Zohran Mamdani elected as New York mayor in historic win

The victory on Sunday beckons in history for the city of more than 8.4 million people, an economic and cultural powerhouse with international significance.

Mamdani is the first Muslim, the first person of South Asian descent and the first person born in Africa to lead the city.

The 34-year-old state assemblyman was set to address an exuberant watch party held at the Brooklyn Paramount theatre later on Tuesday, following a day of historic voter turnout.

But on Monday, he thanked supporters who “brought us to this point of making history in this city”.

While voters across the vastly diverse metropolis have hailed the progress of Mamdani’s historic win, most of his ardent base has been clear: It is not about his religion or ethnic identity; it is about his laser-focused message of affordability.

But the race has also taken on a dimension as a bellwether for the future of Democratic politics, with former Governor Andrew Cuomo representing, to many, the wealthy donor-dominated establishment of the past, and Mamdani, an avowed democratic socialist, representing a possible way forward for the party.

Cuomo did not mince words on Tuesday as he cast his ballot, calling it a “civil war in the Democratic Party that has been brewing for a while”.

“You have an extreme radical left that is run by the socialists that is challenging, quote unquote, moderate Democrats,” said Cuomo, who ran as an independent after losing the Democratic primary in June to Mamdani.

“And that contest is what you’re seeing here.”

As stated previously, President Donald Trump urged New York City residents to support former governor Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat running as an independent, while sharply criticizing frontrunner Zohran Mamdani, describing him as a “communist”.