New York City elects its new mayor today, with polls showing Zohran Mamdani, a 34-year-old Muslim of Indian descent who hails from the left wing of the Democratic Party and has declared himself a staunch opponent of U.S. President Donald Trump‘s policies, as the favorite.

Trump has repeatedly expressed his preference during the campaign, and last Monday night he again urged New Yorkers to vote for Mamdani’s primary opponent, former New York governor Andrew Cuomo, who was elected with the Democrats.

“Whether you personally like Andrew Cuomo or not, you really don’t have a choice. You have to vote for him and hope he does a fantastic job. He is competent, Mamdani is not,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

For his part, former close Trump adviser Elon Musk urged New Yorkers to vote for Cuomo and not “Mumdumi or whatever his name is.” In his X post, the Tesla founder reminded that a vote for Republican Curtis Silua would count for Mumdani, a slogan repeated in recent days by many Republican officials.

Even within his own party, Mamdani does not enjoy unanimous support. Several figures, notably Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer of New York, don’t publicly support him, and those who have are wary.

The third candidate, Republican Curtis Silua, stubbornly refused to withdraw in favor of Cuomo, whose pro-business and pro-security positions are close to his own. Mamdani’s proposals (free buses and daycare attendance, controls on rent prices) put him closer to the Social Democrats.