Summary:
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Zohran Mamdani, a democrat socialist, won the NYC mayoral race with a focus on immigrant communities and defiance against Trump.
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The victory marked the highest voter turnout in decades, with Mamdani poised to become NYC’s first Muslim mayor.
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Challenges lie ahead as Mamdani aims to implement campaign promises of free childcare and city services against fiscal opposition.
Zohran Mamdani was elected mayor of New York City on Tuesday, capping a stunning ascent for the 34-year-old state lawmaker and democratic socialist who promised to “restore power to the working class and fight back against a hostile Trump administration,” according to The Associated Press.
Zohran Mamdani’s message to Donald Trump after his historic NYC mayoral win:
“New York will remain a city of immigrants, a city built by immigrants, powered by immigrants, and as of tonight, led by an immigrant. So hear me, President Trump, when I say this: to get to any of us,… pic.twitter.com/Ww8qphYjhd
— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) November 5, 2025
Mamdani, who represents Queens in the State Assembly, defeated former Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Republican Curtis Sliwa in a race that saw the highest voter turnout for a mayoral election in more than five decades. With roughly 90 percent of votes counted, Mamdani held a nine-point lead over Cuomo.
In a victory speech Tuesday night in Brooklyn, Mamdani celebrated New York’s immigrant communities and addressed President Donald Trump directly after weeks of tension between the White House and City Hall. “New York will remain a city of immigrants, a city built by immigrants, powered by immigrants, and as of tonight, led by an immigrant,” he said, adding, “So hear me, President Trump, when I say this: to get to any of us, you will have to get through all of us.”
Supporters at Mamdani’s watch party waved New York City flags and cheered as he promised to “wake up each morning with a singular purpose: to make this city better for you than it was the day before.
Mamdani, who was born in Uganda to Indian parents and raised in New York City, will become the city’s first Muslim mayor, its first of South Asian heritage, and its youngest in more than a century when he takes office on Jan. 1. “The conventional wisdom would tell you that I am far from the perfect candidate,” Mamdani told supporters. “I am young, despite my best efforts to grow older. I am Muslim. I am a democratic socialist. And most damning of all, I refuse to apologize for any of this.”
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Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo conceded Tuesday night, saying, “Congratulations to Zohran Mamdani. Tonight was their night.” He added that nearly half the city “did not vote to support a government agenda that makes promises that we know cannot be met,” though he offered to assist the incoming administration.
President Trump, who had threatened to cut federal funding to the city and even suggested “taking it over” if Mamdani won, responded to the result with a brief Truth Social post reading, “…AND SO IT BEGINS!”
As mayor, Mamdani faces immediate pressure to deliver on his campaign pledges of free childcare, free city bus service, and new city-run grocery stores. His proposals will likely face resistance in Albany, where Governor Kathy Hochul has opposed raising taxes on wealthy New Yorkers to fund such programs.
Mamdani has said he plans to “work with everyone who believes this city can and should do better,” but opponents have questioned whether his platform is financially feasible.
