Taking over a post previously helmed by Eric Adams, Zohran Mamdani has won the New York City mayoral election, according to AP and NBC’s projected figures. US news outlet Associated Press was quick to declare the Democratic socialist the winner of the November 4 Election Day at 9:34 pm EST. NBC News, among others, followed suit hot on the heels of the initial announcement.
The Indian-origin assemblyman’s front-running rivals in the mayor race were former Democratic Governor Andrew Cuomo and Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa. Set to take office on January 1, Mamdani will also be NYC’s youngest mayor in over a century.
At the time of writing, the 34-year-old front-runner’s glorious victory was attributed to 1,006,242 votes, accounting for 50.3% of total figures. Meanwhile, Independent Andrew Cuomo settled at the second spot on the table with 831,803 votes (41.6%) and GOP’s Sliwa with 143,420 votes at 7.2%, according to the AP Race Call.
As voters chose Mamdani over the rest during Tuesday’s election, the remarkable turnout was unprecedented. Over 2 million New Yorkers came out to pitch in their votes as of 8:45 pm local time, marking the first time the number has crossed the 1969 figures, according to the New York Times.
Zohran Mamdani’s speech: NYC mayor-elect takes the stage after mayor win
“The sun may have set over our city this evening, but as Eugene Debs once said, ‘I can see the dawn of a better day for humanity,” he began his winning speech quoting socialist Eugene V Debs.
Envisioning his and New Yorkers’ victory as the toppling of “a political dynasty,” Mamdani wished Andrew Cuomo his best in private life. Delivering his victory speech, he spoke above frenzied cheers, declaring that Tuesday would be “the final time I utter his name as we turn the page on a politics that abandons the many and answers only to a few.”
Thanking all volunteers for making his campaign an “unstoppable force,” he said, “We have held our breath for longer than we know. We have held it in anticipation of defeat. Held it because the air has been knocked out of our lungs too many times to count. Held it because we cannot afford to exhale.” Adding that the city had been “reborn,” he went on, “Years from now, may our only regret be that this day took so long to come. This new age will be one of relentless improvement.”
Republican Sliwa concedes NYC mayor race
The Republican candidate who never earned President Donald Trump’s endorsement has since congratulated Zohram Mamdani on attaining the NY mayor seat. Despite his warm wishes to the Democratic rival, he also went on to issue a stark warning.
“We’re not only organising, but we are mobilising and we will become the mayor-elect and his supporters’ worst enemies,” Sliwa said of the Indian-origin mayor-elect potentially attempting to “implement socialism” and “render our police weak and impotent.”
He also declared that he wouldn’t be leaving New York, as he was determined to “fight for what we know is right.” Sliwa added, “We will hold the mayor-elect to make sure that he serves all the people and that socialism does not replace capitalism.”
Andrew Cuomo’s concession speech
The former NY governor expressed pride in his campaign being the “right fight to wage.” Thanking NYC Mayor Eric Adams for pulling out of the race early on, he said that the move was crucial in making the front-runners more competitive.
As he offered his congratulations to Mamdani, boos erupted among Cuomo’s supporters. However, the Independent candidate tried his all to play the bigger person and said, “That is not right, and that is not us.”
Cuomo noted his campaign was “to contest the philosophies that are shaping the Democratic Party, the future of this city and the future of this country.” He added, “almost half of New Yorkers did not vote to support a government agenda that makes promises that we know cannot be met.”
This story was updated to include Mamdani and Cuomo’s speeches.
