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Why some Black New Yorkers see gentrification on the ballot in NYC mayor’s race
By
Elizabeth Kim
Published Oct 30, 2025
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By
Elizabeth Kim
Published Oct 30, 2025
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Renee Collymore says she has watched her Brooklyn neighborhood of Clinton Hill transform from a middle-class enclave for Black homeowners to a casualty of the crack epidemic to one of the borough's most desirable places to live.
She is a dying breed of political leader in this racially diverse and liberal neighborhood: a Black moderate Democrat who despises Zohran Mamdani and everything he represents. That includes his membership in the Democratic Socialists of America (“the far left”), his proposal for free buses (“there’s no free anything”) and even bike lanes (a symbol of “privilege”).
“Gentrification has torn this community apart,” said Collymore, who served as a district leader.
She sees Mamdani as the candidate of the gentrifiers. His upset win in the Democratic primary and front-runner status has prompted an existential crisis of sorts for Collymore, who has been active in local politics all of her adult life. Mamdani’s pledge to make the city more affordable should in theory appeal to Collymore, who has watched countless neighbors get priced out of Clinton Hill. But she suspects Mamdani will accelerate the economic forces changing the makeup of Black neighborhoods by greenlighting housing that’s out of reach for lower-income residents.
“Who's actually screaming for the housing?” she asked. “And why is that demographic screaming for housing?”
Some Black voters in the city are confronting a new political calculus in this year’s mayoral race. Mamdani, a 34-year-old state assemblymember from Queens, defied conventional political wisdom by winning the Democratic primary without a Black majority. He did so by running up the score in gentrified neighborhoods where liberal white voters have displaced older Black residents. Mamdani won over 60% of the primary vote in parts of Clinton Hill.
Mamdani’s rival Andrew Cuomo, a household name in Democratic politics, has seized on that dynamic. His closing argument ahead of Election Day frames the race as old New York (Cuomo) versus new New York (Mamdani).
“Gentrifiers have raised the rent in this city and disrespected communities for far too long,” Mayor Eric Adams said at a press conference last week where he endorsed Cuomo. “And [Mamdani is] the king of the gentrifiers.”
Cuomo, who won predominantly Black districts like Southeast Queens and parts of Central Brooklyn in the primary, said at the same event he is seeking the votes of “every New Yorker who’s a real New Yorker.”
Last week, Mayor Adams called Mamdani "the king of the gentrifiers. Cuomo said he was seeking the votes of "real New Yorkers."
Elizabeth Kim
Political experts say Cuomo is employing a familiar strategy.
“Pitting racial groups against one another, it's a tale as old as time,” said Christina Greer, a political science professor at Fordham University. “And if you hear the messaging enough, and you're in this scarcity mode, then you're more receptive.”
Roger Green, a former Brooklyn state assemblymember who supports Mamdani, acknowledged some Black voters are suspicious of his support in gentrified neighborhoods.
“You say gentrified, we say pervasive resegregation,“ Green said. “Those communities are concerned.”
A Quinnipiac poll last month showed Mamdani winning support from 48% of Black voters compared to Cuomo at 34%.
New York City has seen an exodus of Black families: the number of non-Hispanic Black residents declined by more than 6% between 2000 and 2020, one of the largest drops among major cities nationwide, according to census data. The drop is more dramatic in the community district covering Fort Greene, Clinton Hill and Brooklyn Heights. Data compiled by NYU’s Furman Center shows 42% of residents in the district were Black in 2000. The most recent data available puts the current percentage of Black residents at 18%.
Collymore said she is planning to vote for Cuomo despite being turned off by his sexual harassment scandal. Her preferred candidate was Adams, who ended his re-election campaign amid low approval ratings tied to corruption allegations and difficulty fundraising.
In East Harlem, Brandon Lloyd Adams, 38, said he was torn between Mamdani and Cuomo. He runs a pair of popular bakeries, Lloyd’s Carrot Cake, which was started by his father.
Although he voted for Mamdani in the primary, some of the progressive’s policies, like his call for a $30 minimum wage by 2030, make him nervous as a small business owner. “How do you survive?” he said. “It's kind of scary to think about.”
He was unsure who he would vote for. “As a Black person, there are a lot of different aspects that I have to consider,” he said. “It's going to be a game-time decision for me, honestly.”
Although Black voters have been a bedrock of Democratic support locally and nationally, experts caution against overgeneralizing the political views of Black voters. “There's a great deal of heterogeneity,” said John Mollenkopf, a political science professor who heads the Center for Urban Research at the CUNY Graduate Center.
Mollenkopf said that more than half of Black voters in the city are of Afro-Caribbean descent as opposed to African American descent.
Ernest Skinner, an 83-year-old Flatbush resident, has been handing out palm cards for Mamdani during early voting at polling sites. He formed a group, “Caribbean Americans in Support of Mamdani,” after the primary. Skinner, a retired Citibank executive, previously served as community liaison for ex-City Councilmember Jumaane Williams, who is now public advocate.
Skinner said he considers himself a moderate Democrat, but added that he was excited by Mamdani’s “energy” and “vision.”
“I can tell you the support that he is getting in terms of the reception when I approach people cuts across racial, ethnic lines, income brackets,” he said.
Tagged
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new york city
Elizabeth Kim
Elizabeth Kim is a reporter on the People and Power desk who covers mayoral power. She previously covered the pandemic, housing, redevelopment and public spaces. A native of Queens, she speaks fluent Mandarin. Got a tip? Email [email protected]
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