Zohran Mamdani has won a decisive victory in the primary race to become the Democratic candidate for the next mayor of New York City, according to The Associated Press, after building a commanding lead in first-choice results that shook the national political establishment.
Mamdani was the presumptive nominee, after former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo conceded the race the night of the primary election last week. But the AP officially called the race for Mamdani on Tuesday afternoon, once the ranked-choice results were released that indicated Mamdani had defeated Cuomo by 12 percentage points. New York City’s Board of Elections will certify the final results later this month.
The result marks a stunning political upset, since Cuomo, who in 2021 resigned as governor in disgrace after multiple women accused him of sexual harassment, had long led in polling of the primary. But Mamdani soared in the polls in the weeks leading up to the election.
Mamdani, a 33-year-old Democratic Socialist state assemblymember who grew up in Queens, has pledged to be “Donald Trump’s worst nightmare” and campaigned on a progressive platform that includes plans to make city buses free and open city-run grocery stores. He has drawn endorsements from popular progressive lawmakers, including Sen. Bernie Sanders and Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, as well as the ire of Republican leaders, including Trump himself.
Now, Mamdani will face off against a new set of opponents in the highly anticipated general election in November. Among them is current New York City Mayor Eric Adams, who chose not to run in the Democratic primary and instead announced that he would be campaigning as an independent after becoming embroiled in several controversies. Republican Curtis Sliwa, who Adams defeated in 2021, and another independent candidate, former federal prosecutor Jim Walden, will also be on the ballot.
Adams’s time leading the city has been shrouded in scandal following his indictment last fall on federal charges of bribery and fraud. He has faced mounting calls to resign, but has denied the allegations against him. The Justice Department dropped its case against him in April, claiming that pursuing it would impede Adams’s ability to implement the Trump Administration’s immigration agenda—a move that the judge granting the dismissal said “smacks of a bargain.”
Cuomo is now said to be contemplating an independent run in the general election as well.
As the Democratic nominee, Mamdani is likely to be a frontrunner in the race. A Democrat has won the last three New York City mayoral elections. If elected in November, Mamdani would be the first South Asian and first Muslim to lead New York City.
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