In a city that is home to the largest Muslim population in the United States, a city that is still contending with the ugly legacy of post-9/11 Islamophobia, a city that has never before had a Muslim mayor, Zohran Mamdani clinched a generational victory.
Mr. Mamdani’s ascent in New York City was propelled by a relentless focus on affordability and indefatigable campaigning that expanded the electorate in striking ways, mobilizing a coalition of ethnic and religious groups that have rarely been on the receiving end of such intense focus from a citywide candidate. He made bringing his economic message to the city’s hundreds of thousands of Muslims an important part of his operation, visiting more than 50 mosques, some multiple times, and hosting phone banks in Urdu, Arabic and Bangla, among other languages.
He campaigned on the night shift, stopping by LaGuardia Airport to convene with the city’s taxi drivers — many of them Muslims of South Asian descent, like him — for whom he went on a hunger strike to win debt relief in 2021. He explained inflation in viral videos featuring the city’s halal food carts and did interviews from beloved Jackson Heights restaurants like Kabab King. And he maintained an unwavering commitment to the Palestinian cause as New Yorkers broadly came to sympathize with Palestinians over Israelis.
His stunning victory in the Democratic primary in June was a watershed moment for Muslim New Yorkers. But in the closing weeks of the general election, many said that Islamophobic attacks against him had left them deeply concerned.
Last month, Mr. Mamdani took a rare detour from his affordability focus to address the rhetoric, including that coming from his rivals. Andrew Cuomo had laughed along with a radio host who said Mr. Mamdani would cheer on another 9/11-style attack; Curtis Sliwa, the Republican candidate, had falsely accused him of supporting “global jihad”; Mayor Eric Adams, who suspended his re-election campaign and endorsed Mr. Cuomo, had said the city risked falling into “Islamic extremism” if he were elected.
In an emotional 10-minute speech that resonated beyond the city, Mr. Mamdani described painful experiences with faith and identity as a child growing up after 9/11 and said that Islamophobia was one of the few forms of bigotry that remains largely accepted in New York.
He said that he had sought to be a candidate championing all New Yorkers, and not simply “the Muslim candidate.” While he was thankful for the support he had received in response to the attacks on him, he said, Muslim New Yorkers who did not have a profile as high as his were still on his mind.
“The dream of every Muslim is simply to be treated the same as any other New Yorker. And yet for too long, we have been told to ask for less than that and to be satisfied with whatever little we receive,” he said. “No more.”
Anushka Patil is a Times reporter covering breaking and developing news around the world.
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