Notes on the State of Politics: The Mamdani Upset and a Deeper Look at Virginia By J. Miles Coleman
KEY POINTS FROM THIS ARTICLE
— In New York City, state Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani pulled off an upset in the Democratic primary for mayor, defeating former Gov. Andrew Cuomo.
— One of the things that probably worked against Cuomo was the fact that some of his key constituencies are less likely to be registered to vote in Democratic primaries.
— Turnout in Virginia’s primary last week was slightly higher than what 2021’s primary saw, though there were some important locality-level changes.
— In winning the Democratic primary for lieutenant governor, state Sen. Ghazala Hashmi (D) won most of the state’s congressional districts.
— The close Democratic primary for Attorney General helped illustrate how primary turnout patterns differ from that of general elections.