LONG ISLAND CITY — Yells of “Let’s Fucking Go” erupted at a viewing party for State Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani when news broke that former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo was officially conceding to the Democratic socialist in the New York City mayoral primary on Tuesday evening.
Mamdani’s success comes as his once-long shot — and unabashedly progressive — campaign surged in momentum in recent weeks. For many of his most devoted supporters, it’s been a respite and animating force amid the otherwise dispiriting politics of this current moment.
“It has been a ray of light, a ray of hope and that’s both because of the way that Zohran has committed to building a grassroots campaign and it’s also because we know what’s at stake,” said 35-year-old Sasha Wijeyeratne, the Jackson Heights-based director of an organization called CAAAV Voice, which worked with Mamdani to develop his rent freeze proposal. “The ability to actually win that in a moment and in a city when the national political landscape is so dark, that’s been incredible.”
Multiple supporters cited challenges of affordability in the city and Mamdani’s willingness to meet with as many New Yorkers as he could as major draws for his campaign.
