Zohran Mamdani conquers New York and becomes the first Muslim mayor in office
- Zohran Mamdani: The youngest mayor and first Muslim in New York
- Who is Zohran Mamdani?
- Political career and public profile
- A new leader of anti-Trumpism
- Mamdani's progressive proposals
Zohran Mamdani: The youngest mayor and first Muslim in New York
At 34, Zohran Mamdani became last night the youngest mayor to lead the Big Apple since 1892 and the first Muslim mayor of the city that never sleeps.
A former Democratic legislator, Mamdani won the mayoral election with around 50% of the vote with a clear message against the country's president, Donald Trump: ‘New York will remain a city of immigrants, built by immigrants and, from now on, led by an immigrant.’
Mamdani won by more than 200,000 votes over Andrew Cuomo, former governor and former US Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, in the first election since 1969 in which more than two million people participated.
Who is Zohran Mamdani?
Born in Kampala, Uganda, Mamdani's family moved to New York when the current mayor of New York was only seven years old. During his youth, he studied at Bronx High School of Science and later co-founded the group Students for Justice in Palestine after graduating with a degree in African Studies from Bowdoin College.
Mamdani has always defined himself as a candidate of the people and an organiser. In his New York Assembly profile, the new councillor notes that ‘the organisation of world events has not led him to despair but to action’.
Political career and public profile
In his political career, Zohran has served as a state assemblyman, where he has promoted social policies, notably the creation of a fund for public health and education, and close collaboration with trade unions.
On his way to the mayoralty, he defeated his two main rivals in the June Democratic primary. Since then, Zohran's two premises have been to maintain judicial independence and advocate for better public services.
In his private life, Zohran is a social media star with more than 8 million followers on Instagram, TikTok and X. He has captured the attention of thousands of young people through a multicultural discourse that so defines New York City. A participant in viral events, Zohran toured Manhattan as a symbol of closeness, and even broke his fast during Ramadan by eating a burrito on the city's underground as a sign of the food insecurity suffered by millions of people.
Embracing progressive discourse, Mamdani has stated on his social media accounts that ‘for the Palestinian cause, he would be willing to arrest Benjamin Netanyahu if he were to travel to New York.’
A new leader of anti-Trumpism
Zohran Mamdani is the definition of what Donald Trump considers a ‘little communist’ and represents everything the White House leader detests: immigrant, socialist and Muslim. In a city still marked by the events of the 11 September attacks, Mamdani's Muslim status is no minor detail. Threats and attacks against him and his family have been a constant throughout his campaign.
What happened that day has even been trivialised, as his political rival Andrew Cuomo said in one of his speeches: 'God forbid another 9/11. Can you imagine Mamdani in that position?'
But the attacks did not stop there, as his other contender, Eric Adams, who until last night was the city's mayor, suggested that Mamdani's Muslim background made him part of or supportive of Islamic jihad and that, if elected, he would ‘turn New York into Europe’ – in reference to the number of attacks that occur on European soil.
Thanks to an excellent communications team, Zohran Mamdani has been able to counter all the opinions expressed by Trump during his campaign. At several rallies, the new mayor has stated that he will not be intimidated and that he will use all the tools at his disposal.
‘I will not be intimidated by this president, or by anyone else, because my job is to serve the citizens of this city,’ he said after casting his vote. He also announced during his speech that he will fight to take legal action, use the public platform and ensure that the law is strictly enforced.
In his political fight against Trump, Mamdani pointed out that the choice of New York citizens will be ‘the light in this moment of political darkness. My election shows the way – to defeat Trump and his rhetoric,’ referring to the immigration policies and arrests that the country's president is carrying out.
In fact, the councillor stressed that his arrival will be ‘the end of Islamophobia and anti-Semitism’. He added: ‘After all, if anyone can show a nation betrayed by Donald Trump how to defeat him, it is the city that saw him born’.
In his speech, Mamdani also acknowledged the efforts of the people who help the city every day. ‘Thank you to the taxi drivers, the elderly, the foreign workers, thank you all for shaping the future of New York City.’
Mamdani's progressive proposals
His rise to the New York City mayoralty has been based on a multicultural discourse, grounded in social policies and advocating for better public services.
Mamdani's promises range from better public transport to a rent freeze for large landlords.
Mamdani highlighted his concern about poverty figures. Currently, one in four people in the city go to bed hungry.
In his proposal, Mamdani highlights: free bus service throughout the city; rent freezes and greater responsibilities for landlords; municipal supermarkets with affordable prices; free childcare for children between 6 weeks and 5 years old; tripling the construction of affordable housing; and increasing the prosecution of hate crimes.
