New York City
After a commanding and shocking win in the Democratic primary, Zohran Mamdani is running to become mayor of the nation’s largest city. Standing in his way is former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who is back for a rematch as an independent candidate after losing to Mamdani in the primary, as well as Republican Curtis Sliwa. Current mayor Eric Adams ran an independent campaign but dropped out and endorsed Cuomo, although he remains on the ballot.
Cincinnati
Vice President JD Vance’s half-brother, pastor and coffee shop owner Cory Bowman, is a serious underdog against Mayor Aftab Pureval, who won 83% in the first round to Bowman’s 13%. The race is officially nonpartisan, but Pureval is a Democrat and Bowman is a Republican.
Atlanta
Mayor Andre Dickens is looking to win another four years in the office he’s held since 2022. He faces three opponents, including an LGBTQ advocate, a former police officer and a community organizer. A candidate needs to win a majority to avoid a runoff.
Detroit
The mayor’s race in Detroit burst wide open when incumbent Mayor Mike Duggan announced he would not run for another term in office, opting instead to run as an independent for governor of Michigan. In a crowded top-two primary, City Council President Mary Sheffield won 51% of the vote, while Reverend Solomon Kinloch, who has never held elected office, finished with 17%.
Jersey City
Former New Jersey Gov. Jim McGreevey faces a wide field as he attempts to make a political comeback more than 20 years after resigning. Other hopefuls include city councilor James Solomon, county commissioner Bill O’Dea and Mussab Ali, former president of the Jersey City Board of Education who has racked up high-profile endorsements from Democratic Reps. Ro Khanna and Ilhan Omar. If no candidate wins a majority, the top two will advance to a runoff.
Pittsburgh
Democrat Corey O’Connor, the Allegheny County controller and son of former Pittsburgh mayor Bob O’Connor, faces Republican former policeman Tony Moreno. O’Connor made waves earlier this year when he defeated incumbent Mayor Ed Gainey in the primary.
Buffalo
In the Democratic primary, State Sen. Sean Ryan defeated Christopher Scanlon, who has served as Buffalo’s acting mayor since the elected mayor, Byron Brown, resigned in October 2024. It was the second time in a row where the city’s sitting mayor lost the Democratic primary. In 2021, Brown fell short to a progressive challenger only to win in November as a write-in.
Minneapolis
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, who led the city during the killing of George Floyd and its aftermath, is facing several challengers, led by democratic socialist state Sen. Omar Fateh. While Frey is backed by Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Sen. Amy Klobuchar, Minneapolis progressive Rep. Ilhan Omar has endorsed Fateh. The race uses ranked-choice voting, and three of Frey’s top challengers – Fateh, businessman Jazz Hampton and Rev. DeWayne Davis – have urged their supporters to rank each other to block Frey’s reelection.
Source: Results data via The Associated Press; Projections by CNN
