Mamdani officially secures nomination for New York City mayor
As the Democratic nominee, Mamdani will face current mayor Eric Adams in the general election. Adams, who won as a Democrat in his first mayoral race in 2021, is running as an independent candidate after his indictment on corruption charges and the subsequent decision by the Department of Justice to drop the case.
In a new video on X, Mamdani compared his victory in the primary to the election campaign Adams had in 2021.
'We have always thought our victory would come after multiple rounds of ranked-choice voting. When we got more votes in the first round than Eric Adams got in the seven rounds in the last election, it was astonishing,' he said.
An unexpected victory of 33-year-old Mamdani, a Uganda-born Muslim, who describes himself as a democratic socialist, over veteran politician Andrew Cuomo, a moderate, caused unease among Democrats, worried that his political views may make them a convenient target for Republican attacks.
The day after Mamdani's victory, President Donald Trump called him a '100% Communist Lunatic' while the Republican party's congressional campaign arm promised to tie him to every vulnerable Democrat in next year's midterm elections.
In the new video, Mamdani said that his objective was 'to win people back to the Democratic party' and noted that he prevailed in some of New York City neighborhoods that voted for Trump in the presidential election last year.
After the election board confirmed Mamdani's victory, Trump, asked how he would deal with Mamdani if he wins the election and tries to block arrests of immigrants, said:
'Well then, we'll have to arrest him. Look, we don't need a communist in this country. But if we have one I'm going to be watching over him very carefully on behalf of the nation.'
Mamdani earlier said that the immigrant raids were 'terrorizing people' and agents who carry them out have no interest in following the law.
Cuomo, who received 44% of votes in the final tally, called Mamdani to concede the race after early results of the primary were announced last Tuesday. The former governor couldenter the race as an independent candidate, but he has not said publicly whether he will.
Along with Adams, Mamdani will face Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa, a radio host best known as the founder of the Guardian Angels anti-crime patrol, and attorney Jim Walden, who is running as an independent.
The ranked-choice voting system that New York City adopted in 2021 allowed voters to rank up to five candidates in the order of preference. Ballots are tabulated in what may best be described as a series of instant runoffs, where the candidates who trail are gradually eliminated and their votes are re-distributed among frontrunners until one of them reaches 50%.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
IOL News
an hour ago
- IOL News
NCC MP Fadiel Adams faces consequences for sexist and racist remarks
National Coloured Congress (NCC) leader Fadiel Adams. Image: Ayanda Ndamane / Independent Newspapers National Coloured Congress (NCC) MP Fadiel Adams has been found guilty of breaching Parliament's Code of Ethical Conduct and Disclosure of Members' Interests following a nine-minute Facebook video in which he used crude, sexist, and racially charged language. The Joint Committee on Ethics and Members' Interests tabled its report to Parliament, recommending Adams be reprimanded, suspended for 15 sitting days, and that his salary be docked for the same period. He is also ordered to issue a public apology and attend a consultation on ethical conduct. The complaint was lodged by Democratic Alliance Chief Whip George Michalakis and submitted to the Office of the Registrar of Members' Interests on March 5, 2025. The complaint relates to a nine-minute video Adams posted on February 18, 2025, where he made a series of offensive remarks directed at a female member of the Democratic Alliance, the mayor of Cape Town, and the DA as a party. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ According to the complaint, Adams used explicit and offensive terms referring to race, gender, sexual conduct, and political affiliation. In addition to personal attacks, he made inflammatory allegations and threats directed at a woman's employer, at the mayor's children, and the City of Cape Town leadership. In the report, the complainant stated that the content of the social media post is as follows: 'ek weet nie wat makeer sekere coloured mense nie (I don't know what is wrong with some coloured people)', and 'some of us are so desperate to fit white sexual reproduction organs into our mouths … the Mackenzie family has been practising it for years'. He then refers to an individual as a 'ding' (thing) and 'the Right-Wing love coloureds that are a fit to work in the kitchen but think they can make their way into the office by sucking white genitalia'. He then also calls her a 'coloured mother's p**s', 'naai', 'h***me!d', 'vuil ma se p**s (and if you do not excuse my language, f**k you sommer)', 'smetterige vark (pig)', 'coloured mother f**k', 'this mother n**i' and says that she is so desperate for a white man's recognition. He then continues: 'I don't care if you are a woman, because you're not a woman as far as I am concerned because a mother doesn't do this' and 'I don't give a p**s, I am not gender biased, jou vuil n**i (you dirty f**k)'. With regards to members of the DA as 'f**ng agents', he refers to the mayor of Cape Town as a 'piece of sh*t', 'wit god' and to 'his f**ng kids'. He then falsely accuses the mayor and the city of murder and fuelling violence. He furthermore threatens the female individual that he will approach her employer ('there will be consequences at your workplace') and tell them that 'you're employing a piece of sh*t' and then goes further to threaten the employer himself, stating that