In shock to Democratic politics, Zohran Mamdani wins NYC primary for mayor
Mamdani said his city would be one "governed as a model for the Democratic Party," which would prioritize the needs of the working class and fight Trump.
NEW YORK − Zohran Mamdani, a 33-year-old Democratic Socialist state Assembly member, upset mainstream Democratic politics by defying expectations and taking a commanding lead in the June 24 New York City mayoral primary.
Just after midnight, he addressed supporters, saying he and former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, the moderate Democrat who was the frontrunner, need to bring the nation's largest city together.
"Tonight, we made history," Mamdani boasted to a celebrating crowd in Queens.
With 96% of the vote counted, Mamdani led Cuomo 44% to 36% in first place votes.
Less than two hours after polls closed on June 24, former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, 67, had said he already called Mamdani to congratulate him on his historic campaign.
'Tonight is his night,' Cuomo told supporters at his election night party. 'He deserved it. He won.'
The subsequent instant runoff, in which other candidates' supporters will be redistributed to Mamdani or Cuomo based on who they ranked lower on their ballot, is expected to only increase Mamdani's lead. Third-place finisher New York City Comptroller Brad Lander had encouraged his voters to rank Mamdani second.
As Mamdani declared victory, Lander joined him on stage.
"Together, we have shown the politics of the future, one of partnership and of sincerity," Mamdani said.
Cuomo had led the polls by double-digit margins for months. The final poll released the day before the election showed Mamdani winning only by picking up more of Lander's supporters in the final round of the runoff.
The race served as a bellwether for the larger Democratic Party, as the coalition seeking to repel Cuomo framed the choice facing New Yorkers as one between an older, moderate political establishment and a youthful, progressive vision for the party that lost the White House in November.
Mamdani has drawn comparisons to fellow Democratic Socialists of America member Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who in 2018 unseated Joe Crowley, the Chair of the House Democratic Caucus, in a Bronx and Queens district that overlaps with Mamdani's Assembly seat. She endorsed Mamdani, as did Sen. Bernie Sanders, the independent progressive icon from Vermont.
On the other side, heavyweight mainstream Democrats backed Cuomo. Nationally, they included former President Bill Clinton and Rep. Jim Clyburn, who revived former President Joe Biden's 2020 campaign. And New York's political establishment, such as Rep. Adriano Espaillat and Brooklyn Democratic Party chair Rodneyse Bichotte-Hermelyn, backed Cuomo too.
'He gave us something to believe in'
Mamdani turned out younger voters on a platform centered on addressing affordability in America's largest city. Cuomo sought to draw on decades of experience in government as a bulwark against Trump's attacks on his hometown. Voters gave Mamdani a chance to change their notoriously expensive hometown.
"With a vision of a city every New Yorker could afford, we have won," Mamdani said.
Mamdani said his city would be one "governed as a model for the Democratic Party," which would prioritize the needs of the working class and fight Trump.
Rep. Nydia Velazquez, a left-leaning Democrat who represents a Brooklyn-based district, said Mamdani won with a simple message of affordability for all.
"He gave us something to believe in," Velazquez said at his election night party. She said his campaign threatens billionaires in power.
"But here's the thing: The city has changed," Velazquez said. "Zohran knew it."
If elected, Mamdani, who was born in Uganda and is of Indian ancestry, would become the first Muslim and Asian American mayor of New York City, and its youngest mayor in a century.
He would represent a stark ideological departure from incumbent Mayor Eric Adams, a conservative Democrat and former Republican who has become increasingly friendly with Trump ever since he was indicted for corruption by the Justice Department under former President Joe Biden. (The department dropped the charges after Trump took office, saying the case would impede Adams' ability to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement.)
Cuomo led by wide margins throughout the primary, but polling narrowed in the days leading up to election. A Super PAC funded in part by former Mayor Mike Bloomberg and several major donors to President Donald Trump poured $24 million against Mamdani, trying to paint him as a radical and antisemitic.
Mamdani would now have an advantage as the Democratic candidate for mayor in an overwhelmingly Democratic city, in which many feel besieged by President Donald Trump's aggressive crackdown on undocumented immigrants, his assault on Columbia University, and proposed cuts to social welfare programs.
However, the race ahead into November represents a more fractured moderate Democratic politics than previously seen.
But he still faces opponents in November including Republican challenger Curtis Sliwa, a conservative talk show host and longtime local activist. Adams is running for reelection as an independent, and Cuomo may do so as well.
