Here S How Zohran Mamdani Rose To Top Of New York City S Democratic

Leo Migdal

-Dec 3, 2025, 12:38 PM

here s how zohran mamdani rose to top of new york city s democratic

In just a matter of months, New York State assemblymember Zohran Mamdani overcame low polling figures and surprised Democrats with a presumptive victory in the New York City mayoral primary held on Tuesday. Bob Hardt, political director for Spectrum News channel NY1, told Morning Edition that Mamdani went from polling in the single digits earlier this year to declaring victory early Wednesday through "social media and hard... "Five years ago, Mamdani was running for the state assembly in a crowded Democratic primary, and no one outside of his Astoria, Queens neighborhood really had heard of him," Hardt said. The 33-year-old democratic socialist, who now represents that neighborhood as part of the 36th Assembly District, earned a plurality of first-choice votes despite consistently polling behind former New York governor Andrew Cuomo. "He became a Goliath slayer," Hardt said. "And the Goliath form was Andrew Cuomo."

Philip Marcelo, Associated Press Philip Marcelo, Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — When he announced his run for mayor last October, Zohran Mamdani was a state lawmaker unknown to most New York City residents. But that was before the 34-year-old democratic socialist crashed the national political scene with a stunning upset over former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo in June’s Democratic primary. WATCH: Zohran Mamdani addresses supporters after winning NYC mayoral race On Tuesday, Mamdani completed his political ascension, again vanquishing Cuomo, as well as Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa, in the general election.

The 34-year-old, Ugandan-born democratic socialist defeated former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who ran as an Independent, in Tuesday's election, according to a race call by the Associated Press. A major development tonight on the local election that is being watched across the country. Democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani will be the next mayor of New York City. That is according to a call made by the Associated Press shortly after polls closed at 9 p.m. Eastern time.

Mamdani came from behind in the Democratic primaries last summer, and then he dominated in the general election, beating former Governor Andrew Cuomo, who ran as an independent, and Republican Curtis Sliwa. NPR's Brian Mann is on the street tonight in Brooklyn and joins us now. Hi. SUMMERS: Brian, that was a pretty quick call as elections go. Tell us why. MANN: Yeah.

This was a huge turnout across the city, and Zohran Mamdani just, again, dominated. He got a massive turnout from his supporters. I'm here at his celebration headquarters in Brooklyn, and when news came that the race had been called, Juana, there was a huge cheer. People here have been celebrating all evening. They thought this was the way it was going to go, and now it's official. SUMMERS: He faced a veteran political operator in Andrew Cuomo.

He also faced tens of millions of dollars in super PAC spending by billionaires who were really hoping to block the election of a Democratic socialist. So I want to talk for a minute about Cuomo's campaign. What seemed to happen there? Mamdani has been a member of the Democratic Socialists of America since 2017. When Donald Trump defeated Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential election, Grace Mausser had just graduated from college. "I was very much a part of the liberal establishment -- more on the progressive side -- but totally believed that Hillary Clinton was going to win," said the 31-year-old Houston native.

"Like millions of other people, I was totally shocked and really dismayed." Searching for a way to turn her disappointment into action, Mausser recalled the energy behind Bernie Sanders' presidential campaign that year -- and how he referred to himself as a democratic socialist on the... Mausser found the Democratic Socialists of America and became involved in her local New York City chapter, where she met then-New York State Assembly candidate Zohran Mamdani, who has been a member of DSA... Zohran Mamdani needs a civic program to complement his affordability agenda Zohran Mamdani poses for a group photo at “The Cost of Living Classic” soccer tournament on October 19, 2025, in New York City. It was hard to miss the civic spirit spilling out of Zohran Mamdani’s New York City mayoral campaign.

You could find his canvassers gathering at parks, playgrounds, and plazas; at 5:30 pm on weekdays or noon on weekends; huddled under the awnings of Dunkin’ Donuts or lingering outside independent coffee shops; and... Climbing up into walk-ups and entering apartment buildings, volunteers knocked on doors and engaged voters in conversations about the challenges of their everyday lives, then introduced them to a mayoral candidate who promised to... A simple logic guided Mamdani’s field operation: Political change begins with talking to your neighbors. Volunteers showed up everywhere: at Jummah Prayer, greeting congregants with voter registration forms and fliers; at farmers’ markets in spring and fall; and holding signs along the New York City Marathon route the weekend... Across more than 5,700 canvassing shifts in 243 neighborhoods, volunteers offered residents a proximate face to the movement, built trust with other New Yorkers, and trained new spokespeople for Mamdani’s affordability agenda. More than 100,000 people volunteered on the campaign, knocking 3.1 million doors, making 4.5 million calls, and sending 2.7 million texts.

