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Meet Zohran Mamdani The Favorite To Lead New York City

Leo Migdal
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meet zohran mamdani the favorite to lead new york city

Zohran Mamdani’s stunning rise to power has made history in New York City politics. FOX 5 NY's Robert Moses has the details. NEW YORK - Zohran Mamdani’s stunning rise to power just made history, as the 34-year-old state lawmaker will become New York City’s youngest mayor in more than a century, and its first Muslim, South... His victory over former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Republican Curtis Sliwa wasn’t just an upset; it was a statement from voters hungry for change. Powered by an energetic grassroots movement, Mamdani’s campaign tapped into frustration over affordability and inequality, drawing the city’s biggest voter turnout in fifty years.

Now, the democratic socialist faces the enormous task of turning bold promises — like free child care, city-run grocery stores and a reimagined public safety system — into reality. Critics call his agenda unrealistic, and his past comments on policing and Israel have already sparked national controversy. But as Mamdani prepares to take office on Jan. 1, one thing is clear: New York City has chosen a mayor unlike any it has seen in generations — and the world will be watching what he does next. Here's what you need to know about the soon-to-be Mayor Mamdani: 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? NEW YORK − Following his shocking upset to the Democratic establishment, New York Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani is reaching out to skeptics before taking office. After winning on a progressive platform to address affordability in the nation’s largest city, the democratic socialist has continued to mend fences with powerful figures to his right. Mamdani, 34, takes office on Jan. 1, and he appears to to be trying to address concerns around his age, lack of experience, and a progressive leading the city, with a transition filled with veterans of past City Halls and...

And he's backing Hakeem Jeffries, Nancy Pelosi's handpicked successor, against challenge from the left. He did make one divisive comment, taking a shot at pro-Israel activity, but subsequently condemned phrases ushered by pro-Palestinian protesters. Mayor Adams sat down with Zohran Mamdani on Tuesday, marking their first face-to-face since Mamdani won last month’s race for City Hall — and the meeting appears to have been cordial despite long-running tensions... “It went well,” Mamdani told reporters after meeting privately with Adams at Gracie Mansion for just over an hour. “I appreciated the conversation that I had with Mayor Adams and his team, and we focused on how to make this as smooth as possible of a transition and how to continue to serve... While acknowledging he has “obviously made my critiques clear” of the outgoing mayor, Mamdani offered praise for some Adams administration initiatives, including the expansion of trash containerization programs and the “City of Yes,” a...

“There are good things that this administration has done. I think these are the two examples,” Mamdani said. A spokesman for Adams, who’s leaving office Dec. 31, said the meeting was about making clear to Mamdani that “our team is here to help ensure a smooth transition so that he can hit the ground running on day one.” When he announced his run for mayor back in October, Zohran Mamdani was a state lawmaker unknown to most New York City residents. On Tuesday evening, the 33-year-old marked his stunning political ascension when he declared victory in the Democratic primary from a Queens rooftop bar after former New York Gov.

Andrew Cuomo conceded. While the race’s ultimate outcome has yet to be confirmed by a ranked choice count scheduled for July 1, here’s a look at the one-time rapper seeking to become the city’s first Muslim and... Mamdani was born in Kampala, Uganda, to Indian parents and became an American citizen in 2018, shortly after graduating college. He lived with his family briefly in Cape Town, South Africa, before moving to New York City when he was 7. The 34-year-old politician has gone from aspiring rapper to New York City's mayor-elect - angering Donald Trump along the way. How did he get here?

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player Democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani will become New York City's next mayor after he swept to victory in a decisive win. His rise to political stardom was complete late on Tuesday night when he was projected to have won the mayoral contest, which will see him sworn in to replace Eric Adams in January. In a fiery acceptance speech, Mr Mamdani, the first Muslim and South Asian mayor of New York, said: "If anyone can show a nation betrayed by Donald Trump how to defeat him, it is... Zohran Kwame Mamdani[c] (born October 18, 1991) is an American politician who is the mayor-elect of New York City. A member of the Democratic Party and the Democratic Socialists of America, he has served as a member of the New York State Assembly for the 36th district since 2021, representing the Queens neighborhood...

He is set to become the city's first Muslim and first Asian American mayor. Mamdani was born in Kampala, Uganda, to academic Mahmood Mamdani and filmmaker Mira Nair. After spending three years in Cape Town, South Africa, when Mamdani was five to seven years old, the family moved to the United States, settling in New York. Mamdani graduated from the Bronx High School of Science before receiving a bachelor's degree with a major in Africana studies from Bowdoin College in 2014. After working as a housing counselor and musician, Mamdani entered local New York City politics as a campaign manager for Khader El-Yateem and Ross Barkan. He was first elected to the New York State Assembly in 2020, defeating five-term incumbent Aravella Simotas in the Democratic primary.

Representing Astoria, he was reelected without opposition in 2022 and 2024. In October 2024, Mamdani announced his candidacy for mayor of New York City in the 2025 election. He campaigned on an affordability-focused platform supporting fare-free city buses, universal public child care, city-owned grocery stores, a rent freeze on rent-stabilized units, additional affordable housing units, and a $30 minimum wage by 2030. He also expressed support for LGBTQ rights, comprehensive public safety reform, and tax increases on corporations and those earning above $1 million annually. He won the Democratic primary in June 2025, defeating former governor Andrew Cuomo in an upset, and was elected mayor in the November general election. .mw-parser-output .hlist dl,.mw-parser-output .hlist ol,.mw-parser-output .hlist ul{margin:0;padding:0}.mw-parser-output .hlist dd,.mw-parser-output .hlist dt,.mw-parser-output .hlist li{margin:0;display:inline}.mw-parser-output .hlist.inline,.mw-parser-output .hlist.inline dl,.mw-parser-output .hlist.inline ol,.mw-parser-output .hlist.inline ul,.mw-parser-output .hlist dl dl,.mw-parser-output .hlist dl ol,.mw-parser-output .hlist dl ul,.mw-parser-output .hlist ol dl,.mw-parser-output .hlist ol...

Zohran Kwame Mamdani was born on October 18, 1991, in Kampala, Uganda, the only child of postcolonialist academic Mahmood Mamdani and filmmaker Mira Nair.[12][13] He was given his middle name, Kwame, by his father... Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani, Chief of Staff Elle Bisgaard-Church and appointed First Deputy Mayor Dean Fuleihan Lev Radin/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images As soon as a New York City mayoral candidate wins election – and in most cases for several months before –the city’s political class and media corps eagerly anticipate news of who he will... That fervor may be especially strong this year. Zohran Mamdani pulled off a stunning victory to rise from two-and-a-half-term Assembly member to mayor-elect. But his youth (a young millennial at 34 years old) and scant management experience have attracted particular attention to the balance of old hands and newcomers that will fill his administration, as well as...

Keep up with Mamdani’s hires and appointments below, as of Nov. 21, 2025. Hours after Mamdani sealed his victory on Election Day, the mayor-elect began announcing members of his transition team, some of whom could potentially join the administration. See those names here.

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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 d...