Mamdani's opponents will likely continue to attack him for his views on Israel, which have drawn criticism from some Jewish groups, and his relative inexperience as third-term lawmaker with a very modest record of legislative accomplishment.
Mamdani ran a social media savvy campaign that featured viral videos such as him speaking to working-class voters in the Bronx and Queens who voted for Trump on issues about the cost of living. Mamdani campaigned on promises to freeze the rent in rent-stabilized apartments − he took a winter plunge in the Atlantic Ocean to make the freeze literal in one video − make buses free and provide universal child care. Those proposals appealed to a city of mostly renters, many of whom are struggling to remain in Gotham.
But he also ran a campaign heavy on expansive canvassing and door-knocking across the five boroughs. On the first night of summer, Mamdani walked the entirety of the island of Manhattan, which stretches about 13 miles, to encourage people to get out amid early voting.
While Cuomo enjoyed vast familiarity and some loyalty, he was also a vulnerable frontrunner due to accusations of sexual harassment, hiding COVID-19 deaths, and bullying in the state Capitol as governor, which contributed to his 2021 resignation.
'We're done with him,' Lander, a progressive candidate who campaigned alongside Mamdani, told his supporters. 'Andrew Cuomo is in the past. He is not the present or the future of New York City.'
The city's ranked choice voting system requires candidates to surpass 50% of first-round votes to win. The Cuomo campaign apparently saw it won't get second- or third-round votes from the other candidates that could put him over the edge against Mamdani.
Still, votes will be tallied over the next week as the system eliminates the lowest vote-getting candidates, and redistributes their subsequent votes to the remaining candidates. Given the coalition, the votes are unlikely to favor Cuomo, or at least he thought.
After the tallies, the race continues to November.
Mamdani said his campaign renewed faith in democracy. Voters, he said, can feel helpless in the face of government confusion and weakness and desperately sacrifice their liberties over basic needs.
'We have given our city permission to believe again,' he said.
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CNN
24 minutes ago
- CNN
Zohran Mamdani crafts a Democratic blueprint for going viral and winning
One of Zohran Mamdani's rivals during a New York City mayoral primary debate, trying to paint him as too inexperienced for the job of mayor, dismissed his rise in the polls with a quip. 'I regret not running for mayor in 2021,' said the rival, state Sen. Jessica Ramos. 'I had been in the Senate for two years. I'd already passed over a dozen bills. I thought I needed more experience.' 'But turns out you just need to make good videos,' Ramos concluded. Ramos might have had a point. Mamdani was on the cusp of a remarkable result in Tuesday's mayoral primary, with his chief rival, Andrew Cuomo, conceding the race. Through creative, visually striking advertisements, buzzy public appearances, and new media guest spots, the 33-year old state assemblyman went from nearly unknown outside of New York City to a new national face of progressive challengers to both President Donald Trump and the Democratic establishment. The videos Mamdani produced and posted on social media drew widespread interest from strategists and talk that they could be a model for Democrats worried they are losing the battle for younger voters online. Waleed Shahid, a veteran Democratic strategist who has worked with a range of progressive candidates and committees, compared Mamdani to Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, who endorsed him. 'Zohran cracked the code so many Democrats are searching for: laser-focus on affordability, scroll-stopping videos, and blend Obama's happy warrior with Bernie's populist anger,' Shahid said. 'Democrats say they want to modernize; this is a playbook.' Mamdani mixed moments like a tense confrontation with Trump administration border czar Tom Homan in March, with other more relaxed episodes, likes when the candidate plunged into winter waters off of Coney Island to promote his 'rent freeze' proposal, or as he recently walked 'the length of Manhattan.' In one video viewed over 5 million times on X, he explained New York City's ranked choice voting system – and criticized Cuomo, the former New York governor – speaking in Hindi, using mango lassi to analogize the ranked-choice voting process. Mamdani has flooded multiple platforms with his content, drawing more than one million followers across TikTok, Instagram, X and other social media sites. And he's joined new media shows, podcasts, and popular accounts to broaden his reach, such as a guest appearance with comedian Stavros Halkias the weekend before the election that drew more than 50,000 likes in less than a day. 