Mamdani Makes History With Improbable Meteoric Rise To Become New York

Bonisiwe Shabane

-Dec 27, 2025, 2:09 PM

mamdani makes history with improbable meteoric rise to become new york

The democratic socialist is set to become the city's first Muslim mayor. Zohran Mamdani has made New York City history with his ascendant election victory Tuesday night, ABC News projects. "The future us in our hands," he said in a passionate victory speech. New Yorkers chose Mamdani to become the city's 111th mayor, and with that title Mamdani will represent several firsts in the city's three-and-a-half-century existence. When Mamdani is sworn in on Jan. 1, he will become the city's first Muslim and first New Yorker of South Asian descent to be mayor -- as well as the city's first African-born mayor.

Updated on: November 5, 2025 / 11:32 AM EST / CBS New York Mamdani promised to bring New York City into an age of "relentless improvement" as he claimed victory in the mayoral race late Tuesday night. He said his win was one for the working people of New York and reiterated his campaign promises on affordability. "Let the words we've spoken together, the dreams we've dreamt together, become the agenda we deliver together," Mamdani said. "New York, this power, it's yours. This city belongs to you.

Thank you." To watch his full victory speech, click here. Zohran Mamdani has been elected New York City’s 111th mayor, making history as the city’s first Muslim mayor and the youngest in more than a century. He defeated former Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Republican Curtis Sliwa in an election that drew the highest turnout for a New York City mayoral race in decades. Mamdani’s meteoric rise was powered by a campaign focused on the city’s affordability crisis, earning him more than one million votes, the most for a mayoral candidate since John Lindsay in 1969.

NY1’s investigative reporter Courtney Gross, political reporters Bobby Cuza and Ayana Harry break down a historic night in New York politics. What happens when three New York reporters sit in a (small) room and talk politics? Join the NY1 political team each week for a conversation where no topic is off-limits and everything is on the record. New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani listens as President Donald Trump speaks in the Oval Office of the White House, Friday, Nov. 21, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)

New York Mayor Jimmy Walker, right, rides with Romania’s Queen Marie upon her arrival in New York, Oct. 18, 1926, as she started her extended journey across America. (AP File Photo) Mayor Joseph V. McKee, center, stands with Sioux chieftains, in full tribal regalia, who met with him at New York City Hall, Nov. 18, 1932, in New York.

(AP File Photo) New York Mayor John P. O’Brien pins an honor medal on Capt. Giles Stedman, on the steps of New York City Hall, Jan. 27, 1933, in New York. (AP File Photo)

NEW YORK (AP) — Zohran Mamdani can claim multiple firsts when he becomes New York’s mayor Jan. 1. Zohran Mamdani, the newly elected mayor of New York City, celebrated his landmark victory with a viral video showing subway doors opening to announce, “The next and last stop is City Hall.” In his... Billionaires beaten! How Zohran Mamdani trumped Michael Bloomberg, Estée Lauder’s heir, and Airbnb’s cofounder Zohran Mamdani, 34, was elected mayor of New York City on Tuesday, marking a rapid rise for the state lawmaker who is now set to become the city's most progressive leader in decades.

The Indian-origin Democrat defeated former Governor Andrew Cuomo and Republican Curtis Sliwa, securing a decisive win for the Democratic Party's progressive wing. Read more Trump threatens to withhold federal funds from New York under Mamdani, but legal limits apply President Trump repeatedly targeted Zohran Mamdani during the campaign, calling him “far worse than a socialist” and warning federal funds could be “wasted” under his leadership. Legal experts note that Congress, not the president, controls federal funding, and past attempts to block city grants faced constitutional and procedural limits. (read more)

Zohran Mamdani decided, in his quest to become New York City's mayor, he would walk the entire length of Manhattan - starting at 19:00 one Friday evening in early June. Video of the feat on social media captures New Yorkers frame-by-frame giving him thumbs up and embracing him. Several clap for the "next mayor". He's doing it, he tells followers, because New Yorkers deserve a mayor they can see, hear and even yell at. It takes only a quick scroll through 33-year-old Mamdani's social media accounts to understand just how different his style is from that of a traditional politician, rejecting typical soundbites for a more unrehearsed feel. After he won the New York Democratic primary on Tuesday, that playbook is getting accolades for its ability to attract a large coalition.

This is a wakeup call for the Democratic Party, said pollster Frank Luntz. The big loser of the night wasn't his main opponent, former governor Andrew Cuomo, he said, but the US Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, who represents the Democratic Party establishment. Grassroots Democrats are demanding "a more ideological, confrontational approach to policy and politics" in the time of US President Donald Trump, Mr Luntz said.

Mamdani Makes History With Improbable Meteoric Rise To Become New York

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Updated On: November 5, 2025 / 11:32 AM EST /

Thank You." To Watch His Full Victory Speech, Click Here.

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