Zohran Mamdani, a 33-year-old Muslim of South Asian origin, surprised political observers on Tuesday with an overwhelming defeat to former heavyweight governor Andrew Cuomo.
If state legislator Mamdani wins mayoral elections in November, he will be the first Muslim mayor in New York City’s history, India-born mayor.
As votes were poured, Mamdani tweeted early Wednesday morning to call for Nelson Mandela. “It always seems impossible until it’s done. My friend, it’s over. And you’re the person who did it.
Cuomo, a former New York governor who resigned in 2021 amid a sexual harassment scandal, addressed the events in Manhattan after calling Mandani to congratulate him. “Tonight is Rep. Mamdani’s night and he put together a great campaign,” he said. “And he touched the young people, inspired them, moved them, got them out and voted, and he ran a really, really impactful campaign.”
In Mamdani’s anticipated victory, political analysts believe there is a greater lesson for Democrats who are still working on losses in the 2024 presidential and congressional elections.
So who is Zohran Mamdani? What was his poll, and how did he confuse the poll forecasts to attract Democratic primary winners? And what is his view on Gaza, a major campaign issue this year?
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What happened in the Democratic primary?
In the first-choice round of electoral votes ranked in the Democratic mayoral primary in New York City on June 24th, Mamdani led the vote by 43.5%, about 432,000 votes, while Cuomo won 36.4% or 361,800 votes.
Another progressive candidate, Secretary Brad Lander, came third with 11.3%, with the remaining votes split among the other minor candidates.
No candidate has secured more than 50% of first-line votes, so New York’s ranked selection system has been launched. The candidates with the fewest votes were eliminated in consecutive rounds, and supporters’ second choice preferences were redistributed.
Mamdani reportedly picked up a significant portion of Lander’s voters and other progressives, pushing him down the path to crossing the majority threshold. It may be a few days before the final result is declared, but Mamdani’s victory looks all but sure, as demonstrated by Cuomo’s concessions.
Were Mamdani expected to win?
not much. In the weeks leading up to the Democratic mayoral primary, most major polls supported Cuomo as the frontline, but Mamdani picked up as the election approached.
A Marist poll conducted on June 18, just six days before the primary election, showed Cuomo led the pack in 38% of first-line votes. Mamdani dragged at 27%. The vote also simulates the outcome of ranked selections, predicting that Cuomo will eventually reach a 55% majority in the subsequent round, suggesting strong second and third choices support among voters.
Similarly, early Emerson University polls from late May showed that Cuomo held 37% of first-line votes and Mamdani entered 17%. A more dated Siena/AARP poll in April shows Cuomo go even further, with 39% of votes comparing to 15% of Mamdani.
Cuomo had a name recognition that was almost unparalleled in New York. His father, Mario Cuomo, was also the governor of the state. He received a funded campaign that flooded the airwaves and mailboxes around town.
But the mum dani grassroots campaign — driven by volunteers, small dollar donations and strong turnout among young voters — has proven to be decisive. He targeted working-class New Yorkers, particularly in parts of Queens, Brooklyn and Manhattan.
Cuomo and other Democrats criticized Mamdani as unsuitable for the New York mayor’s office, claiming he lacked management experience to navigate the city’s complex bureaucracy and effectively manage the crisis. It was revealed on Tuesday that their pitch did not work.
Who is Zohran Mamdani?
Zohran Kwame Mamdani is a 33-year-old democratic socialist and the son of Ugandan academic Mahmoud Mamdani and Indian filmmaker Mira Nair.
Born in Kampala, Mamdani moved to New York at the age of seven. He received his Bachelor of Arts in Africana Studies from Boudin University in Maine. Before entering politics, he worked as a housing counselor to help low-income families prevent evictions.
In the 2020 New York State Assembly election, he was elected from the 36th District, representing Astoria in Queens.
Earlier this year, he married Rama Duwazi, a 27-year-old Syrian artist based in Brooklyn. Her work has been featured in publications such as The New Yorker, The Washington Post, and Vice, and has also worked on animation and pottery.
What is his view on the Gaza War?
Mamdani is one of the most vocal American elected officials to criticize Israel’s war of Gaza. In a post on October 31, 2024, Mamdani said:
He is also a strong supporter of the boycott, sale and sanctions (BDS) movement. At an event in Manhattan earlier this month, he linked his support to “nonviolence, the heart of my politics.”
The headline moment for his campaign came during an interview with Maedi Hasan in December 2024. If Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited New York, he was asked what he would do. Mamdani responded frankly: “As mayor, Netanyahu would have been arrested if he came to New York!”
“This is a city [where] Our values are in line with international law. So does what we do,” he told Hasan.
Mamdani also refused to distance himself from “intifada globalization,” the phrase that many Jewish leaders and conservative commentators were inflamed and accused of being anti-Semitic.
Answering a question about the slogan, Mamdani said in an episode of the Bluwork Podcast in June 2025: He added that the slogan is not about calling for violence, but about solidarity with people oppressed worldwide.
Cuomo’s campaign took up Mamdani’s Muslim identity and criticised his pro-Palestinian stand, claiming he was engaged in anti-Semitism. New York, where the United Nations is headquartered, is home to the world’s largest Jewish community outside of Israel.
In an interview in June 2025, Mamdani said, dealing with the threat of Islamophobia he received: “There is no room for anti-Semitism in this city or country,” he repeatedly emphasizes that his criticism is directed towards the policies of the US and Israeli governments, not Jews.
The Mamdani campaign was driven by over 22,000 grassroots volunteers and the support of progressive heavyweights such as Bernie Sanders, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Working Family Party.
What are his other important promises?
Mamdani’s campaign for New York mayoral status focuses on ambitious and progressive policy platforms aimed at reallocating wealth, expanding public services and transforming urban life.
One of his flagship proposals is to make all city buses free by 2027. Mamdani pointed to the success of the pilot program, where buses without fares reduced higher riderships and assault on drivers.
Housing is another pillar of Mamdani’s platform, and he plans to propose a rent freeze in all rent-stabilized apartments and establish a social housing development agency that will build open and permanently affordable housing. He is seeking stronger tenant protection and is proposing increased rents on city-owned properties.
Mamdani also proposes opening a local government-owned grocery store in each district. There, communities that are not serviced by commercial chains have access to affordable, healthy food options. He has pledged to expand the free school program to include city universities and offer universal childcare and early education programs.
To pay it all, Mamdani pitched major tax reforms. It raised the corporate tax rate from 7.25% to 11.5%, and charged a 2% extra charge on individuals making more than $1 million a year. According to his campaign, these measures could generate up to $9.4 billion a year.
Regarding public safety, Mamdani has proposed resources away from the New York Police Department to the new community safety department.
What’s next – and will Mamdani become the next mayor?
The general mayoral election in New York City will be held on November 4th this year. Mamdani faced Republican candidate Curtis Swawa, previously losing a major mayoral race in 2021.
Once the main results are officially announced, Mamdani will become the Democratic candidate for the November election. New York City’s overwhelming Democrat majority – given Democrats outperform Republicans by more than 6 to 1, he becomes a solid favorite to become the city’s next mayor.
The last Republican to win the mayoral race in New York was Michael Bloomberg in 2001, and first won the race as a Republican before switching to independent status in the second term in the second term.
