Socialist Democrat Zohran Mamdani has been elected mayor of New York City, defeating former Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Republican Curtis Sliwa in a race that has upended decades of establishment dominance in city politics.
DecisionDesk HQ and Newsmax called the race for Mamdani shortly after polls closed at 9 p.m. EST. Turnout surged past 2 million voters, the highest level of participation in one of the city’s municipal elections since 1969, according to The New York Times.
The earthshaking result makes Mamdani the first Muslim mayor in the city’s history. His victory cements the left’s grip on the city’s Democrat base and signals a national shift in urban politics. But critics warn his expansive spending plans could drive out businesses and accelerate New York’s fiscal decline.
Mamdani, a 33-year-old state assemblyman from Queens, ran on an unabashedly socialist platform promising fare-free buses, universal childcare, a city-run grocery store in each borough, a $30 minimum wage by 2030, and new taxes on corporations and high earners.
He has been branded a socialist and communist by many critics, including President Donald Trump, who labeled Mamdani a “100% Communist lunatic” in a June 25 post on Truth Social.
Trump also said Monday on Truth Social that it was “highly unlikely” he would contribute federal funds “other than the very minimum as required” to New York City should Mamdani be elected mayor.
“As a Communist, this once great City has ZERO chance of success, or even survival!” Trump wrote. “It can only get worse with a Communist at the helm, and I don’t want to send, as President, good money after bad.”
Almost 800,000 New Yorkers said they would flee the city if Mamdani won, according to a poll conducted by J.L. Partners for the Daily Mail. The survey found that 9% of New Yorkers would “definitely” leave the city, which has a population of roughly 8.5 million.
It also raises a big question regarding the city’s Jewish community, the largest in the world outside of Israel. Anti-Israel politics have been a driving force in Mamdani’s life, from his formative influences in his father’s academic circles to his own college activism with Students for Justice in Palestine.
Last month, he told The New York Times Magazine that Democrats should reject people who are “PEP” — or “progressive except Palestine”.
“That exception is one that I believe we should not only take issue with because of what it means for Palestinians and Palestinian human rights,” he said. “But also, whenever you are at peace with the making of an exception, you make it easier to make another exception — wherever, whenever.”
He has repeated his contention that he would use NYPD resources to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, following the International Criminal Court’s warrant over alleged war crimes in the Gaza Strip.
Political analysts said Mamdani’s victory could deepen the ideological divide within the Democratic Party and test whether New York can sustain a socialist experiment amid rising debt and public-safety fears.
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