(New York) The return of an old fallen baron or a young wolf on the left? New York Democrats vote on Tuesday in overwhelming heat to designate their town hall candidate in the largest American city, with the mission of resisting Trump and fighting expensive life.
“The first issue is that New York is affordable,” sums up, just after slipping his bulletin in a polling station in Brooklyn, Eamon Harkin, a 48 -year -old DJ.
“The city has become very expensive. Many popular and medium classes can no longer afford to live here, and this contributes to a homeless and mental health crisis. For me, this is the number one problem, ”he adds, walking, sweating under his tank top, in a stifling heat of the early morning.
Among a dozen candidates, polls predict a duel between two personalities with contrasting stories, styles and projects, like the Fractures of the Democratic Party, always in shock from the return of Donald Trump to the White House.
Complex
On the one hand, Andrew Cuomo, a former 67 -year -old local baron, tried his return, four years after his resignation of the post of New York State Governor under the accusations, which he refutes, sexual harassment of more than a dozen women.
Photo Vincent Alban, Reuters archives
Andrew Cuomo
On the other, Zohran Mamdani, 33, born in Uganda with Indian origins and candidate of the “socialist” wing of the party, supported by left figures like Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
The elected official of the popular district of Queens, who claims to be “progressive and Muslim”, led a viral campaign on social networks and aroused the enthusiasm of an army of young volunteers on the ground to amplify his promises against expensive life, including the free buses, daycare centers and the freezing of regulated rents.
Photo Vincent Alban, Reuters archives
Zohran Mamdani
His possible victory would constitute a small political earthquake, because Andrew Cuomo has long race in the polls. The winner will go to the head position during the town hall election, scheduled for November, but Andrew Cuomo said he was planning to present himself in all cases as an independent candidate.
“Referendum”
Nicholas Zantal, 31-year-old advertising, sees this primary as “a referendum for the Democratic Party”: “Either we lean for a centrist candidate (Andrew Cuomo), which belongs to a different generation, or for a younger, ambitious and idealistic party,” he explains after having voted.
Sheryl Stein, a 50 -year -old who works in marketing, registered democratic to vote Cuomo against the “too extreme” project of Zohran Mamdani. “Seeing someone 33 years old, without experience, directing the largest city in this country (…) is quite frightening,” she explains.
The voting mode is complex. Voters are called upon to classify five candidates in order of preference. The counting starts on Tuesday evening, after the closure of the offices at 9 p.m., but if no candidate exceeds 50 % of the votes, he will only continue from 1er July to count the 2e3e Choice and following to designate a winner.
The very strong heat wave which affects the American northeast, with temperatures felt up to 43 degrees Celsius, raises fears of less participation. At 3 p.m., more than 710,000 sympathizing democratic voters voted, a figure also including early voting, against nearly 1 million voters in 2021.
Trump
The campaign took place in the shade of Donald Trump, his policies of massive budget cuts and repression against migrants.
One of the candidates, Brad Lander, was handcuffed last week in court by the immigration police (ICE), while he was trying to defend migrants threatened with expulsion.
In this context, Andrew Cuomo, dubbed by Bill Clinton, the former mayor Michael Bloomberg and tenors Democrats, plays the card of notoriety and experience by presenting himself as the only one able to stand up to the president.
The current Democrat mayor, Eric Adams, has given up on the primary. He plans to present himself as an independent candidate, but suffers from a calamitous image, accused of compromising himself with the Trump administration in exchange for the burial of prosecution for corruption.
