Here S How Zohran Mamdani Rose To Top Of New York City S Democratic

Bonisiwe Shabane

-Oct 23, 2025, 3:52 AM

here s how zohran mamdani rose to top of new york city s democratic

In just a matter of months, New York State assemblymember Zohran Mamdani overcame low polling figures and surprised Democrats with a presumptive victory in the New York City mayoral primary held on Tuesday. Bob Hardt, political director for Spectrum News channel NY1, told Morning Edition that Mamdani went from polling in the single digits earlier this year to declaring victory early Wednesday through "social media and hard... "Five years ago, Mamdani was running for the state assembly in a crowded Democratic primary, and no one outside of his Astoria, Queens neighborhood really had heard of him," Hardt said. The 33-year-old democratic socialist, who now represents that neighborhood as part of the 36th Assembly District, earned a plurality of first-choice votes despite consistently polling behind former New York governor Andrew Cuomo. "He became a Goliath slayer," Hardt said. "And the Goliath form was Andrew Cuomo."

Philip Marcelo, Associated Press Philip Marcelo, Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — When he announced his run for mayor last October, Zohran Mamdani was a state lawmaker unknown to most New York City residents. But that was before the 34-year-old democratic socialist crashed the national political scene with a stunning upset over former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo in June's Democratic primary. WATCH: Zohran Mamdani addresses supporters after winning NYC mayoral race On Tuesday, Mamdani completed his political ascension, again vanquishing Cuomo, as well as Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa, in the general election.

Zohran Kwame Mamdani[c] (born October 18, 1991) is an American politician who is the mayor-elect of New York City. A member of the Democratic Party and the Democratic Socialists of America, he is set to become New York's first Muslim and Asian American mayor. Mamdani has served as a member of the New York State Assembly for the 36th district since 2021, representing the Queens neighborhood of Astoria. Mamdani was born in Kampala, Uganda, to academic Mahmood Mamdani and filmmaker Mira Nair. After spending three years in Cape Town, South Africa, when Mamdani was five to seven years old, his family moved to the United States, settling in New York City. Mamdani graduated from the Bronx High School of Science before receiving a bachelor's degree with a major in Africana studies from Bowdoin College in 2014.

After working as a housing counselor and musician, Mamdani entered local New York City politics as a campaign manager for Khader El-Yateem and Ross Barkan. He was first elected to the New York State Assembly in 2020, defeating five-term incumbent Aravella Simotas in the Democratic primary. Representing Astoria and Long Island City, he was reelected without opposition in 2022 and 2024. In October 2024, Mamdani announced his candidacy for mayor of New York City in the 2025 election. He campaigned on an affordability-focused platform supporting fare-free city buses, universal public child care, city-owned grocery stores, a rent freeze on rent-stabilized units, additional affordable housing units, and a $30 minimum wage by 2030. He also expressed support for LGBTQ rights, comprehensive public safety reform, and tax increases on corporations and those earning above $1 million annually.

He won the Democratic primary in June 2025, defeating former governor Andrew Cuomo in an upset, and was elected mayor in the November general election. Zohran Kwame Mamdani was born on October 18, 1991, in Kampala, Uganda, the only child of postcolonialist academic Mahmood Mamdani and filmmaker Mira Nair.[12][13] He was given his middle name, Kwame, by his father... Philip Marcelo, Associated Press Philip Marcelo, Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — When he announced his run for mayor last October, Zohran Mamdani was a state lawmaker unknown to most New York City residents. But that was before the 34-year-old democratic socialist crashed the national political scene with a stunning upset over former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo in June's Democratic primary. WATCH: Zohran Mamdani addresses supporters after winning NYC mayoral race On Tuesday, Mamdani completed his political ascension, again vanquishing Cuomo, as well as Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa, in the general election.

Zohran Mamdani reacts as he walks on stage to speak at a mayoral election night watch party, Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura) New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani tries to talk to pedestrians while surrounded by reporters in New York, Monday, Oct. 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig) Zohran Mamdani speaks after winning the mayoral election, Tuesday, Nov.

4, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura) Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani, right, walks off the stage with his mother, Mira Nair, second from right, his wife Rama Duwaji, and father Mahmood Mamdani, after making his acceptance speech at election... 4, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura) New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani talks with Rita Bellevue as she waits at a bus stop in New York, Monday, Oct. 27, 2025.

(AP Photo/Seth Wenig) A timeline of Zohran Mamdani’s rise from little-known lawmaker to mayor-elect of New York City. By Benjamin Oreskes, Umi Syam and Eden Weingart It was not too long ago that Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani was a backbench state legislator running a long-shot bid for mayor of New York City. But with each passing month, his campaign gained momentum, amassing a huge army of volunteers, maxing out on donations and rising in the polls until he won the Democratic primary in June. Now Mr. Mamdani has been elected as the city’s 111th mayor. A comprehensive timeline of his rise shows how even the smallest of successes set the stage for what followed and laid the groundwork for Mr.

