Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic nominee, has been elected mayor of New York City, defeating independent candidate Andrew Cuomo and Republican Curtis Sliwa. The 34-year-old Queens assemblyman's victory marks a historic moment as he becomes the city's first Muslim mayor.
Mamdani's campaign focused on affordability, with a platform promising to freeze rents, expand free childcare, and make city buses free. His progressive, multiracial grassroots movement energized young voters and communities of colour, positioning him as a symbol of generational change.
Andrew Cuomo, the former governor, entered the race as an independent after losing the Democratic primary. Despite backing from establishment figures like Michael Bloomberg and Donald Trump, his campaign struggled against Mamdani's insurgent movement, hampered by lingering controversies including a sexual harassment scandal and criticism over his handling of nursing homes during the pandemic.
Curtis Sliwa, founder of the Guardian Angels, ran as a Republican, positioning himself as an outsider. He claimed he was offered up to $10m by Cuomo's allies to drop out, but refused. Sliwa's campaign relied on his image as a street-level advocate for ordinary New Yorkers.
Early voting data showed more than 732,000 ballots were cast, representing 65% of the total votes in the 2021 mayoral race. Mamdani had led in polls by five to 25 points ahead of his opponents.
