More than 2 million New Yorkers cast a ballot in a high-stakes election that smashed recent turnout levels.
Zohran Mamdani, a member of the Queens Assembly, won a contentious mayoral election on Tuesday, capping an incredible political ascent. He will be the first Muslim to serve as mayor of New York City, the youngest mayor in more than a century, and one of the most well-known democratic socialists in the nation. He is only 34 years old.
Mamdani, who was born in Uganda, is a Muslim of Indian descent who has lived in the United States since he was seven years old, before becoming a naturalized citizen in 2018, led former Governor Andrew Cuomo, who ran as an independent and received 42% of the vote, with almost 50% of the vote after nearly 97% of the votes were counted. Curtis Sliwa, the Republican nominee, came in last with 7%.
Some Democratic strategists have pointed out that South Asian and Arab Muslims in the U.S., many of whom immigrated post-1965, have historically not been invested in politics. Asian-Americans in general have also been underrepresented in polling and research, even in recent election years, ABC News previously reported.
“This campaign has awakened something powerful in New York’s South Asian and Muslim communities — a sense of visibility, pride, and political belonging that’s been denied for generations,” Dora Pekec, a spokesperson for Mamdani, shared.
Supporters began arriving and gathering at the Brooklyn Paramount Theatre around 9pm ET, when the polls in New York closed. Many attenders were seen wearing Mamdani campaign merchandise such as baseball caps, beanies, and T-shirts.
“I’m ecstatic!” “This is life-changing!” “I’m lost for words!” were just some of the refrains from the crowd as they celebrated history in the making: New York has its first Muslim mayor.
The crowd was full of high-profile Democrats, including New York Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez; the New York City public advocate, Jumaane Williams; the city comptroller, Brad Lander; the New York attorney general, Letitia James; and actor Cynthia Nixon. Twitch streamer Hasan Piker was among those seen making the rounds, talking to members of the media and partygoers.
Jasmine Gripper, co-director of New York’s Working Families Party, celebrated the victory and said she was feeling “excited and proud of what we accomplished”.
“Not only did we defeat Andrew Cuomo once, we defeated him twice, sending him back to the suburbs, but we got to elect a real, true champion for working families, Zohran Mamdani, and this is a history-making campaign, and we’re excited that he won, and we’re excited to get his agenda to the finish line,” she said.
At around 11.30pm, Mamdani walked onstage to applause. Before he even began speaking, the crowd was deafening as it chanted “Zohran, Zohran!”
Mamdani thanked his supporters and volunteers in his speech, vowing to fight for all New Yorkers and to make the city more affordable for everyone.
“On January 1, I will be sworn in as the mayor of New York City, and that is because of you,” Mamdani said. “Thank you to the next generation of New Yorkers who refused to accept that the promise of a better future was a relic of the past. You showed that when politics speaks to you without condescension, we can usher in a new era of leadership. We can fight for you because we are you.”
He continued, to a cheering crowd: “For as long as we can remember, the working people of New York have been told by the wealthy and the well-connected that power does not belong in their hands … And yet over the last 12 months, you have dared to reach for something greater. Tonight, against all odds, we have grasped it. The future is in our hands.”
People could be seen hugging, raising fists and waving their phones in the air as he spoke.
Mamdani offered one final note about his biggest competitor, Cuomo: “My friends, we have toppled a political dynasty. 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 the politics that abandons the many and answers only to the few. New York, tonight you have delivered a mandate for change.”
As Mamdani listed out his pledges, which included providing universal childcare, fast and free buses, freezing rent hikes for those in rent-stabilized units and more, the crowd responded with even more thunderous applause.
In perhaps the most fiery part of his speech, Mamdani called out Donald Trump by name to declare that he is ready to face the president head-on as New York’s mayor-elect.
“So, if there is any way to terrify a despot, it is by dismantling the very conditions that allowed him to accumulate power. This is not only how we stop Trump, it’s how we stop the next one. So, Donald Trump, since I know you’re watching, I have four words for you: turn the volume up,” he said, the crowd exploded again, cheering with approval.
The first prospective millennial mayor of New York City ended his speech on a softer note, by putting his hand on his heart and thanking everyone in the room around him.
“This power is yours,” he told the crowd, before being joined by his parents and wife. “The city belongs to you.”