if she does not remove a Facebook post that 'your boss will not trade for a day or two', threatening to ignore a High Court order against him for closing business because 'some things are worth going to jail for'. The complainant also stated that Adams is in breach of items 5(1) and 9 of the Code. Also, if the complainant's conduct falls foul of the provisions of the Prevention and Combating of Hate Crime and Hate Speech Act, the member could be in breach of his oath of office. He also indicated that he was willing to ignore a High Court order in pursuit of what he termed justice. Adams did not dispute the content of the video or that he was the individual who made the remarks. The committee reviewed footage that was taken from his Facebook page before it was removed and confirmed that the statements were made as described. In his written response submitted on March 13, 2025, he offered an apology for the outburst and cited personal circumstances as a contributing factor. He said he had been under considerable stress linked to threats to his children's safety and family-related trauma. He argued that the post was a reaction to a Facebook post made by a DA member, which, in his view, had placed his children in danger by suggesting gang affiliations. The committee acknowledged Adams' account of personal stress, but maintained that it did not excuse the severity or public nature of the language used. It expressed concern about the particularly vulgar, sexist, and racist nature of the remarks, especially those directed at a woman, and stated that "the member brought Parliament into disrepute". The committee found that the Member had breached items 9(1) and 9(2) of the Code of Ethical Conduct, as outlined under item 16(1)(c). These provisions prohibit members from using racist, sexist, or derogatory language on social media and from bringing Parliament into disrepute through such conduct. It further noted that members are expected to uphold the integrity of Parliament and act in a manner that promotes public confidence in the institution. Although the member was informed of the breach and invited to submit written representations regarding a possible penalty, no such representation was received. The committee has recommended that Adams be formally reprimanded in the House. He should issue an apology in the National Assembly, to the public, and to the woman referred to in the Facebook video for the use of racist, sexist, and vulgar language. It further recommended that he be suspended from participating in debates and committees for 15 sitting days. His salary and allowances should be reduced by an amount equal to the same period. The member is also expected to attend a consultation with the Speaker of the National Assembly, the Co-Chairpersons of the Committee, and the Acting Registrar to discuss the ethical conduct required of MPs.
eNCA
2 hours ago
- eNCA
Trump close to victory on flagship tax bill
US lawmakers teed up a final vote on Donald Trump's marquee tax and spending bill for Thursday morning after bruising Republican infighting nearly derailed the centerpiece of the president's domestic agenda. Almost 24 hours after debate began, Trump appeared close to victory as Congress edged towards passing his "One Big Beautiful Bill," despite misgivings in his party over a text that would balloon the national debt while launching a historic assault on the social safety net. The bill would be a major landmark in Trump's political life, sealing his vision of US domestic policy into law -- and coming after he scored recent wins including in the Supreme Court and with US strikes that led to a ceasefire between Israel and Iran. Speaker Mike Johnson struggled through the night to corral his rank-and-file Republican members after the package scraped through a series of "test" votes in the House of Representatives that laid bare deep divisions in the party. It was on course for a final vote that would put it on Trump's desk to be signed into law after passing its last procedural hurdle in the early hours of Thursday. "We feel very good about where we are and we're moving forward," an upbeat Johnson told reporters at the Capitol. "So we're going to deliver the Big, Beautiful Bill -- the president's 'America First' agenda -- and we're going to do right by the American people." - Funds for mass deportation - The timetable could slip however as Democratic minority leader Hakeem Jeffries continued a long speech opposing the bill that delayed proceedings by several hours. Originally approved by the House in May, Trump's sprawling legislation squeezed through the Senate on Tuesday but had to return to the lower chamber for a rubber stamp of the senators' revisions. The package honors many of Trump's campaign promises, boosting military spending, funding a mass migrant deportation drive and committing $4.5 trillion to extend his first-term tax relief. But it is expected to pile an extra $3.4 trillion over a decade onto the country's fast-growing deficits, while shrinking the federal food stamps program and forcing through the largest cuts to the Medicaid health insurance scheme for low-income Americans since its 1960s launch. While Republican moderates in the House are anxious that the cuts will damage their prospects of reelection, fiscal hawks chafed over savings that they say fall far short of what was promised. Johnson has to negotiate tight margins, and can likely only lose three lawmakers in the final vote, among more than two dozen who had declared themselves open to rejecting Trump's bill. - 'Abomination' - The 869-page text only passed in the Senate after a flurry of tweaks that pulled the House-passed version further to the right. It offsets its tax relief with around $1 trillion in health care cuts, and some estimates put the total number of recipients set to lose their insurance coverage under the bill at 17 