. Can a city that claps for social justice actually vote for it? Or will it smile at Mamdani’s poetry, then quietly fill in the bubble for Cuomo in the privacy of the booth?
Brad Lander – The Wonk Whisperer
New York City Comptroller Brad Lander is placed under arrest by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and FBI agents outside federal immigration court on Tuesday, June 17, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Olga Fedorova)
Brad Lander is the guy who shows up to a protest with anExcel sheet and a legal pad. Brooklyn-born, fiscally responsible, and ideologically moderate by progressive standards, Lander has built a reputation as the man who knows how to make the city run.His pitch is clear: data, ethics, efficiency. His platform includes housing reform, mental health infrastructure, and fiscal transparency. He’s the candidate who reads the fine print—probably because he wrote it.But charisma matters. In a race filled with rappers, rogues, and reformed governors, Lander is the competent dad trying to DJ the party. He’s quietly gaining steam, especially among voters fatigued by Cuomo and wary of Mamdani. But unless he breaks out of his technocratic shell soon, he risks becoming everyone’s second choice—and no one’s winner.
The Progressive Soup
Jessica Ramos began her campaign as a worker-first progressive. Then she endorsed Cuomo, and her credibility evaporated faster than a Midtown apartment deposit. Zellnor Myrie staked his candidacy on housing, calling for one million new units. Admirable. But in a race dominated by Mamdani and Lander, he’s the third-most progressive in any room—and that’s not a great place to be.Adrienne Adams, drafted as the centrist peacemaker, offers measured leadership and broad endorsements. But her campaign has struggled to cut through. In a year where the political circus is running full tilt, being sensible might just be the fastest way to be forgotten.Everyone wants to be the “anti-Cuomo.” No one has figured out how to consolidate the vote. The result? Progressive fragmentation that makes a circular firing squad look efficient.
The Independents, the Billionaires, and the Ballot Hobbyists
Whitney Tilson is a charter school–loving hedge funder whose platform is basically “Run NYC like a spreadsheet.” He’s rich, loud, and terminally LinkedIn. Then there’s Jim Walden, a Bloombergian technocrat suing to be called an “independent” on the ballot, armed with powerpoints, white papers, and approximately five enthusiastic voters.These guys won’t win. But they will fill panels, clutter debates, and write Medium posts explaining why they should have.
Curtis Sliwa – The Red-Beret Rerun
And finally: Curtis Sliwa, the vigilante. The red-bereted Ghost of Giuliani Past. Every few years he emerges like a Republican cicada—loud, angry, and allergic to nuance. He’s running on a platform of crime, more crime, fewer migrants, and feral cats as pest control.He won’t win. But if enough Democrats split the vote, he might finish second. Stranger things have happened. After all, this is the city where rats get pizza and mayors get indicted.
Perception vs. Performance – The Real Contest
This election isn’t about what candidates have done. It’s about what voters remember. And more importantly, what they feel.Adams has genuine achievements—but he feels like a nightclub manager with subpoena fatigue. Cuomo has experience—but his scandals still scream louder than his surrogates. Mamdani offers ideas—but he also scares the donor class. Lander is solid—but not sexy. And Sliwa is… available.The media knows it. Every headline is a meme. Every endorsement is a subtweet. Even the New York Times threw in the towel and endorsed no one—New York’s journalistic version of saying, “We’re out of ideas. Good luck, Gotham.”
Final Notes from Gotham
New York’s 2025 mayoral race isn’t ideological—it’s mythological. It’s about redemption arcs, origin stories, surprise villains, and broken heroes. It’s a city where Wilson Fisk becoming mayor wasn’t a warning—it was a prophecy.Will voters choose the devil they know (Cuomo)? The devil they fired (Adams)? The socialist the Right fears (Mamdani)? Or the nerd in glasses who actually has a plan (Lander)?One thing is certain: whoever wins, they won’t just inherit New York—they’ll inherit its neuroses, contradictions, and the sacred duty of being yelled at in five languages before 10 AM.
