Who is Zohran Mamdani, New York’s likely next mayor?

Zohran Mamdani, a 33-year-old Muslim of South Asian origin, stunned governmental observers successful dealing a crushing decision to heavyweight erstwhile Governor Andrew Cuomo connected Tuesday, arsenic helium appeared poised to go the Democratic campaigner for politician of the United States’ biggest city.

If Mamdani, a authorities assemblyman, wins the mayoral predetermination successful November, helium volition go the archetypal Muslim, Indian-origin politician successful New York City’s history.

As ballot counts poured in, Mamdani invoked Nelson Mandela arsenic helium tweeted aboriginal Wednesday morning: “It ever seems intolerable until it’s done. My friends, it is done. And you are the ones who did it. I americium honoured to beryllium your Democratic nominee for the Mayor of New York City.”

Cuomo, the erstwhile politician of New York State, who resigned successful 2021 amid a intersexual harassment scandal, addressed an lawsuit successful Manhattan aft calling Mamdani to congratulate him. “Tonight was Assemblyman Mamdani’s night, and helium enactment unneurotic a large campaign,” helium said. “And helium touched young people, and inspired them, and moved them, and got them to travel retired and vote. And helium truly ran a highly impactful campaign.”

In Mamdani’s expected win, governmental analysts judge determination are larger lessons for the Democratic Party, inactive grappling with its nonaccomplishment successful the 2024 statesmanlike and Congressional elections.

So who is Zohran Mamdani? What were his canvass promises, and however did helium upset canvass predictions to look the apt victor of the Democratic primary? And what are his views connected Gaza, a large run contented this year?

What happened successful the Democratic primary?

In the first-choice circular of ranked-choice voting successful the New York City Democratic mayoral superior connected June 24, Mamdani led with 43.5 percent of the vote, astir 432,000 votes, portion Cuomo followed with 36.4 percent, oregon 361,800 votes.

Comptroller Brad Lander, different progressive contender, came successful 3rd with 11.3 percent, and the remaining votes were divided among different insignificant candidates.

Since nary campaigner secured much than 50 percent of first-choice votes, New York’s ranked-choice strategy kicked in. Candidates with the fewest votes are eliminated successful successive rounds, and their supporters’ second-choice preferences were redistributed.

Mamdani reportedly picked up a important stock of Lander’s voters and different progressives, pushing him connected the way to transverse the bulk threshold. While it mightiness beryllium days earlier last results are declared, Mamdani’s triumph appears each but certain, arsenic demonstrated by Cuomo’s concession.

Candidate for New York City politician Zohran Mamdani is greeted by a protagonist connected the subway pursuing a run halt successful New York City, US, April 1, 2025 [REUTERS/Brendan McDermid (Reuters)]

Was Mamdani’s triumph expected?

Not really. In the weeks starring up to the Democratic mayoral primary, astir large polls projected Cuomo arsenic the frontrunner, though they did amusement enactment for Mamdani picking up arsenic the predetermination drew closer.

A Marist Poll conducted connected June 18, conscionable six days earlier the primary, showed Cuomo starring the battalion with 38 percent of first-choice votes. Mamdani trailed with 27 percent. The canvass besides simulated ranked-choice outcomes and forecast that Cuomo would yet scope a 55 percent bulk successful aboriginal rounds, suggesting beardown second- and third-choice enactment among voters.

Similarly, an earlier Emerson College canvass from precocious May showed Cuomo held 37 percent of the first-choice vote, portion Mamdani came successful astatine 17 percent. A much dated Siena/AARP canvass from April enactment Cuomo adjacent further ahead, with 39 percent of the ballot compared with Mamdani’s 15 percent.

Cuomo had sanction designation that is astir unmatched successful New York – his father, Mario Cuomo, was besides a politician of the state. He had a well-funded run that flooded airwaves and mailboxes crossed the city.

But Mamdani’s grassroots run – powered by volunteers, small-dollar donations, and beardown turnout among younger voters – proved decisive. He targeted working-class New Yorkers, peculiarly successful Queens, Brooklyn, and parts of Manhattan.

Cuomo and different Democrats had criticised Mamdani arsenic unfit for the NYC mayor’s office, arguing helium lacked the administrative acquisition to navigate the city’s analyzable bureaucracy and negociate crises effectively. On Tuesday, it became wide that their transportation did not work.

Who is Zohran Mamdani?

Zohran Kwame Mamdani is simply a 33-year-old Democratic Socialist and the lad of Ugandan world Mahmood Mamdani and Indian filmmaker Mira Nair.

Born successful Kampala, Mamdani moved to New York astatine the property of seven. He earned a Bachelor’s grade successful Africana Studies from Bowdoin College successful Maine. Prior to entering politics, helium worked arsenic a lodging counselor, assisting low-income families successful preventing evictions.

In the 2020 New York State Assembly election, helium was elected from the 36th district, representing Astoria, Queens.

