Zohran Mamdani is just months away from being sworn in as the first Muslim and first Indian-American (and South Asian) mayor of New York City. Becoming the youngest person to have clinched the title on Tuesday, the New York City mayoral Election Day, he has already scripted history on multiple levels.

But given his radical stance differing from the usual mainstream Democratic presence on the US politics scene, not everyone was overjoyed to see him score the landmark victory.

Barack Obama congratulates Democrats; Mamdani missed out?

Mamdani wasn’t the only Democratic politician who secured a clean victory on Tuesday. Local election races saw Rep Abigail Spanberger (Virginia) and Rep Mikie Sherill (New Jersey) take the lead as new governor-elects.

In light of the major Democratic comeback across spectrum, Barack Obama immediately shared words of appreciation for all the candidates on X. “Congratulations to all the Democratic candidates who won tonight. It’s a reminder that when we come together around strong, forward-looking leaders who care about the issues that matter, we can win. We’ve still got plenty of work to do, but the future looks a little bit brighter,” he wrote.

However, given Mamdani’s influence and position in the current US political landscape, one couldn’t help but take note of him conspicuously missing out on name-dropping the NYC mayor-elect. This particularly became an issue worth noticing in the context of recently surfaced reports linking Obama to Mamdani behind the scenes.

ALSO READ

The Democratic socialist missed out on earning clear-cut endorsement from mainstream Democrat leaders throughout his campaign. One such key figure was none other than former President Barack Obama. Although he is said to have reached out to the Indian-origin assemblyman via a phone call, as per the New York Times, other commentators suggested that Obama would never actually publicly sound off his support for Mamdani to “protect” other Democrats.

As per sources spilling details of the reported call between the two, Obama had even offered to become a “sounding board” for Mamdani later on. “Your campaign has been impressive to watch,” the ex-president reportedly told the NYC mayor-elect at the time. However, Mamdani campaign advisor Patrick Gaspard, who also worked under the Obama administration, said, the Democratic politician “doesn’t endorse in local races,” alluding to his “longstanding rule post-presidency,” according to the New York Post.

Other prominent figures react to Mamdani win

Having backed Democrats for decades, Wall Street billionaire Bill Ackman switched paths last year by endorsing Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential election. Despite Mamdani being associated with “anti-billionaire” politics, the hedge fund manager congratulated him on his win. “Now you have a big responsibility,” he said on X. “If I can help NYC, just let me know what I can do.”

Proud of his identity as an immigrant, the Uganda-born politician from Queens directly hit out against US President Donald Trump in his winning speech. When doing so, his South Asian-origin family joined him on stage, with the popular Bollywood track “Dhoom Machale” playing as he walked off stage.

Consequently, renowned British-American journalist Mehdi Hasan wrote, “Hey white supremacists, Zohran ended his speech tonight with ‘Dhoom machale’. Bollywood music. Cry more, racist losers.”

ALSO READ

Democrats on Zohran Mamdani becoming New York City mayor

  • Bernie Sanders: The self-described “democratic socialist,” who has long endorsed Mamdani, once again stood by the NYC mayor-elect for his big win on Tuesday. “Starting at 1% in the polls, @ZohranKMamdani pulled off one of the great political upsets in modern American history,” the US senator wrote on X. Sharing a photo of himself and Mamdani,” he added, “Yes. We CAN create a government that represents working people and not the 1%. I look forward to working with Zohran as he builds a city that works for all.”
  • Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez: AOC was even at the Zohran Mamdani watch party celebrating his victory on the ground. “He is a bright light, showing the future path for championing working families in New York, and that’s the thing I care about,” she told the reporters, as per Associated Press. “I know for Zohran, it’s not about Democrat, Republican or independent — it’s about how we help people.”
  • Chuch Schumer: Despite not having endorsed Mamdani, the New York senator called his Tuesday victory “well-earned” and “historic.” In a statement, he went on to say, “I have worked collaboratively and productively with Mayor-elect Mamdani on a number of vital issues over the years. I look forward to building on that partnership to keep New York City strong, fair, more affordable, and thriving.”
  • Kathy Hochul: The New York governor, who had endorsed Mamdani early on, said she spoke to the mayor-elect after his win and told him, “I’m looking forward to working together to make our city more affordable and livable.” She also wrote on X, “Congratulations to him and to every New Yorker who made their voice heard in one of the city’s highest-turnout elections on record.”
  • Bill Clinton: The former president joined in to celebrate Mamdani’s resounding win. “I’m wishing you success as you work to transform the passion of your campaign into building a better, fairer, more affordable New York,” he wrote in a post.
ALSO READ

MAGA reacts Zohran Mamdani’s NYC win

  • Donald Trump: At first, the US president simply vented on Truth Social, “…AND SO IT BEGINS!” He eventually took a shot at Mamdani at behest of “pollsters,” writing, “‘TRUMP WASN’T ON THE BALLOT, AND SHUTDOWN, WERE TWO REASONS THAT REPUBLICANS LOST ELECTIONS TONIGHT,’ according to pollsters.”
  • Laura Loomer: With Mamdani set to become the first Muslim Mayor of NYC, the far-right influencer doubled down on her prior predictions tied to the mayor election race. Her extended rant became an issue over a series of several social media posts.

“I told you the GOP would get hammered today. The GOP lost every major election and now multiple Islamic jihadists are in power. I warned the GOP this would happen if they didn’t start speaking out about the Islamification of America,” she said.

“This is what happens when a party attaches itself to Qatar. There were no major efforts to address the danger posed these candidates because the GOP is too in bed with Islamic foreigners. The GOP has their priorities wrong.”

Among numerous other claims, Loomer added, “If the GOP doesn’t start taking the threat of Islam seriously, we will lose in 2026 and 2028.” Calling the religion the “biggest threat to” the US, she questioned, “Are they willing to sacrifice our country to appease the Muslims?”

She also had an issue with Mamdani quoting socialist figure Eugene Debs, who was indicted for violating the Espionage Act of 1917. In yet another tweet, challenged the claim that Zohran Mamdani had “defeated the establishment,” countering with the remark: “No, Mamdani is the Establishment. He was always funded by Islamists and Soros.”

  • Vivek Ramaswamy: The Ohio governor candidate posted on X: “Bring down costs. End identity politics.” He also took to SNS to share a video message, detailing “lessons from tonight, no sugar coating.”

As a Republican Party member, he noted, “We got our a**es handed to us in New Jersey, Virginia and New York City. Addressing the all-out Democratic comeback thanks to the November 4 election streak, he laid out “two key lessons for Republicans.”

“Number 1: Our side needs to focus on affordability. Make the American Dream affordable, bring down costs, electric costs, grocery costs, healthcare costs and housing costs, and lay out how we’re going to do it,” he went on. “Number 2: Cut out the identity politics. It doesn’t suit Republicans. It’s not for us. That’s the ‘Woke’ Left’s game, not ours. We don’t care about the colour or your religion. We care about the content of your character.”

  • National Republican Campaign Committee: Spokesperson Mike Marinella said, “The Democrat Party has surrendered to radical socialist Zohran Mamdani and the far-left mob now running the show.” With a memo titled “One Year Out” releasing on Tuesday, the committee’s official added, “Every House Democrat is foolishly complicit in their party’s collapse, and voters will make them pay in 2026.”