In a historic development, Zohran Mamdani clinched victory in the New York City mayoral race on Tuesday, sparking a wave of excitement and support, alongside some apprehension.
Those backing the pioneering mayor-elect celebrated his triumph, emphasizing that it embodied his compelling message of generational change and his relentless focus on making the city more affordable. His win was seen as a testament to these ideals.
“Our mission is to elect the most passionate advocates for the working class,” commented Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. “In New York City, that is undoubtedly Zohran Mamdani. Together, we are committed to fighting for our shared future.”
Governor Kathy Hochul expressed her commitment to collaborating closely with Mamdani, having reached out to him on Election Night.
“I am eager to work together to enhance the affordability and livability of our city,” Hochul tweeted. “Congratulations to him and to all New Yorkers who participated in one of the city’s highest voter turnouts on record.”
Senator Chuck Schumer, who had withheld his endorsement prior to the election, extended his congratulations to Mamdani, acknowledging “his well-deserved and historic victory.”
“Mamdani uplift(ed) the values that make our city strong: equality of opportunity, fairness and an abiding concern for all New Yorkers,” Schumer said in a statement.
With near-record turnout, Mamdani, 34, defeated ex-Gov. Andrew Cuomo in a repeat of his Democratic primary election win, with Republican Curtis Sliwa trailing far behind.
President Trump’s endorsement of Cuomo on the eve of Election Day may have hurt more than it helped with a city electorate that disapproves of the president’s performance by a 70% to 30% margin, according to exit polls.
Trump didn’t mention Mamdani in his first reaction after the upstart candidate’s win and denied that the results across the country amount to a repudiation of him.
“Trump wasn’t on the ballot and the (government) shutdown were the two reasons Republicans lost,” he wrote on his Truth Social platform, quoting unnamed political analysts.
Ex-Mayor Bill De Blasio praised Mamdani, who will become the Big Apple’s first Muslim mayor, for returning “with humility” to flip places that he lost in the primary, like Latino neighborhoods in the Bronx and Black communities in Brooklyn and Queens.
“What a beautiful day for New York,” the former mayor tweeted.
But critics sounded fearful about the impact a Mayor Mamdani would have on the city.
Jonathan Greenblatt, CEO of the Anti-Defamation League, hit out at Mamdani’s “long, disturbing record on issues of deep concern to the Jewish community,” a reference to the mayor-elect’s fierce criticism of Israel and his refusal to disavow the “globalize the intifada” slogan.
“We will approach the next four years with resolve,” Greenblatt said in a statement. “We expect the mayor of the city with the largest Jewish population in the world to stand unequivocally against antisemitism in all its varied forms.”
Even in deep-blue New York City, Mamdani didn’t have an easy time unifying the Democratic Party leadership after he trounced Cuomo in the June primary.
Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, the House Democratic leader, stayed on the fence for months, refusing to issue an endorsement of the party’s standard bearer, even after meeting with the nominee along with other lawmakers and faith leaders in Jeffries’ central Brooklyn district.
Jeffries finally backed Mamdani only hours before a self-proclaimed deadline of the beginning of early voting.
Schumer, the Senate minority leader, never endorsed Mamdani at all. Several other local Congress members also sat out the race.
The state’s other top Democrat, Gov. Hochul, did get behind Mamdani’s bid in the summer, perhaps looking to solidify her own support on the left ahead of her reelection battle next year.
A handful of suburban Democratic lawmakers, like Long Island’s Rep. Tom Suozzi and Rep. Lauren Gillen, even took the very unusual step of saying they wouldn’t vote for him.
Republicans were chomping at the bit to make Mamdani the face of the Democratic Party as next year’s crucial midterm congressional elections loom.
Even before voters headed to the polls, the National Republican Congressional Committee declared in a strategy memo that “the Democratic Party has been hijacked by the radical left.”
But not all Democrats think Mamdani will drag down the party from coast to coast.
Basil Smikle, a Columbia University professor and Democratic strategist, acknowledged that New York City has a very different electoral roadmap than elsewhere, but insisted the enthusiasm that Mamdani has brought to the table could play out elsewhere.
“What’s happening in New York is something that can be mapped across the country,” Smikle said. “If this new coalition can solidify itself, not just in New York City but in Virginia and New Jersey, I do think that’s a way forward to Democrats in ’26 and ’28.”
Ex-Rep. Steve Israel, a Democrat who once represented a Long Island swing district, said he disagrees with some of Mamdani’s policies, but is bullish about his impact on national politics.
“Here’s the good news: I like a Democratic Party who has a person like Zohran Mamdani, who’s a generational talent in voter turnout… and creating energy on the street,” Israel said.