'As Stavvy was saying, freezing the rent for rent-stabilized tenants, making the slowest buses in the country fast and free, delivering universal childcare. We can only do this, though, if you come out and vote,' Mamdani says in the short-form video. The effectiveness of the tactics used by Mamdani, the anti-establishment challenger, against Cuomo, the durable establishment favorite, offers a potential test case among the party's base voters in liberal New York City that will inform the next steps on Democrat's path forward. He raised $8 million (the fundraising cap set by the city's campaign finance rules) and dominated the field in contributions from small donors. Democratic soul-searching began quickly after 2024, as the party struggled to come to grips with the sophisticated media apparatus that President Donald Trump's campaign had built on his way to victory. Questions were posed about Trump's more successful pursuit of alternative media platforms, his penchant for viral moments, and his erosion of Democrats' long-running advantage with young voters and voters of color – demographics tuned into the channels Trump dominated. Many liberals cast about for a 'Joe Rogan of the left,' nodding to the president's valuable appearance with the popular podcast host in the weeks leading up to the election. 'Win or lose, Democrats would be smart to learn from Mamdani's example. He's meeting the moment with a populist, sticky message, an instinct for new media, and a command of the attention economy that's all too rare in Democratic politics today,' said Sawyer Hackett, a Democratic strategist with experience working on presidential campaigns. But Jesse Ferguson, a veteran Democratic strategist, cautioned Democrats against taking too many lessons from the high-profile contest in New York. 'These are good tactical innovations, but tactics aren't strategy, so Democrats shouldn't learn from any of these candidates and think the underlying problems are solved,' Ferguson said. The fights that have divided national Democrats showed up in the New York race. Former President Bill Clinton headlined establishment endorsements for Cuomo,. Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez – two progressives also known for their social media reach and their distance from party leaders – backed Mamdani. (Mamdani's appeared for a live video on Ocasio-Cortez's Instagram a few hours before polls closed Tuesday.) The Democratic National Committee stayed neutral. But ousted DNC Vice Chair David Hogg, the Gen Z activist pushed out of leadership after vowing to back younger primary challengers, was featured on Mamdani's social media. And his group, 'Leaders We Deserve,' gave $300,000 to an organization backing Mamdani. Hogg was at Mamdani's Election Night party Tuesday. So was Ella Emhoff, stepdaughter of the party's most recent presidential nominee, former Vice President Kamala Harris.
Indianapolis Star
32 minutes ago
- Indianapolis Star
Indianapolis 2027 mayoral race could be 'open season' as Hogsett's grip fades
It's unclear if Mayor Joe Hogsett is running for reelection for a fourth term but his continued fundraising hasn't put speculation to rest. Several potential candidates could be waiting to take over after Hogsett, including state Sen. Andrea Hunley, Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears and City-County Council President Vop Osili. Local political observers say that the prospect of Hogsett running again has substantially dimmed due to the fallout over the harassment allegations. The 2027 Indianapolis mayoral race is already quietly underway. Several potential candidates waiting in the wings to take over after Mayor Joe Hogsett — like state Sen. Andrea Hunley, Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears, City-County Council President Vop Osili, among others — are weighing a run, setting up a competitive 2027 Democratic primary and general election, according to the politicians themselves or sources familiar with their thinking. Already one candidate, Pike Township Trustee Annette Johnson, said she is planning to run. The conversations have picked up with more vigor since Hogsett has faced calls for resignation by people who are frustrated with his handling of past sexual harassment allegations against his former chief of staff Thomas Cook, calling into question the mayor's own political future. Mears, for example, didn't rule out the idea of running for mayor in 2027 when asked by IndyStar, and sharply criticized Hogsett's response to the harassment allegations, along with a lack of "bold leadership" to address challenges like housing and economic inequality. "If you're fortunate to be in a position of leadership, you need to put the people you serve ahead of your own interests," Mears said. "Your focus should be on how I can help people, and not on trying to maintain power." 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"And I am prayerfully, prayerfully listening, to our community's needs, and I'm keeping all future options on the table. ... We have a city leader who has failed his staff, and he's failed his people, and if he can't take care of them, how can we expect him to take care of us? How can we expect him to take care of our city?" There are also some additional names floating in the air: state Sen. Fady Qaddoura, D-Indianapolis, who has quietly amassed a promising campaign war chest of about $400,000, said "many have asked me to consider a run" for mayor, but he was focusing on "serving the residents of Senate District 30." And former Indianapolis Public School Board member Will Pritchard told IndyStar he is considering a run. And it's unclear whether state Rep. Robin Shackleford, who challenged Hogsett back in the 2023 primary, will try again. Shackleford didn't immediately reply to a request for comment. "This is what you'd