Indian-American Mamdani wins New York city mayoral race

Zoran Mamdani, a 34-year-old Indian American Muslim with strong left-wing leanings, was elected on Nov. 4 (local time) as the 111th mayor of New York City, the largest city in the United States and a symbol of global capitalism. As New York’s first Muslim mayor and a self-described democratic socialist, he will now lead the city that is home to Wall Street, the center of the world’s financial markets. Observers say his election marks a major shift in American politics.

As of 2 a.m. on election day, with 91 percent of ballots counted, Mamdani had secured 50.4 percent of the vote, defeating independent candidate Andrew Cuomo, a former three-term governor, who received 41.6 percent, and Republican Curtis Sliwa, who took 7.1 percent.

Mamdani, a former U.S. representative from New York, was relatively unknown just a year ago. He quickly rose to prominence by focusing on core issues facing ordinary New Yorkers, including housing and the cost of living. Using social media, he championed progressive policies such as a rent freeze on public housing, free bus service, free childcare, and higher taxes on the wealthy, gaining overwhelming support from young voters.

Earlier, U.S. President Donald Trump called Mamdani a “communist” and warned that if he became mayor, he would cut federal funding for New York City and deploy the National Guard. In his victory speech, Mamdani declared, “I will show a nation betrayed by Trump how to defeat him,” signaling that tensions between the two are likely to escalate.

Meanwhile, Democrats also won gubernatorial elections in New Jersey and Virginia held the same day, leading analysts to conclude that President Trump’s administration faces mounting political headwinds.


Woo-Sun Lim imsun@donga.com