Zohran Kwame Mamdani, a self-proclaimed democratic socialist, will be New York City’s 111th mayor and the first Muslim to lead the country’s largest city.
The 34-year-old state representative beat out former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who ran as an independent after losing the Democratic primary to Mamdani, and Republican Curtis Sliwa.
Mamdani ran on a platform centered around affordability, promising to freeze the rent on rent-stabilized apartments, open city-owned grocery stores and provide fare-free buses and free child care.
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His victory could further a reckoning within the national Democratic Party, which has wrestled with balancing its big-tent approach with the appeal of up-and-coming progressive political powerhouses such as Mamdani.
The state’s party establishment hesitated to embrace Mamdani even after he won the primary in June over Cuomo and others. While he was endorsed by Gov. Kathy Hochul, he never received formal support from either of New York’s Democratic senators, Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand. And a lukewarm endorsement from House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries only came in the closing days of the campaign.