Democrat Zohran Mamdani has become the city’s first Muslim mayor and its youngest in generations
It is essential we start by simply marking – amid all the noise and frenzy – the victory secured by Zohran Mamdani.
The 34-year-old Democratic Socialist is the both the first Muslim and the first person of South Asian origin set to lead America’s largest city.
He is an assembly member from Queens, and a long-shot who defeated Andrew Cuomo, a member of the city’s Democratic royalty in the primary, before winning in Tuesday’s showdown – a day that saw the highest turn-out since 1993.
His campaign, which often featured smart and funny videos that frequently went viral, focussed with laser precision on an issue that was most important to millions of New Yorkers, namely the cost of living in the nation’s most expensive city.
That he pulled it off amid racist attacks from Donald Trump – another man from Queens – lukewarm support from his own party, and despite corporations so desperate to stop him they bankrolled a second run by Cuomo as an independent, must make this moment all the more special.
“I think it shows that if you are an exciting candidate and have a consistent message that people want to turn out,” Christina Greer, professor of political science at Fordham University in New York, tells The i Paper.
Mamdani wants to introduce more rent freezes – a policy he introduced by leaping into the freezing waters on Jan 1 of this year as part of the annual polar plunge at Coney Island.
“I’m freezing….,” he said as he stood in the water and paused for dramatic effect. “…your rent as the next mayor of New York City.”
He wants to provide free busses, universal child care and set up some government-run grocery stores. While some have questioned his maths, he says he will pay for it by increasing corporate tax rates to match those in neighbouring New Jersey, and impose a flat two per cent tax on New Yorkers earning more than $1m a year.
In one of the two debates that also featured Curtis Sliwa, founder of the Guardian Angels crime prevention group and who was running as the Republican candidate, Mamdani told Cuomo: “What I don’t have in experience, I make up for in integrity. What you don’t have in integrity, you could never make up for in experience.”
Many will have been pleased by the generational shift that took place on Tuesday.
Cuomo, 67, a former governor and a son of former governor Mario Cuomo, had been forced to quit his job in 2021 amid allegations of sexual misconduct, which he denied.
He pitched himself as someone with a track record of getting things done, but struggled to contend with Mamdani’s crisp and innovative way of campaigning.
Ironically, among those who endorsed him were Trump, who had called Mamdani a “communist” and threatened to without federal funds if he won.
Incumbent mayor Eric Adams, 65, ended his reelection bid two months ago amid allegations of corruption, which he had denied.
“Mamdani’s victory shows voters are hungry for substance. Mamdani campaigned on a safe, affordable life for all New Yorkers, with specific ideas about how he would get that accomplished,” Stephanie Taylor, co-founder at Progressive Change Campaign Committee, which raises money for progressive candidates, tells The i Paper.
“The old guard establishment of the Democratic Party did everything they could to defeat Mamdani – and they failed. For too long, Democrats have torn down their most popular rising stars, while Republicans build theirs up. With this election, we see a generational shift is coming.”
A year after Kamala Harris lost to Trump, and following 10 months when Democrats have felt powerless without control of the White House or either chamber of Congress, many in the party are desperate for something to cheer about.
But is there a danger of reading too much into just one result?
New York is America’s most diverse city and a place where Democrats always do well.
It may not follow that Mamdani’s victory means they will perform with such conviction in other contests that are taking place, and in next year’s midterms, where the party is desperate to take control of the House of Representatives.
Simon Bazelon, lead author of Deciding To Win, an exhaustive and recently published analysis of where Democrats went wrong last year, says there are things the party can take from the victory.
One is Mamdani’s “impressive ability to stay on message and stay focused on the number one issue that his constituents and the American people care about most, which is affordability”.
Yet he says we “need to be careful not to over extrapolate from an off year election in New York City”.
Bazelon, whose report concluded Democrats had turned off many working class voters by shifting the focus too much from basic economic issues, says polls show Mamdani is quite unpopular nationally.
“And of course, the electorate in New York City for this mayoral race is much more left leaning than the voters that Democrats need to win over in order to win the presidency or a Senate majority,” he adds.
In another victory for Democrats, Abigail Spanberger won the race for governor of Virginia.
Spanberger had adopted a more centrist position than Mamdani.
The 46-year-old was favourite going into election day, and her win made clear that different races need different candidates. Democrats also came out on top in the governor’s race in New Jersey
For Democrats then, this will be a night to savour and enjoy, soaking in the pleasure of delivering a political bloody nose to Trump after a year of being on the back foot, and often far worse.
Yet the wise will not be resting too easy or for too long
Rather, they’ll soon be back at work with their eyes on the prize of the midterms of 2026, a “mere” 360 days away.
