Who is Zohran Mamdani, first Muslim likely to become New York mayor?

NEW YORK: Zohran Mamdani, a 33-year-old Muslim of South Asian descent, delivered a surprising victory over former Governor Andrew Cuomo in the Democratic mayoral primary on June 24, positioning him as the Democratic nominee for New York City’s mayor.

A win in November would make Mamdani the city’s first Muslim and Indian-origin mayor. Early Wednesday, he tweeted, citing Nelson Mandela: “It always seems impossible until it’s done. My friends, it is done. And you did it.”

Cuomo, who resigned in 2021 amid a sexual harassment scandal, conceded, praising Mamdani’s campaign for mobilizing young voters. Mamdani’s win, analysts suggest, offers lessons for the Democratic Party after its 2024 election losses.

In the ranked-choice primary, Mamdani secured 43.5 percent (432,000 votes), ahead of Cuomo’s 36.4 percent (361,800 votes). Comptroller Brad Lander took 11.3 percent, with other candidates splitting the rest. As no candidate reached 50 percent, lower-ranked candidates’ votes were redistributed, boosting Mamdani with support from Lander’s and other progressive voters.

Despite polls favoring Cuomo, Mamdani’s grassroots campaign, backed by 22,000 volunteers and endorsements from Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, triumphed.

Who is Zohran Mamdani?

Mamdani, a Democratic Socialist and son of Ugandan academic Mahmood Mamdani and filmmaker Mira Nair, represents Astoria, Queens, in the State Assembly.

A former housing counselor, he married Syrian artist Rama Duwaji this year. Zohran Mamdani wife is an animator and illustrator whose designs have appeared in The New Yorker, the BBC and The Washington Post, according to her portfolio website. She is ethnically Syrian and was born in Texas, a campaign spokeswoman said, and she holds a master’s degree in illustration from the School of Visual Arts in New York.

Mamdani’s platform includes free buses by 2027, a rent freeze, a Social Housing Development Agency, municipal grocery stores, expanded free school meals, and universal childcare, funded by raising corporate taxes to 11.5 percent and a 2 percent surcharge on millionaires. He also proposes a Department of Community Safety to replace some police functions.

Zohran on Gaza

On Gaza, Mamdani has criticized Israel’s actions, calling them “genocide” in an October 2024 X post and supporting the BDS movement. In a December 2024 interview, he said he would arrest Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu in New York, aligning city values with international law.

He defended the “Globalize the Intifada” slogan as solidarity, not violence, and condemned anti-Semitism while facing Islamophobic threats. Cuomo’s campaign criticized his pro-Palestine stance, noting New York’s large Jewish community.

Mamdani will face Republican Curtis Sliwa in the November 4 election. With Democrats outnumbering Republicans 6 to 1 in New York City, Mamdani is favored to win, potentially becoming the first non-Republican mayor since Michael Bloomberg’s 2001 victory.