Iftikhar Ali
NEW YORK, Jun 25 (APP):Zohran Mamdani, a 33-year-old Muslim who speaks fluent Urdu, was poised on Tuesday to win New York City’s Democratic mayoral primary in a stunning upset over former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo.
“My friends, we have done it,” Mamdani said just after midnight, as he addressed a crowded victory party in Queens, a New York City county. “I will be your Democratic nominee for Mayor of New York City.”
Mamdani, an immigrant from Uganda, promised to deliver a “new day” for New York and to remake the city “in the image of every New Yorker who has only known struggle.”
Cuomo, the former New York Governor, who had led the race for months, conceded the primary and congratulated Mamdani, who describes himself as ademocratic socialist.
“Tonight was not our night,” a deflated-looking Cuomo, 67, told supporters. He added, of Mamdani: “Tonight is his night. He deserved it. He won.”
Unless one candidate receives more than 50 percent of first-choice votes in the initial count under the city’s ranked-choice voting system, counting will continue next week.
At a moment when Democrats are searching for an answer to President Donald Trump, who is a Republican, Mamdani ran on a progressive agenda, promising to make buses free, freeze the rent on rent-stabilized apartments and raise taxes on the wealthiest New Yorkers. His promise of deep changes appear to have resonated with large numbers of voters.
The November campaign could be unusually competitive. Mayor Eric Adams, a Democrat, skipped the primary to seek a second term as an independent. Curtis Sliwa, the 2021 Republican nominee, secured his party’s nomination without a primary, and Jim Walden, a lawyer, is running as an independent.
Because New Yorkers voted under a ranked-choice system and one candidate did not receive more than 50 percent of first-choice votes, the final mayoral primary result will not be determined immediately. Voters’ backup choices are scheduled to be tabulated on July 1.
After 91% of votes were counted in the primary’s first round, Mamdani, a state representative, had 43.5% of the vote, while Cuomo, who had been a heavy favourite until recent weeks, was at 36.4%, and conceded on Tuesday night.
Mamdani surged in the campaign with a mix of viral videos and proposals appealing to younger progressives. He’s capitalized on progressive frustration with Andrew Cuomo, the former New York governor mounting a political comeback with a mayoral run; in one of his videos, he explains New York City’s ranked-choice voting system in Hindi and Urdu and likens Cuomo to a Bollywood villain.
His critics argue his platform is too far to the left for moderates and certain to be weaponized by local and national Republicans trying to paint the Democratic Party as out of touch. He’s also faced criticism about how he’s addressed the Israel-Hamas war.
Mamdani is a three-term state assemblyman who represents parts of Queens, one the most diverse areas in the nation.
He was first raised in Cape Town, South Africa, and later in New York City, attending the prestigious Bronx High School of Science before enrolling at Bowdoin College.
He is the son of Mahmood Mamdani, a professor at Columbia University, and Mira Nair, an Indian filmmaker whose credits include “Mississippi Masala” and “Monsoon Wedding.”
