The Associated Press reported late on Tuesday, shortly after polls closed in a contentious contest that grabbed the attention of the world, that New York City’s Zohran Mamdani had won the race to take the city’s largest city.
The city’s more than 8.4 million residents, an economic and cultural powerhouse with international significance, are in for a historic beckoning after winning on Sunday.
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Mamdani is the city’s first Muslim, first of its kind, and first person of African descent.
Following a day of historic voter turnout, the 34-year-old state assemblyman was scheduled to address a rousing watch party at the Brooklyn Paramount theater later on Tuesday.
But he thanked supporters on Monday for “bringing us this point of making history in this city.”
Mamdani’s historic victory has attracted the support of many of his devoted supporters, but the majority of them have been clear: It is about his laser-focused message of affordability rather than his religion or ethnicity.
The race has also developed a bellwether effect as a bellwether for the future of Democratic politics, with Mamdani representing a potential path forward for the party and former governor Andrew Cuomo representing the wealthy, donor-dominated establishment of the past.
Cuomo’s election on Tuesday was not without words, calling it a “civil war in the Democratic Party that has been raging for a while.”
Cuomo, who lost the Democratic primary to Mamdani in June, said, “You have an extreme radical left that is run by the socialists that is challenging moderate Democrats.”
“And that contest is what you’re seeing here,” you may say.
He claims to be “new and fresh”
Cuomo was spot on when Joshua Wilson, a social worker, cast a ballot for Mamdani in the Bronx’s Mott Haven neighborhood.
“New York and the United States are all the subjects of Donald Trump’s second presidency,” he said. Wilson claimed that everything is politicized and that it is much more vitriolic.
“There’s also a significant push against introducing younger voices. People want to be conservative, but they are really scared. The 33-year-old said that they want to keep things the way they are.
The neighborhood resident, 68, shared the sentiment with Lucy Cordero.
She said, “We’ve seen Cuomo, we know who he is, and he hasn’t been a great person.” Mamdani is a newcomer and fresh, so I chose him. Perhaps he can alter the situation and make some changes.
Megan Marks, a freelancer in Brooklyn’s Crown Heights, claimed Mamdani skews more left than she does.
She nevertheless viewed his bold platform as a diversion from Republican-dominated US presidential politics.
We seem to have nothing to lose, I believe. He is a little young and idealistic, Marks said.
She said, “We could as well balance what is happening in the country by having someone with a very different perspective, so I’ve chosen to support him [Mamdani],” adding that.
In the final moments of the race, Trump endorsed Cuomo, a move that may have had a negative impact on the electorate.
Even former Cuomo supporters were a little spooky about Mamdani’s campaign.
Alex Lawerance, a 55-year-old Crown Heights lawyer, told Al Jazeera, “In the primary, I did not vote for [Mamdani], but I changed my vote to him after some reflection.”
Although I don’t think [Mamdani] is as progressive, he has integrity, and I believe he will do a good job. I want to give the man a chance.
Iftikar Khan, a driver who was originally from Bangladesh, praised Mamdani’s massive mobilization of Muslim and South Asian voters.
Many people believe that his victory represents a new political renaissance for the city’s Muslim population, who had been experiencing a wave of discrimination following the attacks on September 11, 2001.
Support has also been sparked by Mamdani’s unwavering support for Palestinian rights, which is a departure from the mainstream Democrats and former New York City mayors.
“I was persuaded by my family. They genuinely love Mamdani, according to Khan, a registered Republican and Trump supporter who also supported Mamdani on Tuesday.
He claimed that “my family really wanted Mamdani, so I said “OK.”
We’re going to hold him accountable, they say.
How will Mamdani put his ambitious vision into practice remains a subject for debate.
He has pledged free buses, universal childcare, and rent freezes for stabilised units in response to his affordability goal.
His strategy calls for higher corporate taxes on both the wealthy and the poor to fund some of these programs. For that, New York City and the state legislature would need to form a coalition of support.
When he takes office, he will also have to balance his party’s support, including the Democratic Socialists of America, a group that has helped build a volunteer army totaling over 100 000.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, among others, has remained in favor of Mamdani despite Trump’s threats regarding federal funding and the National Guard’s deployment.
Andre Augustine, 33, was unconcerned about the difficulties Mamdani would face in the Bronx.
He said, “I’m not going to say it’s going to be easy, but I believe having a vision is very important.”
“I think it’s going to be difficult, but I also believe we’re going to put a lot of pressure on him,” he said. He said, “We’re going to hold him accountable.”
