Indian-origin Democrat Zohran Mamdani was elected mayor of New York City on Tuesday, defeating former Governor Andrew Cuomo and Republican Curtis Sliwa in a historic victory.
With the victory, the democratic socialist will etch his place in history as the city’s first Muslim mayor, the first of South Asian heritage and the first born in Africa. He will also become the city’s youngest mayor in more than a century when he takes office on January 1. He succeeds Eric Adams, who withdrew from his reelection campaign in September but remained on the ballot.
Entering the general election as the clear favorite after a decisive 12-point win in the ranked-choice Democratic primary, Mamdani ran a digitally savvy campaign centered on tackling New York’s soaring cost of living.
“My friends, we have toppled a political dynasty,” Mamdani declared to a roaring crowd at his victory party. “I wish Andrew Cuomo only the best in private life, but let tonight be the final time I utter his name as we turn the page on a politics that abandoned the many and answers only to the few."
He cast his win as a victory for blue-collar workers struggling to get by. “New York, tonight you have delivered a mandate for change,” he said, vowing to ”wake up each morning with a singular purpose: To make this city better for you than it was the day before.”
More than 2 million New Yorkers cast ballots in the contest, the largest turnout in a mayoral race in more than 50 years, according to the city’s Board of Elections. With roughly 90% of the votes counted, Mamdani held an approximately 9 percentage point lead over Cuomo.
Mamdani’s unlikely rise gives credence to Democrats who have urged the party to embrace more progressive, left-wing candidates instead of rallying behind centrists in hopes of winning back swing voters who have abandoned the party.
He has already faced scrutiny from national Republicans, including President Donald Trump, who have eagerly cast him as a threat and the face of what they say is a more radical Democratic Party. Trump has repeatedly threatened to cut federal funding to the city — and even take it over — if Mamdani won.
At his victory party in Brooklyn, Mamdani supporters cheered and embraced, some tearfully, after The Associated Press called the race. Campaign posters flew through the air, as one person hoisted the official flag of New York City and Bad Bunny played from the speakers.
Mamdani’s X account posted a video of a subway train pulling up to City Hall station, with an announcement that said, “The next and last stop is City Hall.”
Mamdani’s win marks a significant shift in New York City politics, underscoring growing progressive momentum in America’s largest city amid a series of key local elections offering the first public verdict on Trump’s turbulent second term in the White House.
