Mamdani Wins New York City Mayoral Race in Upset That Reshapes Democratic Debate

Zohran Mamdani was elected mayor of New York City on Tuesday, completing a rapid rise for the 34-year-old state lawmaker who campaigned on returning power to working-class residents and standing up to a hostile Trump administration. The Associated Press called the race for the democratic socialist, who defeated former Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Republican Curtis Sliwa.

When he takes office on Jan. 1, Mamdani will become the city's first Muslim mayor, the first of South Asian heritage and the first born in Africa. He will also be New York's youngest mayor in more than a century.

Speaking to a loud crowd at his victory party in Brooklyn, he embraced the traits critics had treated as liabilities. "I am young, despite my best efforts to grow older. I am Muslim. I am a democratic socialist. And most damning of all, I refuse to apologize for any of this," he said. He described the result as "a mandate for change."

Turnout was historic. The city's Board of Elections reported more than 2 million ballots, the most in a mayoral contest in over 50 years. With roughly 90% of votes counted, Mamdani led Cuomo by about 9 percentage points.

The outcome is likely to strengthen the argument of Democrats who want the party to back more progressive candidates rather than centrists in an effort to win back swing voters. National Republicans, including President Donald Trump, have portrayed Mamdani as the face of a radical party out of step with mainstream America. Trump had threatened to cut federal funding to the city, or even take it over, if Mamdani won, and suggested he might try to arrest and deport him. Mamdani was born in Uganda, was raised in New York and became a U.S. citizen in 2018. Addressing Trump directly, he said New York "will remain a city of immigrants" and, as of Tuesday night, "led by an immigrant." Trump responded on Truth Social with "...AND SO IT BEGINS!"

Cuomo, who resigned as governor four years ago amid sexual harassment allegations he continues to deny, conceded at a midtown Manhattan theater. He called his campaign "a caution flag that we are headed down a dangerous, dangerous road," yet stopped his supporters when they booed Mamdani's name. "No, that is not right," he said. Sliwa conceded about half an hour after polls closed, wishing Mamdani "good luck because if he does well, we do well," while warning that he and his supporters would become the mayor-elect's "worst enemies" if he pursued socialism or weakened the police.

Mamdani began the race as a relatively obscure legislator. Cuomo entered the Democratic primary as the presumed favorite, with near-universal name recognition, and his position improved when Mayor Eric Adams dropped out amid the fallout from his now-dismissed federal corruption case. Mamdani's charm, catchy social media videos and populist economic message changed that, and he won the primary by about 13 points. Cuomo then ran as an independent, but his campaign leaned heavily on attacking opponents, and in the closing stretch he claimed Mamdani's election would make Jews feel unsafe. Mamdani drew packed rallies and held lighthearted events such as a scavenger hunt and a community soccer tournament.

Governing may prove harder. Mamdani, criticized during the campaign for a thin resume, must now build an administration and pursue promises that include free child care, free city bus service, city-run grocery stores and a new Department of Community Safety that would send mental health workers to some emergency calls instead of police. How he would pay for them is unclear, since Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul has firmly opposed his proposals to raise taxes on the wealthy.

His approach to the New York Police Department will also draw scrutiny. In 2020 he called for the department to be defunded and described it as "racist, anti-queer & a major threat to public safety." He has since apologized and said he will ask the current commissioner to stay on. His sharp criticism of Israel's military actions in Gaza, including accusing it of genocide and pledging to honor an International Criminal Court arrest warrant for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, drew attacks from Cuomo and Sliwa.