NEW YORK—Zohran Mamdani, the radical socialist upstart whose primary victory shocked the nation, will be the next mayor of New York City.
Mamdani, an immigrant from Uganda who moved to Queens as a child, captivated the electorate with his youthful energy, unabashed leftism, and promise to make everything from city buses to childcare free for New Yorkers.
A half hour after polls closed, with just over 60% of the votes counted, Mamdani was leading with 49.6% of the vote. Independent candidate and former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo trailed with just over 41%. Curtis Sliwa, the Republican candidate and founder of the Guardian Angels, captured around 8% of the vote, at the time the race was called.
None of this was surprising. The Real Clear Polling average of polls had Mamdani leading former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, the independent candidate, by more than 14 points on the eve of the election, The Daily Wire’s Jennie Taer reported this week.
Mamdani, a one-term assemblyman whose critics routinely slam him for his inexperience, now faces the challenge of governing a city with the eyes of the nation upon him. Mamdani has pledged to implement a number of policies — from a $30-an-hour minimum wage to city-run grocery stores — that he has no way of paying for without support from the New York State Assembly and Governor Kathy Hochul, who campaigned with him down the final stretch.
The fact that he likely won’t receive that support did nothing to deter voters. Some 2 million New Yorkers turned out to vote in this election, the largest turnout since 1969. More than 735,000 New Yorkers turned out for early voting, a record turnout, according to CBS News.
Mamdani came under national scrutiny for his calls to “globalize the intifada,” criticism of Israel, and Hamas sympathies. He has a complicated relationship with the New York Police Department, having called to defund the police. He was elected in large part with the help of first-time voters and New Yorkers who have lived in the city for less than a decade, ABC News noted.
Critics say that electing Mamdani will cause a spike in crime and antisemitic incidents. Cuomo, whose mayoral campaign was an attempt to salvage a legacy tarnished by his mishandling of the coronavirus pandemic and allegations of sexual harassment, carried most of the city’s Jewish vote.
The Daily Wire has been on the ground in New York in the days leading up to the election, speaking to voters about their choice in candidates. Mamdani supporters touted the socialist’s willingness to buck the Democratic establishment, though at least one Mamdani voter said that he would have reservations about his chosen candidate if he were Jewish.
One group that by and large opposed Mamdani: bus drivers, who fear a world in which the mayor-elect eliminates their fares.
While a Mamdani victory seemed increasingly clear in the days leading up to the election, the race was still called sooner than most poll watchers expected. As of this writing, Mamdani has yet to take the stage to declare victory. Cuomo and Sliwa have yet to concede.
This is a developing story, please refresh this page for updates.
