New York Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani has announced the leadership of his transition team, promising to form a “capable and compassionate” administration to lead the city and turn his election platform into policies.
Mamdani said in brief remarks on Wednesday that he is moving from the “poetry” of campaigning to the “beautiful prose of governing”.
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“In the coming months, I and my team will build a city hall capable of delivering on the promises of this campaign,” he said.
“We will form an administration that is equal parts capable and compassionate, driven by integrity and willing to work just as hard as the millions of New Yorkers who call this city home.”
Mamdani said his all-women transition team would be led by four co-chairs, including the former chief of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), Lina Khan, who is a prominent antitrust advocate.
On Tuesday, the 34-year-old democratic socialist had defeated former Democratic Governor Andrew Cuomo, who was backed by President Donald Trump, and Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa to become the city’s first Muslim mayor.
He is set to take office on January 1, 2026.
The New York race had implications well beyond the city itself. It was seen as a reflection of the battle between progressive Democrats and the centrist, pro-Israel old guard of the party.
Mamdani’s campaign focused on affordability, promising to expand social programmes to help struggling families.
His plans include waiving fares for public buses, freezing rents for government-subsidised homes, and providing free childcare to residents.
Mamdani’s agenda will require working with state leaders to increase taxes on the highest earners to fund his programmes.
ADL to ‘monitor’ Mamdani administration
Although Mamdani’s campaign was focused on New York, his advocacy for Palestinian rights had taken centre stage throughout.
The Anti-Defamation League (ADL), a major pro-Israel group, says it is launching a “comprehensive initiative to track and monitor policies and personnel appointments” of the incoming Mamdani administration in New York.
ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt hurled baseless accusations of anti-Semitism at Mamdani, saying that the mayor-elect “demonstrated intense animosity toward” Israel.
“We expect the mayor of the city with the largest Jewish population in the world to stand unequivocally against anti-Semitism in all its varied forms and support all of its Jewish residents just as he would all other constituents,” Greenblatt said.
“We will hold the Mamdani administration accountable to this basic standard.”
Mamdani has been critical of Israel over its human rights abuses. He has also pledged to protect Jewish New Yorkers, and throughout the campaign, he met with Jewish community leaders.
Mamdani defiant against Trump
Trump, who was born and raised in New York, had loomed heavily over the race. On Tuesday, he said any Jewish resident who would vote for Mamdani is “stupid”.
The United States president had also threatened to withhold funds to New York and deploy federal forces to the city if Mamdani is elected.
In his victory speech on Tuesday night, Mamdani sent a defiant message to Trump, saying that New York will show how to stop the US president.
“If anyone can show a nation betrayed by Donald Trump how to defeat him, it is the city that gave rise to him,” Mamdani said. “And if there is any way to defeat a despot, it is by dismantling the very conditions that allowed him to accumulate power.”
He added that addressing the root causes of Trump’s ascent to power, including income inequality, would also prevent the rise of others like him.
“So, Donald Trump, since I know you’re watching, I have four words for you: Turn the volume up,” Mamdani said.
On Wednesday, the mayor-elect suggested that he would turn to the legal system if Trump moves against New York.
Asked by ABC News how he would stand up to Trump, Mamdani said: “The first thing is, you actually utilise the courts. You stop treating things as being law just by virtue of the fact that President Trump is saying them.”
Elections boost Democrats
Tuesday’s elections also saw Democrats score big wins in the gubernatorial races in New Jersey and Virginia.
Democrats also won two races for seats on Georgia’s utility board – statewide contests that were widely considered a litmus test of Trump’s appeal in the swing state.
Voters in California adopted a congressional map that would draw US House districts that favour Democrats.
The results represent a boost for Democrats ahead of next year’s midterm elections.
Trump acknowledged the election setback, partly blaming the federal government shutdown for the results.
Late on Tuesday, Trump called on Republicans to abolish the filibuster – a Senate rule that requires 60 votes in the 100-seat chamber to pass major legislation – to facilitate what he called “voter reform”.
“Pass Voter Reform, Voter ID, No Mail-In Ballots,” Trump wrote in a social media post. “Save our Supreme Court from “Packing,’ No Two State addition, etc. TERMINATE THE FILIBUSTER!!!”
Trump has long opposed mail-in voting, a practice that is common in democracies across the world, baselessly claiming that it enables fraud.
In the 2024 elections, which Trump won, nearly 30 percent of Americans relied on mail-in voting to cast their ballots.