million. Scores of rural hospitals are expected to close. Johnson had been clear that he was banking on Trump leaning on waverers, as the president has in the past to turn around contentious House votes that were headed for failure. The Republican leader has spent weeks hitting the phones and hosting White House meetings to cajole lawmakers torn between angering welfare recipients at home and incurring his wrath. "FOR REPUBLICANS, THIS SHOULD BE AN EASY YES VOTE. RIDICULOUS!!!" Trump, 79, thundered in one of multiple posts to his Truth Social platform as Wednesday's marathon voting session spilled into Thursday. The bill would underline Trump's total dominance of the Republican Party in his second term, and comes as he relishes a major Supreme Court victory last week that curbed lone judges from blocking his radical policies. But House Democrats have signaled that they plan to campaign on the bill to flip the chamber in the 2026 midterm elections, pointing to data showing that it represents a historic redistribution of wealth from the poorest Americans to the richest. Jeffries held the floor for his Democrats for more than four hours ahead of the final vote, as he told the stories of everyday Americans whom he argued would be harmed by Trump's legislation. "This bill, this one big, ugly bill -- this reckless Republican budget, this disgusting abomination -- is not about improving the quality of life of the American people," he said. By Frankie Taggart
eNCA
3 hours ago
- eNCA
US House close to final vote on Trump tax bill
US lawmakers teed up a final vote on Donald Trump's marquee tax and spending bill for Thursday morning after bruising Republican infighting nearly derailed the centerpiece of the president's domestic agenda. Almost 24 hours after debate began, Trump appeared close to major victory as Congress edged towards passing his "One Big Beautiful Bill," despite misgivings in his party over a text that would balloon the national debt while launching a historic assault on the social safety net. Speaker Mike Johnson struggled through the night to corral his rank-and-file members after the package scraped through a series of "test" votes in the House of Representatives that laid bare deep divisions in the party. It was on course for a final vote that would put it on Trump's desk to be signed into law after passing its last procedural hurdle in the early hours of Thursday. "We feel very good about where we are and we're moving forward," an upbeat Johnson told reporters at the Capitol. "So we're going to deliver the Big, Beautiful Bill -- the president's 'America First' agenda -- and we're going to do right by the American people." - Trump's flagship bill - The timetable could slip however as Democratic minority leader Hakeem Jeffries continued a long speech opposing the bill that delayed proceedings by several hours. Originally approved by the House in May, Trump's sprawling legislation squeezed through the Senate on Tuesday but had to return to the lower chamber for a rubber stamp of the senators' revisions. The package honors many of Trump's campaign promises, boosting military spending, funding a mass migrant deportation drive and committing $4.5 trillion to extend his first-term tax relief. But it is expected to pile an extra $3.4 trillion over a decade onto the country's fast-growing deficits, while shrinking the federal food stamps program and forcing through the largest cuts to the Medicaid health insurance scheme for low-income Americans since its 1960s launch. While moderates in the House are anxious that the cuts will damage their prospects of reelection, fiscal hawks chafed over savings that they say fall far short of what was promised. Johnson has to negotiate tight margins, and can likely only lose three lawmakers in the final vote, among more than two dozen who had declared themselves open to rejecting Trump's bill. - 'Abomination' - The 869-page text only passed in the Senate after a flurry of tweaks that pulled the House-passed version further to the right. It offsets its tax relief with around $1 trillion in health care cuts, and some estimates put the total number of recipients set to lose their insurance coverage under the bill at 17 million. Scores of rural hospitals are expected to close due to the cuts. Most legislation in the House has to run the gauntlet of multiple preliminary votes before it can come up for final approval. But there was alarm early on as the One Big Beautiful Bill stumbled at one of its first procedural stages, with a vote that ought to have been straightforward remaining open for seven hours and 31 minutes -- making it the longest in House history. Johnson had been clear that he was banking on Trump leaning on waverers, as the president has in the past to turn around contentious House votes that were headed for failure. The Republican leader has spent weeks hitting the phones and hosting White House meetings to cajole lawmakers torn between angering welfare recipients at home and incurring his wrath. "FOR REPUBLICANS, THIS SHOULD BE AN EASY YES VOTE. RIDICULOUS!!!" Trump thundered in one of multiple posts to his Truth Social platform that sounded increasingly frustrated as Wednesday's marathon voting session spilled into Thursday. House Democrats have signaled that they plan to campaign on the bill to flip the chamber in the 2026 midterm elections, pointing to analyses showing that it represents a historic redistribution of wealth from the poorest Americans to the richest. Jeffries held the floor for his Democrats for more than three hours ahead of the final vote, as he told the stories of everyday Americans whom he argued would be harmed by Trump's legislation. "This bill, this one big, ugly bill -- this reckless Republican budget, this disgusting abomination -- is not about improving the quality of life of the American people," he said. By Frankie Taggart
