On the final day before Election Day, Zohran Mamdani arrived at the Brooklyn Bridge before sunrise on Monday and walked across it to City Hall in Lower Manhattan, intending to signal to voters that a new day was arriving for New York City.
He marched under the bridge’s arches with elected officials holding a banner that said, “Our Time is Now.” A large crowd of his supporters chanted, “Tax the Rich.”
Mr. Mamdani has framed his campaign as trailblazing in many ways: He would be the city’s first Muslim mayor, its first South Asian mayor and its first millennial mayor. He has highlighted a surge in support for his campaign from young voters, working-class voters and immigrants.
When he arrived outside City Hall, where he hopes to report to work on Jan. 1, Mr. Mamdani spoke about moving past the tenure of Mayor Eric Adams, which he said was defined by “small ideas and scandal.”
Mr. Mamdani said: “We stand on the verge of ushering in a new day for our city.”
Then Mr. Mamdani, repeating his campaign pledges, said he would make the city more affordable and that he would use city government for good.
“Let them feel the light of City Hall when their late-night bus home is faster and freer and safer too,” he said. “Let them feel the light of City Hall when the clock strikes midnight to mark the first day of a new month and the rent payment that looms doesn’t make them feel a pit in their stomach.”
The seven-minute speech served as a closing argument for Mr. Mamdani as he vowed to fight President Trump’s agenda. Mr. Mamdani said that his main rival, former Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, was compromised by his support from Mr. Trump, who offered his backing to Mr. Cuomo in an interview that aired on CBS’s “60 Minutes” Sunday night.
Mr. Mamdani was joined Monday by Letitia James, the state attorney general, who is facing federal charges from the Trump administration. He said that her case and Mr. Trump’s immigration crackdown were part of a “moment of grave political darkness.”
“Let City Hall, with our compassion, our conviction and our clarity, be the light that our city and our nation so desperately need,” he said.
Emma G. Fitzsimmons is the City Hall bureau chief for The Times, covering Mayor Eric Adams and his administration.
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