(Adnkronos) – Zohran Mamdani, a 33-year-old Democratic Socialist assemblyman, surprisingly won the Democratic primary for mayor of New York, beating former Governor Andrew Cuomo. Admitting defeat and saying he was “very proud of the campaign we ran,” Cuomo called Mamdani to congratulate him.
Born in Uganda to Indian parents, Mamdani won 43.5% of the vote against Cuomo’s 36.3%, according to the New York City Board of Elections. The final results will be announced by the Board on July 1st. Ranked-choice voting was used in the election, allowing New Yorkers to choose up to five candidates in order of preference, Politico explained.
“We gave our city permission to believe again,” Mamdani told a crowd of supporters at a Queens brewery. “I promise you, we will rebuild this great city, not in my image, but in the image of every New Yorker who has struggled. In our New York, power belongs to the people,” he added.
If his election is confirmed, Mamdani has promised that he will be “a model for the Democratic Party” and will seek to chart a path forward during President Donald Trump’s second term. “The mayor will use his power to push back against the fascism of Donald Trump, to stop masked agents from deporting our mayor, and to govern our city as a model for the Democratic Party, a party where we fight unapologetically for working people,” Mamdani continued.
