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New York bursts into celebration as Muslim mayor elected

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Zohran Mamdani, a 34-year-old democratic socialist who was polling at one percent just eleven months ago, has made history by winning the New York City mayoral race, becoming the city’s first Muslim mayor. 

Mamdani secured 1,035,645 votes (50.4 per cent) against former New York governor Andrew Cuomo’s 854,783 (41.6pc) and Curtis Sliwa’s 146,127 (7.1pc). His victory marks a dramatic rise from a little-known state lawmaker to one of the most prominent Democratic figures in the country.

Born in Uganda to a family of Indian origin, Mamdani moved to the United States at the age of seven and became a naturalised citizen in 2018. His campaign went head-to-head with 67-year-old Cuomo, who ran as an independent after losing the Democratic nomination. The contest turned into a fierce battle of ideology and generations within the Democratic Party.

“Hope is alive,” Mamdani declared in his victory speech. “We won because New Yorkers allowed themselves to hope that the impossible could be made possible. We won because we insisted that no longer would politics be something that is done to us. Now, it is something we do.”

He quoted Jawaharlal Nehru, saying, “A moment comes, but rarely in history, when we step out from the old to the new, when an age ends, and when the soul of a nation, long suppressed, finds utterance.”

Taking a swipe at Trump, he said, “Donald Trump, since I know you are watching, I have four words for you: Turn the volume up!”

Mamdani promised to end what he called a “culture of corruption” that benefits billionaires like Trump. “We will stand alongside unions and expand labour protections because we know, just as Donald Trump does, that when working people have iron-clad rights, the bosses who seek to extort them become very small indeed,” he said.

He vowed to represent all New Yorkers, including “immigrants, members of the trans community, Black women fired by Trump from federal jobs, single mothers struggling with rising costs — anyone with their back against the wall.”

Mamdani pledged that his city hall would “stand steadfast alongside Jewish New Yorkers and not waver in the fight against the scourge of anti-Semitism, where the more than one million Muslims know that they belong.”

Ending his fiery speech, Mamdani told cheering supporters, “This power is yours. This city belongs to you,” before Bollywood song Dhoom Machale played through the speakers.

His victory drew congratulations from across the political spectrum.

Former president Bill Clinton wrote, “Congratulations @ZohranKMamdani on your election as the next Mayor of New York City. I’m wishing you success as you work to transform the passion of your campaign into building a better, fairer, more affordable New York.”

Hillary Clinton said, “More people voted in New York City’s election this year than they have in 50 years. That’s a win for democracy, and a testament to @ZohranKMamdani’s inspiring campaign. Congratulations to the next mayor of the greatest city in the world.”

Bernie Sanders hailed the victory, saying, “Starting at 1% in the polls, @ZohranKMamdani pulled off one of the great political upsets in modern American history. Yes. We CAN create a government that represents working people and not the 1%.”

Barack Obama also congratulated him, saying, “It’s a reminder that when we come together around strong, forward-looking leaders who care about the issues that matter, we can win. We’ve still got plenty of work to do, but the future looks a little bit brighter.”

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