consider open season for anyone who wants to run," Johnson said. "I don't see how (Hogsett would) be a viable candidate for 2027. We need new leadership. It's time for an African-American female." Still, the elephant in the room continues to be the mayor's own political intentions. Hogsett has continued to fundraise this year, fueling speculation that he could run for a fourth term, which he hasn't so far put to rest. Will Hogsett run for reelection in 2027? Destiny Wells, a former Democratic statewide candidate who most recently mounted an unsuccessful challenge to lead the state Democratic party, said she's frustrated that Hogsett is "continuing to stretch out this conversation." His campaign finance numbers dwarf those of the Marion County Democratic Party — Hogsett had $720,000 in the bank compared to less than $35,000 for the party at the end of 2024 — which she said is "a structural challenge that's holding Democrats back." "The real conversation needs to be about where political power and resources are concentrated," Wells said. "Right now, much of Marion County's donor network remains tied to Mayor Hogsett, making it difficult for new Democratic leaders to emerge and grow." Through a campaign spokesperson, Hogsett didn't answer directly when IndyStar asked whether he's decided to run again or if he's ruled it out. "Mayor Hogsett continues to be focused on the remaining 2.5 years of this term and delivering on the promises of improved public safety, stronger infrastructure and enhanced quality of life that Indianapolis voters overwhelmingly supported in 2023," Emily Gurwitz said. But local political observers say that the prospect of him running again has substantially dimmed due to the fallout over the harassment allegations. "This is such easy ammunition (for an election) that supersedes partisanship," said Laura Merrifield Wilson, associate political science professor at the University of Indianapolis. 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Most of the Council's six-member Republican caucus has so far held back on calling for Hogsett to resign. Just one member, Joshua Bain, has done so. Still, new Marion County GOP chair Natalie Goodwin said she's eying 2027 with more optimism in light of recent events. "Iron sharpens iron," Goodwin said. "For a city of Indy's magnitude, we have to have two strong parties pushing against each other to get the best outcomes. We're a decade in to essentially one-party rule and we're seeing the decay of what happens when there isn't an efficient challenger." Goodwin said her job now is to find the "best candidates possible who we think can lead with integrity and do what's best to serve their constituents." "I think the city is really hungry for a bold new vision," Goodwin said.
New York Post
37 minutes ago
- New York Post
Zohran Mamdani victory in NYC mayoral primary is ‘political earthquake' for the Democratic Party
Socialist Zohran Mamdani's stunning victory over three-term ex-Gov. Andrew Cuomo in Tuesday's mayoral primary is a 'political earthquake' that will pressure the national Democratic Party to move further left, political analysts told The Post. Dems who got trounced by President Trump and the GOP last year will have to pay more attention to the views of progressive, younger voters who propelled Mamdani's candidacy — as well as struggling working class voters — as they prepare for midterm congressional elections, strategists, pollsters and union leaders said. 'It's an important moment in political history,' said Basil Smikle, a former executive director of the New York State Democratic Party and senior aide to then-Sen. Hillary Clinton. 7 Democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani declared victory in the New York City Democratic mayoral primary. Getty Images 'He toppled a big name. It's an amazing feat,' Smikle said. Cuomo conceded to Mamdani Tuesday night, after trailing by roughly 70,000 votes — or 43% to 36% — with 96% of the precincts reported. 'Mamdani's victory provides a moment for progressives and younger voters to shape the future of the Democratic Party. There is no doubt,' Smikle said. Mamdani, 33, a two-term Queens assemblyman, replicated on a citywide scale what fellow socialist Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez accomplished in one congressional district when she toppled former Congressman Joe Crowley in the 2018 Democratic primary, with a new coalition that included younger voters. 'It's a political earthquake,' said Lee Miringoff, director of the Marist Institute for Public Opinion. 'An unknown defeating Andrew Cuomo is a changing of the guard. More Democratic voters are younger and their views have to be taken into account.' 7 Former NY Gov. Andrew Cuomo conceded to Mamdani on Tuesday. John Angelillo/UPI/Shutterstock Smikle said the support that Mamdani assembled also reminded him of the multi-racial coalition that David Dinkins drew together to get elected New York City's first black mayor in 1989. Others mentioned former President Barack Obama's ascendancy to the White House, defeating Hillary Clinton in the Democratic primary in 2008. 