By Iftikhar Ali
NEW YORK , Nov 05 (APP): Democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani has won New York’s mayoral race, after the 34-year-old Muslim politician energized progressives in the city and across the country, despite intense backlash from President Donald Trump and Republicans, as well as some members of his own party.
He became the first Muslim and person of South Asian descent — as well as the youngest in over a century — to hold the position. The 34-year-old, Ugandan-born defeated former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, who ran as an Independent, and Republican Curtis Sliwa in Tuesday’s election. Incumbent Mayor Eric Adams, who ran a scandal-ridden administration, dropped out of the race in September and endorsed Cuomo last month.
A relatively unknown figure just months ago, few could have predicted Mamdani’s rise to lead the biggest city in the US, a job which comes with a $116 billion budget and global scrutiny, with analysts calling the development a “seismic shift” in the political environment.
Along the way, he pushed aside the heir to one of New York’s most iconic political dynasties — the Cuomos — not once but twice within five months.
In his victory speech to thousands of jubilant supporters, Mamdani said, “For as long as we can remember, the working people of New York have been told by the wealthy and the well-connected that power does not belong in their hands,” Mamdani said.
“And yet, over the last 12 months, you have dared to reach for something greater. Tonight, against all odds, we have grasped it,” he told the cheering audience.
To wild cheers, Mamdani addressed Andrew Cuomo, his vanquished opponent. “My friends, we have toppled a political dynasty,” he said
The mayor-elect Zohran also addressed President Donald Trump directly during this victory speech.
“Donald Trump, since I know you’re watching, I have four words for you: Turn the volume up,” Mamdani said.
Mamdani has been a high-profile target of Trump — who has branded the Democratic Socialist as a “communist” and vowed political retribution.
The mayor-elect vowed to protect immigrants, saying, “New York will remain a city of immigrants, a city built by immigrants, and as of tonight, led by immigrants.”
“So hear me, President Trump, when I say this: To get to any of us, you will have to get through all of us,” he said to applause.
During Mamdani’s speech, Trump — who threatened to slash federal funding to New York City if Mamdani won — posted on social media, “…AND SO IT BEGINS!”
Mamdani said that New York City ‘has been reborn”
After thanking his volunteers who “built this campaign into an unstoppable force,” he urged the city to “breathe this moment in.”
“We have held our breath for longer than we know. We have held it in anticipation of defeat. Held it because the air has been knocked out of our lungs too many times to count. Held it because we cannot afford to exhale,” he said. “Thanks to all of those who sacrificed so much, we are breathing in the air of a city that has been reborn.”
He said he was a proud Muslim, a South Asian and democratic socialist. He condemned the use of Islamophobia by his opponents in the mayoral race.
Now a nationally known political figure, Mamdani will attempt to enact the sweeping policy platform that inspired his supporters while managing an enormous municipal bureaucracy — and influencing national politics, as one of the most prominent democratic socialists and Democrats in the country. Among other goals, Mamdani wants to freeze rent on rent-stabilized housing units, enact universal child care, create a free bus programme and launch city-run grocery stores.
Mamdani’s victory is sure to reverberate not just throughout New York City but around the nation.
In New York, Mamdani’s next challenge will be the tall task of uniting leaders in Albany, the state capital, and on the City Council — many of whom were not eager to line up behind him — to advance his ambitious agenda.
Nationally, many Democrats will examine his rise from obscurity, his successful messaging on social media and his focus on affordability for clues about how to navigate their own races.
Meanwhile, Republicans are eager to turn Mamdani’s left-wing platform into a wedge issue in competitive races far beyond New York City’s borders.
Following the announcement of Mamdani’s projected victory, Cuomo conceded the race, and congratulated him.
He commended New Yorkers for showing up to vote in a municipal election in record numbers and drew a comparison between himself and his father, Mario Cuomo, which he has done often throughout his campaign.
Tuesday’s election also registered another historic win for a South Asian — Virginia State Senator Ghazala Hashimi won the race for lieutenant governor, defeating Republican talk-radio host John Reid
Hashmi, an Indian Muslim from Hyderabad, has maintained close relations with both the Pakistani- and Indian-American communities. Those links, community leaders say, have helped her draw rare across-the-board support.