While the canvasses were the campaign’s most frequent method of direct voter contact, the calendar brimmed with opportunities to participate. The campaign’s scavenger hunt sent nearly 4,000 participants racing across Manhattan to decode clues about New York history, and a fall soccer tournament, dubbed the Cost of Living Classic, drew players from every borough. There were also dozens of smaller events: community document-shredding drives, DIY merch-making nights, and informal socials that brought volunteers together at little cost. Each of these efforts extended the campaign’s core message: that politics isn’t something distant or elite but something built together in the neighborhoods where people already live. Asking people about New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani and his democratic socialist beliefs is the new Rorschach test ahead of the 2026 congressional elections. Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy called the 34-year-old assemblyman a "communist" while HBO's John Oliver praised his forceful Nov.

4 victory speech as "satisfying" after a nasty campaign. As far as voters like Alexandria Hollis are concerned, however, no label matters if an elected official can understand rising anger over the cost of living. "I definitely have a couple people that I'm close with that are very against capitalism now, and see it as a system that isn't really working much anymore," the 30-year-old pharmacist, who lives in... "I don't think it's working, especially in like my field, which is health care," she added. "Capitalism is just not working." In this age of widespread misinformation and increased threats to press freedom, support for independent journalism is more important than ever.

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Thank you so much! Democracy Now! Amy Goodman In this age of widespread misinformation and increased threats to press freedom, support for independent journalism is more important than ever. Media is essential to the functioning of a democratic society. Today is Giving Tuesday, a day dedicated to supporting non-profits.

Please make it Giving NewsDay by donating to Democracy Now!. Thanks to a group of generous donors, all donations made today will be TRIPLED, which means your $15 gift is worth $45. Please donate today, so we can keep delivering urgent reporting on the world’s most pressing issues. Every dollar makes a difference. Thank you so much! Democracy Now!

Amy Goodman We rely on contributions from you, our viewers and listeners to do our work. If you visit us daily or weekly or even just once a month, now is a great time to make your monthly contribution. As Zohran Mamdani prepares to become New York’s first Muslim and first South Asian mayor on January 1, we look at the historic rise of the democratic socialist who shocked the political establishment. We spend the hour hearing Mamdani in his own words and look at the grassroots coalition that helped him pull off what’s been described as “one of the great political upsets in modern American... AMY GOODMAN: In this Democracy Now!

special, we look at the rise of New York Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani. On November 4th, he made history by winning the race to become the next mayor of New York City. The democratic socialist is the first Muslim and first person of South Asian descent elected to lead the largest city in the United States. At 34 years old, he’s also the youngest person elected to the office in over a century. His meteoric rise from a little-known state assemblymember to his stunning upset over former Governor Andrew Cuomo has sent shockwaves through the Democratic Party. Zohran Mamdani decided, in his quest to become New York City's mayor, he would walk the entire length of Manhattan - starting at 19:00 one Friday evening in early June.

Video of the feat on social media captures New Yorkers frame-by-frame giving him thumbs up and embracing him. Several clap for the "next mayor". He's doing it, he tells followers, because New Yorkers deserve a mayor they can see, hear and even yell at. It takes only a quick scroll through 33-year-old Mamdani's social media accounts to understand just how different his style is from that of a traditional politician, rejecting typical soundbites for a more unrehearsed feel. After he won the New York Democratic primary on Tuesday, that playbook is getting accolades for its ability to attract a large coalition. This is a wakeup call for the Democratic Party, said pollster Frank Luntz.

The big loser of the night wasn't his main opponent, former governor Andrew Cuomo, he said, but the US Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, who represents the Democratic Party establishment. Grassroots Democrats are demanding "a more ideological, confrontational approach to policy and politics" in the time of US President Donald Trump, Mr Luntz said. In June, after Zohran Mamdani somehow bulldozed through the New York Democratic mayoral primary and seized the nomination, I was walking through my neighborhood — I live just north of Manhattan — when a... This was classic “Purim Torah” — a real question of halakhah, Jewish law, wrapped in a premise so absurd that it could only be a joke. None of us actually believed that a proud, self-professing socialist who rejected the Jewish people’s right to a state in our ancestral homeland and who had trouble bringing himself to condemn the worst attack... It felt as impossible as snow in August.

Here S How Zohran Mamdani Rose To Top Of New York City S Democratic

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