New York City bets on 33-year-old Democratic State Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani as the surprise frontrunner in the Democratic mayoral primary, outpacing former governor Andrew Cuomo after the first round of ranked-choice ballots.Since the primary is decided through ranked-choice voting (RCV), final results are still awaited, but surprise ends as Cuomo conceded defeat in his remarks onTuesday night.“Tonight was not our night,” Cuomo told supporters. He said of Mamdani: “Tonight is his night. He deserved it. He won.”Mr. Mamdani, a third-term state assemblyman from Queens, entered the mayoral race last fall with little recognition. Born to Indian-origin parents, Mamdani is a practicing Shia Muslim and is married to a Syrian artist, he positioned differently, to the left of most mainstream Democrats.Read: Who is Indian-origin Zohran Mamdani? Meet Mira Nair’s son and New York’s Democratic mayoral candidate
Why Mamdani’s kitchen-table economics worked?
Mamdani’s triumph over Andrew Cuomo can be attributed to his unique political style and progressive economic ambitions. While Cuomo leaned on establishment endorsements, name recognition, Mamdani energized a wide, multiracial coalition, centered on housing justice, public transit, and economic equity. He proposed to make city buses fare-free, provide universal child care, and implement a rent freeze on rent-stabilized apartments, emphasizing policies rooted in economic justice and identity-based equity.Initial results showed that Mr. Mamdani was building an unconventional Democratic coalition across New York City, drawing strong support from white, Asian, and Latino voters in Brooklyn, Manhattan, and Queens. While he campaigned as a champion for working-class New Yorkers, he secured large margins in affluent neighborhoods like Park Slope, Cobble Hill, and Clinton Hill, as well as in Manhattan’s East Village and Midtown. He also led in diverse, predominantly Asian and Latino communities in Queens, including Woodside, Jackson Heights, Sunnyside, and Richmond Hill, home to many South Asian residents. However, Mamdani faced challenges in middle-class, predominantly Black areas in the Bronx and Southeast Queens, where Mr. Cuomo’s past tenure as governor earned him lasting support. Cuomo also performed well in wealthy Manhattan districts like the Upper West and East Sides and in Orthodox Jewish areas of Brooklyn, where Mamdani’s critical stance on Israel cost him votes.But Cuomo’s comeback bid faltered under the weight of unresolved sexual-harassment allegations and criticism of his pandemic record.
What lies ahead in the General Election?
As the general election approaches, the mayoral race is shaping up to be a three-way contest. Incumbent Eric Adams, first elected as a Democrat in 2021, opted to bypass the Democratic primary and is now running for reelection as an independent. Though he faced a federal corruption indictment last year over an alleged bribery scheme involving foreign money and political favors, the case was dismissed in April following a contentious Justice Department review. Meanwhile, Andrew Cuomo is also expected to rebrand as an independent after his primary loss, and Zohran Mamdani, now buoyed by his victory, has secured the endorsement of the Working Families Party and may run in November under its banner.Also read: How Indian-origin Zohran Mamdani used the Trump playbook to beat Andrew Cuomo – and become Democratic Mayoral nominee
