NEW YORK—Casting their ballots in record-breaking numbers on Nov. 4, New Yorkers elected the self-described “Democratic Socialist” Zohran Mamdani to be their next mayor.
Mr. Mamdani is now set to serve as the first Muslim, first socialist, first South Asian descendant, first African-born and first millennial mayor of New York City. The 34 year old will also be the youngest New York mayor in over a century, marking his mayoral election win as one of the city’s most historic.
In October 2024, Mr. Mamdani, then a state assemblymember, joined the mayoral race with little to no name recognition. However, as he pushed through the race, running his campaign on a promise to usher in a new and improved era of political leadership.
Jayden Williams
He quickly gained popularity amongst young and working-class voters. He won the Democratic primary over former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo in June.
Mr. Mamdani’s campaign focused on policies that centered on lowering the cost of living and improving the lives of working-class New Yorkers. The campaign pledged to fulfil those promises through the enforcement of various initiatives—most notably, freezing stabilized rent, eliminating bus fares, and removing childcare costs.
Over 50% of the more than two million New Yorks cast their ballots in favor of Mr. Mamdani, solidifying his remarkable win over Mr. Cuomo, who ran as an Independent, and Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa.
Mr. Mamdani won four of the five boroughs and garnered a large support among Black and Latino voters. According to reporting from middleeasteye.net, “Mamdani beat Cuomo 61 percent to 35 percent among New York City’s Black community, and won 57 percent to 37 percent among mostly Hispanic residents, according to precinct-level results.
Mamdani also beat Cuomo with mostly Asian residents, winning the group over by 47 percent to 43 percent. Cuomo carried the city’s mostly White residents with 52 percent against 38 percent for Mamdani.”
In celebration of his win, Mr. Mamdani took to the stage of the Brooklyn Paramount Theater in New York City to deliver his victory speech and address his supporters.
“New York, tonight, you have delivered a mandate for change, a mandate for a new kind of politics, a mandate for a city we can afford. And a mandate for a government that delivers exactly that,” he said.
“We will fight for you, because we are you. Or, as we say on Steinway, ‘ana minkum wa Alaikum,’” he added, earning resounding applause from the youthful audience. He spoke the phrase in Arabic, which loosely translates to, “I am of you and you are of us.”
As Democrats dominated elections across the country, many who won key races shared the historical title of “first” like New York Mayor-Elect Mamdani.
In Virginia, State Senator Ghazala Hashmi won Virginia’s lieutenant governor race, making her the first Muslim American woman elected to statewide office in the country. Jay Jones became the first Black man elected Attorney General in the state of Virginia.
Dr. Dale Caldwell became the first Black person elected as lieutenant governor in New Jersey. In Detroit, City Council President Mary Sheffield became the first Black woman elected mayor. Similarly, in Albany, New York, Dorcey Applyrs became the first Black mayor and in Syracuse, Sharon Owens was elected as that city’s first Black mayor.
Jayden Williams, 22, a graduate of Clark Atlanta University, was elected mayor of Stockbridge, Georgia, making the young, Black man that city’s youngest mayor in history.
The new elects will be sworn into their respective offices in January 2026.