Mamdani to become New York City’s youngest chief executive in more than a century. Cruising to re-election in the State Assembly, Mr. New York City Democratic mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani celebrates as he takes the stage at his election night watch party at the Brooklyn Paramount on Nov. 4, 2025, in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. One of the wildest and most dramatic New York City mayoral elections in modern history finished with the flare of a presidential…and with the national attention to match. “Hear me, President Trump, when I say this: to get to any of us, you will have to get through all of us,” said a defiant and triumphant Zohran Mamdani in a shot across...

Mamdani, the 34-year-old democratic socialist most people hadn’t heard of when this race began — and whose name even his fellow candidates struggled to correctly pronounce as late as last night — just became... Mamdani also becomes Gotham’s first Muslim mayor, first mayor of South Asian descent, first mayor born in Africa, and the youngest in more than a century. Mamdani has been a member of the Democratic Socialists of America since 2017. When Donald Trump defeated Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential election, Grace Mausser had just graduated from college. "I was very much a part of the liberal establishment -- more on the progressive side -- but totally believed that Hillary Clinton was going to win," said the 31-year-old Houston native. "Like millions of other people, I was totally shocked and really dismayed."

Searching for a way to turn her disappointment into action, Mausser recalled the energy behind Bernie Sanders' presidential campaign that year -- and how he referred to himself as a democratic socialist on the... Mausser found the Democratic Socialists of America and became involved in her local New York City chapter, where she met then-New York State Assembly candidate Zohran Mamdani, who has been a member of DSA... Zohran Mamdani didn’t just score more first-place votes Tuesday night in New York City’s Democratic mayoral primary — he also prompted his closest rival, former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, to concede before the night was over, making the city’s ranked choice tabulation feel like a formality. While Mamdani’s supporters claim the outcome was no surprise, Cuomo had widely been considered a probable first-round winner until the election, with Mamdani and allied candidates organizing to deny him a ranked-choice majority via... However, several key factors ultimately swung the race in Mamdani’s favor.

Two of the most recent pre-election, nonpartisan polls had Cuomo leading in the first round. Emerson College showed Cuomo ahead by 3 points in the first round, and before that Marist University showed Cuomo leading by 12 points in the first-choice tally. Mamdani finished the unofficial tally last night 7 points ahead. But polls tend to be a lagging indicator based on time in the field and release dates, especially in primaries. You could see momentum for Mamdani between those two polls, and it’s possible his surge really did come with the broader electorate in the final days of the campaign. It’s also possible a municipal primary election is just a tough type of race to get accurate polling results.

If you open a classic KJV Bible to Psalm 92:10 or Job 39:9, you will see the word "Unicorn." Is the Bible a book of fairy tales? Did mythical creatures actually exist in ancient Israel? Critics mock believers for this. But the mystery lies in a translation error from 1611. Kentucky’s junior U.S. Senator Rand Paul, R-Bowling Green, has introduced the Health Marketplace and Savings Accounts for All Act, to make all Americans eligible for Health Savings Accounts (HSAs).

CALIFORNIA – Riverside County district attorney Mike Hestrin announced December 2 that he, along with 37 other county DAs and two City Attorneys, reached a settlement with Panda Express. A Powerball player in Arkansas won a $1.817 billion jackpot in Wednesday's Christmas Eve drawing, ending the lottery game's three-month stretch without a top-prize winner. The winning numbers were 04, 25, 31, 52 and 59, with the Powerball number being 19. Final ticket sales pushed the jackpot higher than previous... In a striking sign of change across the American food and beverage landscape, two of the world’s most iconic beverage companies — Coca-Cola and PepsiCo — have recently announced multiple plant closures and major... Zohran Mamdani, New York City mayoral candidate, celebrates at an election night event in New York early Wednesday morning as he takes an early lead.

Christian Monterrosa/Bloomberg via Getty Images hide caption Zohran Mamdani is poised to become the Democratic nominee for New York City mayor, after leading in the city's ranked-choice primary on Tuesday. The 33-year-old state assemblymember and democratic socialist was virtually unknown when he jumped into the crowded primary field last fall. But he had recently skyrocketed in the polls, fueled by in-person interactions, viral videos and policy proposals that appear to have resonated especially among younger and first-time primary voters. "I think everyone is stunned and shocked by the unexpected nature of his victory," says Patrick Egan, a professor of politics and public policy at New York University. "And I think one of the other notable things about that victory is that he won with a really progressive, liberal left-wing platform of the kind that we probably haven't ever seen in New...

With 93% of precincts reporting, Mamdani garnered 44% of ballots — the most of the 11 candidates and far more than the 36% of former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, the one-time frontrunner. Cuomo conceded to Mamdani on Tuesday night, but has left the door open to run as an independent in November's general election.

Here S How Zohran Mamdani Rose To Top Of New York City S Democratic

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