- Zohran Mamdani, a 34-year-old Democratic socialist and Muslim immigrant, won NYC mayor, marking historic firsts and a youth surge.
- His victory energizes progressive, immigrant voters but intensifies divisions over his pro-Palestinian stance and ambitious affordability agenda.
NEW YORK — In a night that crackled with energy from Brooklyn warehouses to Queens coffee shops, Zohran Mamdani, the 34-year-old Democratic socialist and state assemblyman, claimed victory in the 2025 New York City mayoral race.
His win over former Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Republican Curtis Sliwa wasn’t just a political upset—it marked a cascade of firsts: the city’s first Muslim mayor, its first of South Asian descent, and the youngest leader in over a century.
As confetti fell at his election-night watch party in Brooklyn, Mamdani stood before a roaring crowd, hand over heart, declaring, “This city belongs to you.”
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The Associated Press called the race just after 9:30 p.m. on November 4, with Mamdani securing about 52% of the vote to Cuomo’s 43% and Sliwa’s 5%, according to preliminary results from the New York City Board of Elections.
Turnout shattered records, hitting over 2 million votes—the highest since 1969—fueled by a surge in young voters and first-time participants from immigrant communities.
“We have toppled a political dynasty,” Mamdani said in his victory speech, a nod to Cuomo’s failed comeback bid after resigning as governor in 2021 amid sexual misconduct allegations.
The crowd erupted, many waving signs reading “Hope Over Fear.”
Background and Details of Promises
Mamdani’s path to Gracie Mansion reads like a script from a underdog biopic. Born in Kampala, Uganda, to Indian parents, he immigrated to New York at age seven. A rapper in his youth under the name Mr. Cardamom, he pivoted to activism, helping taxi drivers combat predatory loans before winning his Queens assembly seat in 2020.
His campaign launched last fall as a longshot, polling at just 1% early on.
But with a message laser-focused on affordability—promising rent freezes, universal child care, and 200,000 new affordable housing units—he built a coalition of renters, young progressives, and working-class families battered by post-pandemic inflation.
The Democratic primary in June was the first hurdle, where Mamdani upset Cuomo in a ranked-choice nail-biter, flipping his lead through alliances with the Working Families Party and figures like Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
Cuomo, running as an independent in the general, poured millions into attack ads painting Mamdani as inexperienced and radical. Incumbent Mayor Eric Adams, facing federal probes, dropped out in September and endorsed Cuomo, but his name lingered on ballots as a third-party option.
Sliwa, the Guardian Angels founder who lost big in 2021, hammered crime fears but couldn’t dent the blue wave.
Tensions in Pro-Palestinian Activism Create Division
What set this race apart was its raw intersection of identity and policy.
Mamdani’s unapologetic Muslim faith and pro-Palestinian activism—rooted in his vocal opposition to Israel’s Gaza policies—ignited both fervor and backlash.
During October debates, candidates clashed over policing, housing, and foreign policy, with Cuomo accusing Mamdani of being “too inexperienced” and beholden to “corporate interests.”
Exit polls showed Jewish voters breaking heavily for Cuomo, 60% to 31%, amid concerns over Mamdani’s Israel stance.
Over 1,000 rabbis signed a letter decrying his rhetoric, calling it a flashpoint in a city still healing from post-October 7 tensions.
Yet for New York’s roughly 800,000 Muslims—many in neighborhoods like Astoria and Jamaica—the win felt like vindication. At Moka & Co., a Yemeni cafe in Queens, hundreds packed in for a watch party hosted by the Muslim Democratic Club.
When the race tipped, cheers drowned out the TV, with cellphone flashlights waving like a sea of stars. “Zohran’s story is so many of our own stories,” said one attendee, a South Asian immigrant who spoke on condition of anonymity.
“He’s showing that we belong in every space.”
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) called it “a historic turning point for American Muslim political engagement,” praising Mamdani’s rebuke of “Islamophobia and anti-Palestinian racism.”
Pakistani-born lawyer Qasim Rashid tweeted, “America’s Mayor is an American Muslim Immigrant.”
Activist Linda Sarsour, a polarizing figure with Islamist ties, boasted on November 3: “It is our Muslim American communities … our Muslim money.”
In Astoria’s mosques, worshippers like Hesham Tomoum emerged from prayers Wednesday offering blessings: “Everybody pray for him, everybody pray for the city becoming the better city.”
The celebrations rippled globally. In Uganda, Mamdani’s birthplace, rapper Tom Mayanja called it “a triumph for artists, dreamers, and immigrants.”
London’s Muslim Mayor Sadiq Khan tweeted solidarity: “New Yorkers faced a clear choice—between hope and fear—and just like we’ve seen in London—hope won.”
Even former adult film star Mia Khalifa, a vocal pro-Palestine advocate, posted her excitement online.
But in Israel, reactions soured; the Times of Israel headlined it as a win for a “far-left, anti-Israel candidate,” with right-wing outlets amplifying fears.
Conservatives Raise Concerns of “Islamic Takeover”
Not everyone popped champagne. Breitbart framed the victory as “Muslims gloating,” tying it to Democratic migration policies that, they argue, inflate rents and erode the middle class in gateway cities like New York.
Conservative voices like Laura Loomer warned of an “Islamic takeover,” predicting it would dominate 2026 midterms.
Amy Mek decried it as Islam “conquering” the city, urging the GOP to name the threat.
President Trump, fresh off his own reelection, threatened to withhold federal funds, calling Mamdani’s rhetoric “very dangerous.”
Cuomo conceded graciously but sharply in his speech, slamming Mamdani’s socialism as a “dangerous road” and vowing not to make the NYPD “the enemy.”
He later told the New York Times that diversity, while a strength, demands “work very, very hard to keep people united.”
Barack Obama, celebrating broader Democratic gains, posted: “Congratulations to all the Democratic candidates who won tonight… the future looks a little bit brighter.”
Rep. Ro Khanna envisioned airport welcomes: “I am your mayor, Zohran Mamdani… In New York any dream is still possible.”
Mamdani Now Inherits Whopping $115bn Budget
Mamdani’s agenda now faces the grind of governance. He’ll inherit a $115 billion budget, overseeing 8.5 million residents amid federal threats from Trump and donor skepticism from billionaires like Michael Bloomberg and Bill Ackman.
His transition team, announced Wednesday, is led by five women, including ex-City Hall vets, signaling a push for inclusivity.
Early moves include modeling rent-freeze impacts on housing returns, with analysts eyeing shifts from Manhattan luxury to outer-borough booms.
But whispers of friction already echo. NYC Fire Commissioner Robert Tucker, a Jewish philanthropist, resigned the day after, citing unspecified concerns about the new administration.
ICE ramped up NYPD recruitment ads, hinting at law enforcement jitters.
And Mamdani’s post-win fundraising plea—urging small donors for his “everything free” vision—drew hypocrisy barbs from conservatives.
But Will Mamdani Deliver?
For everyday New Yorkers, the stakes feel immediate. Tanvir Chowdhury, a Queens canvasser, spent Election Day knocking doors in his Bangladeshi community.
“I’m not the only one,” he said, describing family-wide turnout. “This is big change for the future… for all communities.”
As Mamdani preps to take the oath on January 1, the city holds its breath: Can this immigrant son deliver on promises without fracturing the mosaic he’s vowed to mend?
In his speech, Mamdani quoted socialist icon Eugene Debs: “It is time to finally respond with the urgency that New Yorkers deserve.”
Whether that urgency bridges divides or widens them remains the story to watch. For now, from halal carts to high-rises, the Big Apple tastes a flavor it’s never known.
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