Zohran Mamdani wins NYC mayor race with hopeful and ambitious agenda
Zohran Mamdani wrote history to become the first Muslim mayor of NYC, and the youngest in more than a century. His commanding win was based on a hopeful and ambitious agenda, critics say an unrealistic one. "New York, tonight you have delivered a mandate for change,” he said.
New York (AP/dpa) - Zohran Mamdani was elected mayor of New York on Tuesday, capping a stunning ascent for the 34-year-old, far-left state lawmaker, who promised to transform city government to restore power to the working class and fight back against a hostile Trump administration.
In a victory for the Democratic party’s progressive wing, Mamdani defeated former Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Republican Curtis Sliwa. Mamdani must now navigate the unending demands of America’s biggest city and deliver on ambitious — skeptics say unrealistic — campaign promises.
With his commanding win, 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 New York's youngest mayor in more than a century when he takes office on Jan. 1.
Largest voter turnout in more than 50 years
He cast his win as a boon 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.
"Light in political darkness"
When addressing supporters he also took a direct confrontational stance against US President Donald Trump. "In this moment of political darkness, New York will be the light," Mamdani said at an event in the New York borough of Brooklyn.
Mamdani addressed Trump, whose administration has taken drastic action against people who had entered the country illegally, directly in his remarks.
"New York will remain a city of immigrants, a city built by immigrants, powered by immigrants and, as of tonight, led by an immigrant," said the 34-year-old, who moved to the East Coast metropolis from Uganda with his family at the age of 7.
He has already faced scrutiny from national Republicans, including President Donald Trump, who have eagerly cast him as a threat and the face of a more radical Democratic Party that is out of step with mainstream America. Trump has repeatedly threatened to cut federal funding to the city — and even take it over — if Mamdani won. Trump also suggested he might try to arrest and deport Mamdani if he won. Mamdani was born in Uganda, where he spent his early childhood, but was raised in New York City and became a US citizen in 2018.
Cuomo conceded
The mood was far more muted at Cuomo’s party at a midtown Manhattan theater. In his concession speech, a defiant Cuomo called his campaign “a caution flag that we are headed down a dangerous, dangerous road" and noted that “almost half of New Yorkers did not vote to support a government agenda that makes promises that we know cannot be met."
Still, he corrected his supporters when they began to boo at the mention of Mamdani's name. “No, that is not right," he said, offering to help the incoming mayor in any way. “Tonight was their night.”
Mamdani’s grassroots campaign centered on affordability, and his charisma spoiled Cuomo’s attempted political comeback. The former governor, who resigned four years ago following allegations of sexual harassment that he continues to deny, was dogged by his past throughout the race and was criticised for running a negative campaign.
Ambitious agenda
Mamdani, who was criticised throughout the campaign for his thin resume, will now have to begin staffing his incoming administration and planning how to accomplish the ambitious but polarising agenda that drove him to victory.
Among the campaign’s promises are free child care, free city bus service, city-run grocery stores and a new Department of Community Safety that would send mental health care workers to handle certain emergency calls rather than police officers. It is unclear how Mamdani will pay for such initiatives, given Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul’s steadfast opposition to his calls to raise taxes on wealthy people.
His decisions around the leadership of the New York Police Department will also be closely watched. Mamdani was a fierce critic of the department in 2020, calling for “this rogue agency” to be defunded and slamming it as “racist, anti-queer & a major threat to public safety.” He has since apologized for those comments and has said he will ask the current NYPD commissioner to stay on the job.
Mamdani’s campaign was driven by his optimistic view of the city and his promises to improve the quality of life for its middle and lower classes.