Facing a pivotal decision that reflects a broader generational and ideological divide with national implications. As they choose the next mayor of the United States’ largest city, the race pits Democratic nominee Zohran Kwame Mamdani, who won the Democratic primary earlier this year, against independent candidate and former Governor Andrew Cuomo, and perennial Republican contender Curtis Sliwa.
A win for Mamdani would mark a historic moment: he would become the city’s first Muslim mayor and its youngest leader in decades. At 34, Mamdani has already become a national figure, drawing criticism from President Donald Trump and other Republicans.
Unsurprisingly, misinformation about Mamdani has been circulating widely. In this DW Fact check, we look at the latest and most viral ones.
Claim: Many people, including the current New York mayor and Democrat Eric Adams, have accused Mamdani of wanting to legalize or decriminalize sex work. Opponents have repeatedly raised the topic, warning that such policies could increase prostitution and sex trafficking in New York City.
DW Fact check: Misleading
Mamdani has often been vague about his position on sex work and has not always publicly emphasized his stance — sex work is also not singled out as a topic on his campaign platform. When asked, he confirmed to be in favour of decriminalizing sex work – but not in favour of legalizing it.
In an interview on NBC New York, he said: "I have never called for...
Your personal data, your options, our responsibility We and our partners use cookies or similar technologies to access and store non-sensitive information such as your IP address. The processing o...