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Residents of the Big Apple will find out the identity of their next mayor this Tuesday, in a contest that will decide who runs and defends the country's largest city at a time when the former president has threatened to send military troops to the city.

In this context, New York has witnessed a race for mayor that has matched two distinctly opposing Democratic figures against one another. The election has turned into an increasingly bitter showdown, laced with alleged racial bias and Islamophobia, but it is the political differences between the two main candidates that could have major implications for how the party fares in next year's congressional races.

The Rising Progressive

In the progressive corner is the democratic socialist, the 34-year-old progressive candidate whose meteoric rise and people-powered movement has brought international attention. Representing the old guard is the former governor, the former New York governor now campaigning independently – and enjoying the support of ultra-rich donors and big business.

With days to go, it is Mamdani, the former longshot who beat his opponent in the party primary who is firmly installed as the frontrunner. Mamdani, who has run on a platform of affordability and promised to halt rent increases for about two million New Yorkers, has outpaced Cuomo by double-digits in every poll conducted in the fall, and it is very much the younger man's election to throw away.

A Bitter Contest

Yet, the former governor, who resigned as the state's leader in recent years amid accusations of sexual harassment, has made it clear he will fight to the finish, and not necessarily in an fair manner. He has trashed Mamdani's goals as unrealistic, and in the final stretch chuckled along as a broadcaster made Islamophobic remarks about Mamdani, who is a Muslim. Recently, the independent was strongly criticized as bigoted after posting an artificial intelligence video that featured a slew of racist stereotypes and showed Mamdani releasing a convicts.

This represents a particularly ugly conclusion to an race that could be key to the path that the Democratic party, floundering in its reaction to the former president's authoritarian grabs, adopts in the near future.

National Implications

Should the progressive secures a clear victory, the party establishment who have refused to endorse his bid will be forced to reckon with a platform that has appealed to voters' anger at economic disparity, soaring price rises and the political elite. It would be difficult for Chuck Schumer and the House leader not to adopt at least some of Mamdani's progressive proposals about affordability, given the fresh face has created an enthusiasm within the party arguably not seen since the Vermont senator campaigned for the White House in 2016.

Conversely, if Cuomo, who had been expected to win easily in the Democratic primary, complete a remarkable riches-to-rags-to-riches victory, it could reinforce national Democrats' current model of cautious, uninspiring resistance – a tactic that has angered the party base. A New York defeat of Mamdani's progressive, positive message could persuade party leaders that the best plan is to remain in the center – even as polls show the current iteration of the Democratic party is widely disliked nationwide.

Voter Enthusiasm

Voters in New York seem to prefer the Mamdani vision. Polls show that his backers are far more enthusiastic about their choice than Cuomo backers, something that has been evident throughout the campaign. Mamdani's engaging content on digital platforms, his optimistic vision for New York and his readiness to actually get out and meet people in the city has attracted an army of over fifty thousand volunteers, many of them young or new participants.

Negative Tactics

Yet, Cuomo, 67, isn't giving up. And with the risks stacked against him, the ex-leader has resorted to negative campaigning in the final days.

After spending months launching various attacks at Mamdani to see what might stick, the independent has concentrated on attacking Mamdani personally. He has called Mamdani, who was born in Uganda to Indian parents, an "radical", and popped up on conservative media for an interview with Maria Bartiromo, where the candidate claimed the city “will not survive” Mamdani as city leader. It reached a nadir last week, when Cuomo chuckled and said “that’s another problem” after a radio host said Mamdani would “cheer” another terrorist attack.

Political Landscape

The line of attack mirrors much of what Trump, who has sent the national guard to Washington DC and warned to take similar action to New York, has said about Mamdani, and perhaps that is expected. A group of wealthy residents, including some who donated to Trump in the last presidential race, have invested heavily into trying to get Cuomo elected, as other powerful voices have urged Curtis Sliwa to drop out from the contest.

Candidate Backgrounds

As far as the his team, and his wealthy backers, are worried, it should never have come to this point. When the assemblyman, one of 150 state legislators, started his campaign for mayor in last year, not many had known him, and in reality, barely anyone even paid attention.

Cuomo, by contrast, eased his way into the race in this year and became the instant favorite. He was the political heavyweight who seemingly held all the advantages. The classic establishment figure, he had married a political dynasty member and worked in Bill Clinton’s administration. He assumed office as New York governor in 2011, 17 years after his father, Mario Cuomo, stepped down from the same position.

Mamdani, who was elected to the state legislature in recently, does not have the same political heritage. But his commitment to providing no-cost transit and affordable child services – along with the freeze-the-rent pledge – present a brighter outlook of the city's direction than his opponent's pessimistic predictions about “mayhem” and unfettered crime, and his vow to hire more police officers.

Campaign Controversies

Still, Mamdani has faced difficulties in the final phase, after video surfaced appearing to show him suggesting the New York police department and the IDF were connected.

“We have to make clear that when the boot of the NYPD is on your neck, it’s been influenced by the IDF,” Mamdani said in the clip, recorded at a Democratic Socialists of America gathering in recent years. Mamdani, a longtime critic of Israel who has said the nation is engaging in atrocities in the Palestinian territory, indicated he was questioning cooperative programs between the NYPD and IDF.

Emotional Response

As the race closes, Mamdani seems to have gained sympathy and support, however, for his reaction to Cuomo’s increasing rhetoric.

Mamdani responded to the independent's 9/11 remarks in an heartfelt recording. In it, Mamdani remembered how, when he first campaigned for the legislature, a Muslim uncle advised to him that he did not have to tell people about his Muslim faith. It was a realization, Mamdani said, that many local Muslims had been told “again and again”: “That safety could only be found in the shadows of our city. That it is in those shadows alone where Muslims could embrace their full identities, and that if we were to emerge from those seclusion, then it is in those shadows that we must set aside our faith.”

Addressing the behavior of his opponents, who has alleged Mamd