Early this year, helium joined Rama Duwaji, a 27-year-old Syrian creator based successful Brooklyn. Her enactment has been featured successful publications similar The New Yorker, The Washington Post, and VICE, and she besides engages successful animation and ceramics.

New York mayoral candidate, State Representative Zohran Mamdani, kisses the manus of his woman Rama Duwaji arsenic they observe during an predetermination nighttime gathering astatine The Greats of Craft LIC connected June 24, 2025 [Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images/AFP]

What are his views connected the Gaza war?

Mamdani has been among the astir vocal American elected officials criticising Israel’s warfare connected Gaza. In an October 31, 2024, station connected X, Mamdani stated, “I volition ever beryllium wide successful my connection and based successful facts: Israel is committing a genocide.”

He has besides been a beardown protagonist of the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement. At an lawsuit successful Manhattan earlier this month, helium linked that enactment to “the halfway of my politics, which is non-violence”.

A header infinitesimal successful his run came during a December 2024 interrogation with Mehdi Hasan, erstwhile helium was asked what helium would bash if Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited New York. Mamdani replied bluntly: “As mayor, I would person Netanyahu arrested if helium came to New York!”

“This is simply a metropolis [where] our values are successful enactment with planetary law. It’s clip that our actions are also,” helium told Hasan.

Mamdani besides refused to region himself from the slogan “Globalize the Intifada”, a operation that galore Jewish leaders and blimpish commentators person criticised arsenic inflammatory and accused of being anti-Semitic.

Responding to questions astir the slogan, Mamdani said connected a June 2025 occurrence of The Bulwark podcast: “As a Muslim antheral who grew up post‑9/11, I’m each excessively acquainted (with) the mode successful which Arabic words tin beryllium twisted, tin beryllium distorted, tin beryllium utilized to warrant immoderate benignant of meaning.” He added that the slogan was alternatively astir solidarity with oppressed radical globally – not a telephone to violence.

Cuomo’s run besides picked up connected Mamdani’s Muslim individuality and criticised his pro-Palestine stand, alleging helium has engaged successful anti-Semitism. New York, wherever the United Nations has its headquarters, is location to the largest Jewish assemblage successful the world, extracurricular Israel.

In a June 2025 interview, portion addressing Islamophobic threats helium had received, Mamdani said: “There is nary country for anti-Semitism successful this metropolis oregon country.” He has repeatedly stressed that his critique is directed astatine the US and Israeli governments’ policies, not astatine Jews.

Mamdani’s run was driven by much than 22,000 grassroots volunteers and endorsements from progressive heavyweights similar Bernie Sanders, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and the Working Families Party.

What are immoderate of his different cardinal promises?

Mamdani’s run for the New York City politician presumption is centered connected an ambitious and progressive argumentation level aimed astatine redistributing wealth, expanding nationalist services, and transforming municipality life.

One of his flagship proposals is to marque each metropolis buses escaped by 2027. Mamdani has pointed to the occurrence of aviator programmes wherever fare-free buses led to higher ridership and less assaults connected drivers.

Housing is different pillar of Mamdani’s platform, wherever helium proposes a rent frost connected each rent-stabilised apartments and plans to found a Social Housing Development Agency that would physique publicly-owned, permanently affordable housing. He has called for stronger tenant protections and has projected rolling backmost rent hikes successful city-owned properties.

Mamdani has besides projected opening 1 municipally owned market store successful each borough, wherever communities underserved by commercialized chains tin entree affordable, steadfast nutrient options. He has pledged to grow escaped school-meal programmes to see metropolis colleges, and to connection cosmopolitan childcare and aboriginal acquisition programs.

To wage for it all, Mamdani has pitched large taxation reforms: Raising the firm taxation complaint from 7.25 percent to 11.5 percent, and imposing a 2 percent surcharge connected individuals earning much than $1m per year. According to his campaign, these measures could make up to $9.4bn annually.

On nationalist safety, Mamdani projected shifting resources distant from the New York Police Department towards a caller Department of Community Safety, which would location intelligence wellness professionals, situation responders and outreach workers.

Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani prepares earlier the New York City Democratic Mayoral Primary Debate astatine the John Jay College of Criminal Justice successful the Gerald W. Lynch Theater successful New York City., US, June 12, 2025 [Vincent Alban/Pool via REUTERS]

What’s adjacent – and is Mamdani going to beryllium the adjacent mayor?

The wide mayoral predetermination for New York City volition instrumentality spot connected November 4 this year. Mamdani volition look Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa, who antecedently mislaid the 2021 mayoral contention by a wide margin.

Once the superior results are formally announced, Mamdani volition go the Democratic Party’s nominee for the November election. Given New York City’s overwhelming Democratic bulk – Democrats outnumber Republicans by much than 6 to 1 – helium volition beryllium the steadfast favourite to go the city’s adjacent mayor.

The past Republican to triumph a mayoral contention successful NYC was Michael Bloomberg successful 2001, who won the contention archetypal arsenic a Republican earlier switching to Independent presumption aboriginal successful 2007 during his 2nd term.