Mamdani wins NYC, capping a stunning ascent
NEW YORK Zohran Mamdani was elected mayor of New York City on Tuesday capping a stunning ascent for the -year-old state lawmaker who was set to become the city s the greater part liberal mayor in generations In a mastery for the Democratic party s progressive wing Mamdani defeated former Gov Andrew Cuomo and Republican Curtis Sliwa Mamdani must now address the unending demands of America s biggest city and deliver on ambitious skeptics say unrealistic campaign promises With the triumph 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 the city s youngest mayor in more than a century when he takes office on Jan The progressive may have been the the majority of high profile candidate on Tuesday but Democrats also kotched wins in Virginia New Jersey and elsewhere Former Rep Abigail Spanberger will become Virginia s next governor and its first female chief executive while Rep Mikie Sherrill won the New Jersey governor s office by running campaigns focused largely on the financial sector community safety and strength care Both actively distanced themselves from particular of the Democratic Party s far-left policies and emphasized what Spanberger described in her conquest speech as pragmatism over partisanship Mamdani s unlikely rise gives credence to Democrats who have urged the party to embrace more progressive left-wing candidates instead of rallying behind centrists in hopes of winning back swing voters who have abandoned the party He has already faced scrutiny from national Republicans including President Donald Trump who have eagerly cast him as a threat and the face of what they say is a more radical Democratic Party The contest drove the biggest turnout in a mayoral race in more than years with more than million New Yorkers casting ballots according to the city s Board of Elections 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 statements of sexual harassment that he continues to deny was dogged by his past throughout the race and was criticized for running a negative campaign There s also the question of how he will deal with Trump who threatened to take over the city and 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 U S citizen in Mamdani who was criticized throughout the campaign for his thin resume will now have to begin staffing his incoming administration before taking office next year and challenge out how he plans to accomplish the ambitious but polarizing agenda that drove him to triumph Among the campaign s promises are free child care free city bus institution city-run grocery stores and a new Department of Society Safety that would send mental physical condition care workers to handle certain exigency 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 calling for this rogue agency to be defunded and slamming it as racist anti-queer a major threat to society safety He has since apologized for those comments and has declared 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 But Cuomo Sliwa and other critics assailed him over his vehement criticism of Israel s military actions in Gaza Mamdani a longtime advocate of Palestinian rights has accused Israel of committing genocide and declared he would honor an arrest warrant the International Criminal Court issued for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Mamdani began his campaign as a relatively obscure state lawmaker little known even within New York City Going into the Democratic primary Cuomo was the presumed favorite with near-universal name recognition and deep political connections Cuomo s chances were buoyed further when incumbent Mayor Eric Adams bowed out of the primary while dealing with the fallout of his now-dismissed federal corruption scenario But as the race progressed Mamdani s natural charm catchy social media videos and populist economic platform energized voters in the notoriously expensive city He also began drawing outside attention as his name ID grew Mamdani ultimately trounced Cuomo in the primary by about points The former governor relaunched his campaign as an independent candidate for the general ballot vowing to hit the streets with a more energetic approach However much of his campaign continued to focus on attacking opponents In the race s final stretch he claimed Mamdani s voting would make Jews feel unsafe Meanwhile supporters packed Mamdani s rallies and he held whimsical events including a scavenger hunt and a neighborhood soccer tournament New York mayoral candidate Andrew Cuomo waves after voting in New York Tuesday Nov AP Photo Richard Drew Supporters for Democratic mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani react as they watch returns during an ballot night watch party Tuesday Nov in New York AP Photo Yuki Iwamura