'The results of this primary are epic,' said Transport Workers Union president John Samuelsen, one of the few labor leaders to pay Mamdani any mind, while most others backed Cuomo. Mamdani's economic populist proposals to make life more affordable — by soaking the rich with higher taxes to pay for freebies — resonated with blue collar voters, including bus and subway workers he represents, Samuelsen said. He applauded Mamdani's plan to provide free bus fares — which critics panned as impractical — and showed up to speak at one of the candidate's rallies during the final stretch of the campaign. 7 New York's Attorney General Letitia James and US Representative Nydia Velazquez attended a watch party for Mamdani's primary election. REUTERS 'Mamdani ran as an economic populist. It was a campaign about affordability,' Samuelsen said. 'The typical worker is socially moderate and an economic populist,' he said. 'Democrats have not pushed an economic program for working people and that's why they lost to Trump. They abandoned working people. Mamdani reconnected with them.' Cuomo is just the latest scandal-scarred candidate to fail in a comeback bid after resigning as governor in 2021 while facing sexual misconduct accusations he denies. Keep up with today's most important news Stay up on the very latest with Evening Update. Thanks for signing up! Enter your email address Please provide a valid email address. By clicking above you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Never miss a story. Check out more newsletters Others defeated in comeback bids include former Gov. Eliot Spitzer and Anthony Weiner, who lost Tuesday night in a race for City Council. Democratic sources said Mamdani and his campaign outhustled Cuomo, despite $25 million funneled into a pro-Cuomo Fix The City Super Pac that pummeled the assemblyman with TV ads and scores of labor unions that backed him. Mamdani's campaign volunteers seemed to be everywhere on primary day, far more present than the Cuomo campaign. 7 Cuomo told supporters on Tuesday, 'Tonight was not our night, tonight, it was Assemblyman Mamdani's night.' Luiz C. Ribeiro for New York Post 'The unions that backed Cuomo, like the Carpenters, do not have many members that vote in New York City and they did not mount a serious 'Get Out The Vote' effort,' said John Mollenkopf, director CUNY's Center for Urban Research, who teaches political science. 'The independent expenditure efforts on his behalf were scare-mongering and not very convincing. I think they turned off as many voters to Cuomo as they added to his tally,' Mollenkopf said. 'The Working Families Party and related cross-endorsements, especially that of (City Comptroller) Brad Lander, were crucial for Mamdani's lead,' he said. 'It was built on young voters' disaffection with the Democratic Party establishment.' One Democratic Party source said a Mamdani victory will cause headaches for other party incumbents. 7 Mamdani's watch party was packed with passionate supporters on Tuesday night. REUTERS Fellow democratic socialists may feel emboldened to challenge Democratic incumbents for Congress, the source said, particularly mentioning Reps. Dan Goldman and Jerry Nadler. 'What does Gov. Kathy Hochul do? Does she endorse Mamdani as the Democratic nominee? What does Chuck Schumer do?' the source asked, referring to the Senate minority leader from New York. In 2021, Hochul stayed neutral in Buffalo's mayoral race when then-incumbent Byron Brown lost to democratic socialist India Walton in the party's primary. Brown then won re-election in a landslide as a write-in candidate. 7 James spoke during Mamdani's election night gathering after he secured the Democratic nomination for mayor. Getty Images The source wondered whether Hochul would back incumbent New York City Mayor Eric Adams, who is running in the November general election as an independent. But Hochul, the de-facto head of the state Democratic Party who is up for re-election next year, put out a statement Tuesday night congratulating Mamdani and seemed open to supporting him. 'Today, voters made their voices heard, demanding a more affordable, more livable New York City. I hear them loud and clear,' she said. 'Zohran Mamdani built a formidable grassroots coalition, and I look forward to speaking with him in the days ahead about his ideas on how to ensure a safe, affordable, and livable New York City.' Still, Mamdani's leftist vision on public safety and strident opposition to Israel may not play as well in the general election as in the primary. 7 Mamdani spoke on stage with fellow candidate Comptroller Brad Lander at his primary election party. AP Adams, and Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa, could benefit from Mamdani's primary victory over Cuomo. The mayor, who is saddled by his own corruption scandals despite federal charges being dropped, can run as the more moderate, law and order and fiscally responsible candidate, citing a drop in crime and an improved post-COVID-19 pandemic economy. Sliwa can make the same argument. Lawyer Jim Walden also is running as an independent. Cuomo also could run on an independent 'Fight & Deliver' ballot line, but many supporters may now switch to Mamdani, as he's the Democratic nominee. The vibe inside Adams' camp was 'very good' on Tuesday night, sources told The Post. 'This is it. The fight for New York's future begins tonight,' his campaign account posted on X, imploring supporters to 'Join us—knock doors, make calls, chip in.' Sliwa, meanwhile, immediately painted Mamdani as far from the mainstream. 'Zohran Mamdani is too extreme for a city already on edge. This race is not over,' he said.
