The self-described democratic socialist’s victory in the city of 8 million paves the way for conflicts with the Trump administration.
NEW YORK CITY—Self-described democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani has been elected to serve as the next mayor of New York City, the most populous city in the country.
The Associated Press called the race at 9:34 p.m. ET with 50 percent of the vote counted, declaring the Democratic nominee victorious over both former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who ran as an independent, and Republican Curtis Sliwa.
Just before 9:00 p.m., when polls closed, the New York City Board of Elections announced that votes had surpassed 2 million—the first time since 1969.
Uncertain Future
Mamdani’s victory in the race to lead the city of more than 8 million people represents one of the most significant victories for the political left-flank of the Democratic Party in recent history.
Mamdani openly labels himself as a democratic socialist, aligning with left-wing populist figures including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.)—both of whom have endorsed the candidate.
Notably, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) did not endorse the candidate, while House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) gave his endorsement in the final stretches of the campaign.
Mamdani ran on a platform of city-run grocery stores, free buses, rent freezes for stabilized tenants, free child care, a minimum wage of $30 per hour by 2030, a tax on those making more than $1 million annually, and the creation of a department of community safety.
He’s also promised to “Trump-proof” the city, namely by working against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activity in New York City.
Unsurprisingly, this has put the mayor-elect in conflict with President Donald Trump, who has described Mamdani as a communist and vowed to reduce federal funding to the city to “the very minimum as required” by law if the nominee were elected.
In a last-minute bid to defeat Mamdani, Trump announced on Nov. 3 that he was backing Cuomo for the job, describing a vote for Republican Curtis Sliwa as being effectively “a vote for Mamdani.”
Other Republicans have also been eyeing a strategy to potentially keep Mamdani from being sworn in at all, citing the 14th Amendment prohibition on insurrectionists holding office.
Republicans say that this provision could be applied to Mamdani’s anti-ICE comments, though such a move would require congressional input and 60 votes in the Senate.
Though that option is unlikely to work, Mamdani seems on track for conflict with Washington moving forward.
By Joseph Lord and Juliette Fairley
