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New York. – In a historic day for New York politics, young state legislator Zohran Mamdani won the Democratic primary for mayor of New York City, surpassing heavyweights like former governor Andrew Cuomo.
With 93% of the votes counted, Mamdani reached 43.5% against Cuomo's 36.4%, who acknowledged his defeat on the same Tuesday night.
During his victory speech in Astoria, Queens, Mamdani, 33, celebrated the result by quoting South African leader Nelson Mandela: “It always seems impossible until it is done.” He added with emotion: “We have done it. I will be your Democratic candidate for mayor of New York City”.
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Born in Uganda and of Muslim and Indian origin, Mamdani has been gaining political ground in recent years as part of the progressive wing of the Democratic Party. His progressive economic proposal achieved a strong connection with young voters, according to The New York Times. Mamdani's triumph came under the ranked-choice voting system, in which he was projected as the favorite from the first round. He received the support of Brad Lander, the city's outgoing comptroller and former rival in the race, who finished in third place with 11.3%. Despite not having reached the 50% needed for a direct victory, none of the candidates have challenged the results, consolidating Mamdani as the virtual candidate of the blue party for the general elections on November 4th. In his speech, Mamdani called for unity: "Let's rebuild this great city, not in my image, but in the image of every New Yorker who has always lived in the struggle". He also referred to the tense atmosphere surrounding his campaign, denouncing death threats and Islamophobic attacks against him. On the Republican side, candidate Curtis Sliwa criticized Mamdani's candidacy, calling him an "extremist" and assuring that the race is not yet defined. To them is added the current mayor Eric Adams, who will seek re-election as an independent candidate. Although Democrats enjoy a 2-to-1 majority in the city, the division of the vote and the polarized political environment could make this a closer election than usual.
