NEW YORK; Zohran Mamdani, a 34-year-old Democratic socialist, made history on Tuesday by winning the New York City mayoral race, becoming the first Muslim to hold the position in America’s largest city.
According to CBS, Mamdani secured 1,035,645 votes (50.4%) against 854,783 (41.6%) for former New York governor Andrew Cuomo, and 146,127 (7.1%) for Republican Curtis Sliwa.
Mamdani’s rise from a relatively unknown state lawmaker to a prominent Democratic figure has been described as meteoric. His victory over Cuomo, who ran as an independent after losing the Democratic nomination, represented both an ideological and generational shift within the party.
In his victory speech, Mamdani declared, “Hope is alive. We won because New Yorkers believed that the impossible could be made possible.” He pledged to make New York “a city where Islamophobia cannot win elections” and vowed to build an administration inclusive of all — from immigrants and laborers to marginalized communities.
Born in Uganda to a family of Indian origin, Mamdani moved to the US at age seven and became a naturalized citizen in 2018.
His campaign faced fierce opposition, including Islamophobic rhetoric from conservative media and even former President Donald Trump, who called him a “Jew hater.” Despite these attacks, Mamdani’s victory marks a significant step toward broader representation in US politics.
Former presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama, as well as Senator Bernie Sanders, congratulated him. Sanders called the win “one of the great political upsets in modern American history.”
Meanwhile, Ghazala Hashmi, a Democrat from Virginia, made history by becoming the first Muslim woman to win a statewide office in the US, defeating Republican John Reid in the lieutenant governor’s race with 53.8% of votes.
Born in Hyderabad, India, and holding a PhD in English from Emory University, Hashmi has been active in academia before entering politics.
In Virginia, Democrat Abigail Spanberger became the state’s first female governor after defeating Republican Earle-Sears, while in New Jersey, Democrat Mikie Sherrill won the governor’s race, marking the party’s third consecutive term in the state — a first since the 1960s.
The Democratic victories serve as a morale boost for the party, which has struggled to regain footing since Trump’s return to the White House. Analysts say Mamdani’s success could reshape the Democratic Party’s future direction, signaling growing influence of its progressive wing.
