Zohran Mamdani, a state assemblyman and progressive Democrat, secured a surprising victory in Tuesday’s Democratic primary for New York City mayor, defeating former Governor Andrew Cuomo, who had long been considered the frontrunner. Cuomo conceded the race later that evening but did not confirm whether he would continue his campaign in the general election this November.
“Tonight was not our night. It’s his. He earned it. He won,” Cuomo told supporters, as quoted by the New York Times.
At just 33, Mamdani, a rising figure in New York’s progressive movement, solidifies his rapid ascent in state and local politics. His platform includes bold left-leaning proposals such as free public bus service, rent freezes on regulated housing, and tax increases on the ultra-wealthy. These ideas have galvanized young voters and energized a broad activist base.
Preliminary Results (First-Choice Votes):
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Zohran Mamdani: 43.5% (430,295 votes)
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Andrew Cuomo: 36.4% (359,928 votes)
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Brad Lander: 11.3% (112,069 votes)
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Adrienne Adams: 4.1% (40,753 votes)
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Other candidates: 4.6% (45,908 votes)
Under New York’s ranked-choice voting system, if no candidate surpasses 50% in the initial tally, subsequent rounds of counting will begin July 1. However, Mamdani’s lead makes a Cuomo comeback unlikely.
In the final days of the campaign, Mamdani intensified outreach efforts across the city’s five boroughs, often joined by fellow progressives like City Comptroller Brad Lander. His campaign benefited from a grassroots surge, with thousands of volunteers mobilized across New York City, according to The New York Times.
In contrast, Cuomo relied on more traditional campaign tactics, including union backing and support from a well-funded super PAC that launched a flurry of attack ads targeting Mamdani. The strategy ultimately failed to blunt the momentum behind the insurgent lawmaker.
Current mayor Eric Adams, who bypassed the Democratic primary to run as an independent, will face Mamdani and others in the general election this fall. On the Republican side, former candidate Curtis Sliwa was nominated unopposed. Attorney Jim Walden is also in the race as an independent, as reported by The New York Times.
In addition to the mayoral primary, New Yorkers voted in several other local contests on Tuesday. Public Advocate Jumaane Williams won reelection by a wide margin, while the race to replace Brad Lander as comptroller remains too close to call.
Mamdani’s victory marks a potential turning point in the city’s political trajectory, particularly as national tensions rise over immigration, housing affordability, and public transportation. It also comes amid the renewed prominence of President Donald Trump and the Democratic Party’s ongoing efforts to recover from its loss in the 2024 presidential election.
If his lead holds, Mamdani could become the first self-identified democratic socialist to be elected mayor of New York City—a milestone for a political current associated with Senator Bernie Sanders and embodied locally by Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
As a champion of the Democratic Party’s progressive wing, Mamdani has pledged to enact transformative policy changes. He is known for his pro-immigrant stance and has repeatedly stated that, unlike Mayor Eric Adams, he would not cooperate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Background and Biography
Zohran Kwame Mamdani was born on October 18, 1991, in Kampala, Uganda, to a family of Indian descent. His father, Mahmood Mamdani, is a Ugandan scholar specializing in colonial and postcolonial studies and currently teaches at Columbia University. His mother, Mira Nair, is an acclaimed Indian-American filmmaker known for her work on diaspora and identity.
His middle name, Kwame, was chosen in tribute to Ghanaian independence leader and first prime minister Kwame Nkrumah. At age five, Mamdani moved with his family to Cape Town, South Africa, where his father took a faculty position at the University of Cape Town. Two years later, the family settled in New York City.
Mamdani attended the Bank Street School for Children and later graduated from the Bronx High School of Science. He earned a bachelor’s degree in Africana Studies from Bowdoin College in Maine in 2014, where he also co-founded a chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine. He became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 2018, according to publicly available biographical information and his campaign website.
