Zohran Mamdani Wins Astonishing Election — What You Need To Know

Zohran Mamdani becomes the first Muslim mayor of New York City and the youngest since 1892

Zohran Mamdani has been called a lot of things of late: socialist, communist, and, of course, the worst — a terrorist by Elise Stefanik and his opponent, Andrew Cuomo. The irrational name-calling, deficient in facts, has surely prompted many to probe deeper. The new mayor went from 18% in March to a 55% approval rating in October. His win signals a turning tide in politics, one that progressives should not take for granted.

Political Significance

Mr Mamdani becomes the first Muslim mayor of New York City and the youngest since 1892, marking another progressive leap forward — the first since President Barack Obama’s win. His win signals both a generational shift towards a new political ideology, one with a fresh perspective and a progressive stance.

The Primaries

In the primaries — a ranked-choice voting system — Mr. Mamdani defeated Andrew Cuomo with the most votes ever for a candidate in the NYC mayoral primary, with 565,639. He won by a margin of 56.39% of the vote (first-round results were 43.82%) to Cuomo’s 43.8%.

Zohran Mamdani answers the Maria Bamford questionnaire.

The Largest Voter Turn Out In History

As of today, 91% of the votes have been declared, with Zohran Mamdani (Democrats) leading with 1,036,051 votes (+50.4%). In contrast, Andrew Cuomo (Independent) is currently on 854,995 votes (+41.6%). Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa stands at 146,137 (+7.1%).

What You Need To Know

Following his Democratic primary defeat, Andrew Cuomo conceded and went on to run as an independent candidate, ultimately losing again.

Background

Zohran Mamdani is a 34-year-old state assembly member with a background as a city planner for community housing projects and as a foreclosure‑prevention housing counsellor to assist low-income homeowners to avoid eviction
Andrew Cuomo is a 67-year-old lawyer and former attorney general of New York
Mr Mamdani won the first round with 43.5% of the vote to Mr Cuomo’s 36.4%, leading him to concede the race early and compete as an independent candidate.

Cuomo’s Racism and Anti-Muslim Comments

Andrew Cuomo has been criticised for his bigoted comments, largely targeting Mamdani’s Muslim beliefs. On a conservative radio show, Cuomo asked:

The advertisement was posted by Andrew Cuomo’s team.

“God forbid another 9/11 — can you imagine Mamdani in the seat?” the host replied, “He’d be cheering,” Cuomo paused, then said: “That’s another problem“. His team later shared an AI-generated video of a Black man in a keffiyeh shoplifting while criminals endorse Mamdani.

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Mr Cuomo called this an oversight, claiming a junior staffer had signed off on the advertisement, though it would have had to have passed several levels of approval. He later said, “New Yorkers love the Muslim community,” he said. “He claims that he is the victim — the victim of attacks because he’s a Muslim. Nothing could be further from the truth. He is not a victim. He is the offender”, though he stopped short of condemning the remarks.

Photo credit: Kara McCurdy

Stanisland Magazine