Mamdani\u2019s historic victory was announced amid a slew of Democratic wins across the country, with Congresswoman Abigail Spanberger becoming Virginia\u2019s first female governor, Mikie Sherrill defeating her Trump-backed gubernatorial opponent in New Jersey, and California voting for Gavin Newsom\u2019s push for redistricting maps that would yield five new congressional seats for the party.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The crowd at Mamdani\u2019s election night party at the Brooklyn Paramount in downtown Brooklyn erupted after the Associated Press called the race in his favor. People cheered and hugged each other at the news.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In addition to being New York<\/a> City\u2019s first Muslim mayor, Mamdani is also the first South Asian mayor and the youngest mayor in more than a century.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The current mayor, Eric Adams<\/a>, who had campaigned for a second term as an independent, dropped out of the race<\/a> in September.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When Mamdani launched his campaign for mayor last fall, he was a relatively unknown state lawmaker. But his message, centered on affordability, along with his buoyant jaunts throughout New York City, quickly gained traction and resonated with thousands of New Yorkers. His platform called for freezing rents on rent-stabilized units, building more affordable housing, raising the minimum wage to $30 an hour, making buses free, increasing taxes on the city\u2019s wealthiest residents and more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Fueled by\u00a0small-dollar donations,\u00a0tens of thousands\u00a0of volunteers, a savvy social media presence and a message of change, Mamdani\u2019s grassroots campaign built momentum through the spring. That energy culminated in a decisive win in the June\u00a0Democratic primary, in which he defeated Cuomo by\u00a0nearly 13 points, stunning the city\u2019s political establishment by galvanizing a diverse coalition that included many young and first-time voters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n After his primary defeat, Cuomo, who resigned as governor of New York in 2021\u00a0after more than a dozen women\u00a0accused him of sexual harassment (allegations which he has denied), chose to stay in the race and launched an independent campaign against Mamdani, seeking to pull off a political comeback. But polls\u00a0throughout the summer\u00a0and fall consistently showed Mamdani maintaining a comfortable lead over Cuomo and Sliwa (and Adams before he exited the race).<\/p>\n\n\n\n In recent months, Mamdani and Cuomo have frequently\u00a0sparred\u00a0over their records, qualifications and ideas to improve the city. Mamdani has accused Cuomo of being beholden to wealthy donors and of serving corporate interests, while Cuomo has dismissed Mamdani as too inexperienced to lead the city.<\/p>\n\n\n\n During the October mayoral debates, Mamdani, Cuomo and Sliwa\u00a0traded jabs\u00a0and\u00a0clashed\u00a0over a variety of local, national and global issues, including crime, policing, Israel, affordability, housing and transportation, as well as who would best navigate relations with the Trump administration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mamdani\u2019s campaign has drawn support from progressives on the national stage, including endorsements from\u00a0Bernie Sanders, the Vermont senator, and\u00a0Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the New York representative, both of whom have appeared with him at\u00a0rallies\u00a0across\u00a0the city.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Other prominent New York leaders who have backed Mamdani include the representative\u00a0Jerry Nadler\u00a0and the New York state attorney general,\u00a0Letitia James. In September, the New York governor,\u00a0Kathy Hochul, announced she was\u00a0endorsing\u00a0Mamdani, despite previously expressing policy differences. And most recently, less than two weeks before election day, the US House minority leader, Hakeem Jeffries,\u00a0followed suit, ending months of pressure and questions over his reluctance to support his party\u2019s candidate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Still,\u00a0not all New York Democrats\u00a0got behind him. Both New York senators, Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand, notably did not make endorsements in the race.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Throughout the campaign, Mamdani faced\u00a0attacks and scrutiny\u00a0from critics about his age, experience and progressive agenda. He came\u00a0under fire from some, including Cuomo, for his criticism of the Israeli government, Israel\u2019s military actions in Gaza and his support for Palestinian rights \u2013 all of which have\u00a0complicated his relationship with some Jewish groups.<\/p>\n\n\n\n after newsletter promotion<\/p>\n\n\n\n He has faced a\u00a0barrage of Islamophobic attacks\u00a0across social media and\u00a0conservative political circles, including from Elise Stefanik, a Republican New York representative and Trump ally, who has condemned Mamdani as \u201ca jihadist candidate for mayor\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In October, Mamdani denounced Cuomo for\u00a0laughing along\u00a0with a conservative radio host who said Mamdani would be \u201ccheering\u201d if \u201canother 9\/11\u201d happened, referring to the 2001 terrorist attacks on New York City by Islamic extremists. Mamdani called the exchange \u201cdisgusting\u201d and \u201cracist\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Earlier in the campaign, Mamdani also accused a Super Pac supporting Cuomo of \u201cblatant Islamophobia\u201d after a proposed flier featured an image of Mamdani that appeared manipulated to make his beard look\u00a0darker, longer and thicker.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"Supporters](\"https:\/\/i.guim.co.uk\/img\/media\/c8c2d0ee02ff68f798a6b098350ba8a098fd3d49\/372_0_3704_2965\/master\/3704.jpg?width=445&dpr=1&s=none&crop=none\")
<\/a>![\"Democratic](\"https:\/\/i.guim.co.uk\/img\/media\/cab57f9a9e97874ec62764a37a0a52b3631bf327\/1367_0_5147_4116\/master\/5147.jpg?width=460&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=8b20f0331a9e09a27dea0e2b654a35c7\")
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![\"Man](\"https:\/\/i.guim.co.uk\/img\/media\/0a1d31516d5d52e3cead80e3dd267145aec0da8b\/368_0_2363_1891\/master\/2363.jpg?width=460&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=2f666ba7793e4be9dd0b0bf8b3a44e2a\")
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