NEW YORK, Nov 5: Zohran Mamdani, a 34-year-old state lawmaker, was elected mayor of New York City on Tuesday, marking a historic win and signaling a sharp leftward shift in city politics, according to the Associated Press.
His victory over former Governor Andrew Cuomo and Republican Curtis Sliwa gave the Democratic Party’s progressive wing its biggest triumph in years. Mamdani now faces the daunting task of governing the nation’s largest city while fulfilling ambitious promises that many critics call unrealistic, the Associated Press reported.
The election makes Mamdani New York’s first Muslim mayor, the first of South Asian descent, the first born in Africa, and the youngest to hold the office in more than a century, according to the Associated Press.
Trump endorses Cuomo, threatens to cut funds for NYC if Mamdani...
His unexpected rise has energised Democrats who want the party to embrace progressive candidates over centrists. National Republicans, including former President Donald Trump, have already portrayed him as a symbol of what they describe as a radical shift within the Democratic Party, the AP noted.
Voter turnout surpassed two million, the highest in more than five decades for a mayoral race, according to the city’s Board of Elections, as cited by the Associated Press. At his victory party in Brooklyn, supporters celebrated with tears, cheers, and music by Bad Bunny as the AP projected his win. His campaign’s social media account later posted a video of a subway train pulling into City Hall station, declaring, “The next and last stop is City Hall,” the Associated Press said.
Mamdani’s grassroots campaign focused on housing and affordability, themes that struck a chord with voters and derailed Cuomo’s attempted comeback, according to the Associated Press. Cuomo, who resigned four years ago after sexual harassment allegations that he continues to deny, struggled to overcome his tainted image and faced criticism for his combative campaign.
Trump’s attacks also added drama to the race after he threatened to deport Mamdani, who was born in Uganda and became a U.S. citizen in 2018, the AP reported.
The incoming mayor will now need to assemble his administration and figure out how to fund wide-ranging proposals such as free child care, free bus service, city-run grocery stores, and a new public safety department to replace some police functions with mental health teams, according to the Associated Press. Democratic Governor Kathy Hochul’s opposition to raising taxes on the wealthy may complicate those plans, the AP said.
Mamdani’s handling of the New York Police Department will also be closely watched, the Associated Press noted. Once a fierce critic who called the NYPD “racist” and “a rogue agency,” he has since apologized and said he plans to retain the current commissioner.
His foreign policy views have drawn controversy, especially his sharp criticism of Israel’s military actions in Gaza and his statement that he would honor an International Criminal Court warrant for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, according to the Associated Press.
