Zohran Mamdani Projected Winner of NYC Mayor’s Race
L to R: Zohran Mamdani (AP Photo/Seth Wenig); Andrew Cuomo (AP Photo/Seth Wenig); Curtis Sliwa (AP Photo/Hans Pennink, File).
Zohran Mamdani will be the next mayor of New York City, Decision Desk HQ and NewsNation projected Tuesday evening.
Mamdani, a 34-year-old self-proclaimed Democratic socialist, shocked the Democratic establishment with his quick rise in the primary earlier this year. He defeated a slate of candidates including former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who then decided to take another swing at Mamdani by running as an independent.
Current NYC mayor Eric Adams dropped out of the Democratic primary in April, switched to independent, and then exited the race altogether in late September, too late for his name to be taken off the ballot.
The Republican, perennial candidate Curtis Sliwa, floundered in the polls throughout the race and was never viewed as much of a challenge. Several prominent Republicans even endorsed Cuomo, called for Sliwa to drop out, or both — including President Donald Trump.
Adams has also endorsed Cuomo, but Mamdani has been viewed as the runaway favorite to win since securing his primary victory. The most recent Real Clear Politics Polling Average had Mamdani at 46.1, Cuomo at 31.8, and Sliwa at 16.3.
Born in Uganda to parents of Indian descent, Mamdani’s family moved to New York City when he was seven. He holds dual citizenship with Uganda and the U.S., having become an American citizen in 2018. Mamdani married his wife Rama Duwaji in February 2024 in a civil ceremony at New York City Hall; the couple resides in the Queens neighborhood of Astoria. He’s been a New York State Assembly member since 2021 and has previously worked as a housing counselor for low-income homeowners and tenants in Queens and a campaign manager for local NYC politicians.
The race was called only 3 minutes after polls closed.
Mamdani’s win came during a good night for Democrats, picking up victories in the gubernatorial races in Virginia and New Jersey, some statewide races in Georgia, and even the Democrat running for Virginia attorney general managed to survive a series of scandals to eke out a win.
