Late Tuesday night, it became clear that democratic socialist and state Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani would win New York City’s Democratic mayoral primary election.
This year’s election made our collective foreheads sweat, not just from the 100-degree heat wave that’s been blasting the city, but also because Mamdani’s biggest obstacle in the race was former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who resigned in August 2021 after Attorney General Letitia James released a report that found he sexually assaulted nearly a dozen women.
This election cycle, Cuomo was a frontrunner with high-profile endorsements like former president Bill Clinton and a $25 million super PAC (the largest-ever created for a New York City mayoral election).
Yet, Mamdani — who mobilized a grassroots campaign, ran on an affordability platform and was backed by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) — led with 43.5% of the votes compared to Cuomo’s 36.4% with 93% of the votes counted, leading to Cuomo’s concession Tuesday night.
Mamdani’s victory has been deemed a “political upset” for establishment Democrats who alienated their voter base by resisting what many believe is necessary change. But to young people and to New Yorkers who have been plagued by rising costs and leadership they can’t relate to, Mamdani’s win is a breath of fresh air.
