Mamdani Victory Speech We Have Toppled A Political Dynasty

Bonisiwe Shabane

-Dec 27, 2025, 2:09 PM

mamdani victory speech we have toppled a political dynasty

Read the full transcript of Zohran Mamdani’s powerful and historic victory speech after defeating Andrew Cuomo to become New York City’s next mayor, November 4, 2025. ZOHRAN MAMDANI: Thank you, my friends! The sun may have set over our city this evening. But as Eugene Debs once said, “I can see the dawn of a better day for humanity.” For as long as we can remember, the working people of New York have been told by the wealthy and the well-connected that power does not belong in their hands. Fingers bruised from lifting boxes on the warehouse floor, palms calloused from delivery bike handlebars, knuckles scarred with kitchen burns.

These are not hands that have been allowed to hold power. And yet over the last 12 months, you have dared to reach for something greater. Tonight, against all odds, we have grasped it. The future is in our hands. My friends, we have toppled a political dynasty. I wish Andrew Cuomo only the best in private life, but let tonight be the final time I utter his name as we turn the page on a political regime that has been forced...

As we turn the page on a politics that abandons the many and answers only to the few. Zohran Mamdani celebrated his victory over Andrew Cuomo, the three-term former governor and son of a governor, after securing the mayoralty of New York City. Mamdani, a 34-year-old state lawmaker who identifies as a democratic socialist, becomes the city’s first Muslim mayor. Mamdani delivered an unflinching attack on US President Donald Trump during his victory speech, portraying his triumph as a new “dawn” for New York City and a turning of the political tide. “We have toppled a political dynasty,” Mamdani said. “I wish Andrew Cuomo only the best in private life.

But let tonight be the final time I utter his name as we turn the page.” “After all, if anyone can show a nation betrayed by Donald Trump how to defeat him, it is the city that gave rise to him… In this moment of political darkness, New York will... In a full-throttle attack, he aimed his guns at the Republican leader, saying, “Donald Trump, since I know you are watching, I have four words for you: Turn the volume up.” The mayoral race, which saw the highest turnout in more than half a century, reflected voters’ concerns over cost-of-living issues, housing shortages, and economic inequality. Mamdani defeated former Governor Cuomo and Republican nominee Sliwa with 50.4 per cent of the vote to Cuomo’s 41.6 per cent, amounting to 1,036,051 votes versus 854,995. Sliwa received 7.1 per cent, or 146,137 votes.

New York City just elected Zohran Kwame Mamdani as mayor, a first for a Muslim, South Asian, and Ugandan-born New Yorker, and a generational shift in the city’s politics. His victory speech was short, sharp, and full of signals: part movement manifesto, part governing blueprint. Here’s a decoded read of the speech, his path to power, and policy takeaways relevant to India’s urban future. “My friends, we have toppled a political dynasty.” Mamdani cast the result as a referendum on entrenched power, explicitly contrasting an organizing-first campaign with machine politics and celebrity comebacks. The framing matters: he defeated former Governor Andrew Cuomo after first shocking the establishment in the Democratic primary. Mamdani invoked Jawaharlal Nehru’s “A moment comes in history…” to situate his win within a broader arc of democratic renewal, immigrant aspiration, and postcolonial self-belief.

For many South Asians in the diaspora, that line signified continuity between their histories of independence and today’s struggles for representation and economic dignity. Another refrain, “turn the volume up”, was a call to keep the organizing muscle active after the confetti. It also answered national critics head-on, promising to govern with the same boldness that won the race. Mamdani’s biography is part of the message. Born in Kampala; raised in Queens; son of scholar Mahmood Mamdani (Gujarati Muslim, Bombay-born, Uganda-raised) and filmmaker Mira Nair (born Rourkela, raised Bhubaneswar). The campaign’s cadence, immigrant-proud, working-class-first, comes straight from that hyphenated upbringing.

NEW YORK (WABC) -- Zohran Mamdani has been elected mayor of New York City, defeating former Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Republican Curtis Sliwa. With the victory, the democratic socialist will etch his place in history as the city's first Muslim mayor, the first of South Asian heritage and the first born in Africa. He will also become the city's youngest mayor in more than a century when he takes office on Jan. 1. Democratic U.S.

Rep. Mikie Sherrill has been elected governor of New Jersey. The four-term member of Congress centered her campaign on her biography as a Navy helicopter pilot and former prosecutor who would stand up to President Donald Trump. She will be New Jersey's second female governor. Mayor-elect centered affordability and the working people of the city in his speech while emphasizing: ‘Hope is alive’ The sun may have set over our city this evening, but as Eugene Debs once said: “I can see the dawn of a better day for humanity.”

For as long as we can remember, the working people of New York have been told by the wealthy and the well-connected that power does not belong in their hands. Fingers bruised from lifting boxes on the warehouse floor, palms calloused from delivery bike handlebars, knuckles scarred with kitchen burns: these are not hands that have been allowed to hold power. And yet, over the last 12 months, you have dared to reach for something greater. Tonight, against all odds, we have grasped it. The future is in our hands. My friends, we have toppled a political dynasty.

Democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani won the New York election after the highest turnout for a mayoral contest in more than 50 years. He used his first speech to take a shot at U.S. President Donald Trump and celebrated "toppling a political dynasty" - here is everything he said in full. Thank you, my friends. The sun may have set over our city this evening, but as Eugene Debs once said, “I can see the dawn of a better day for humanity.” For as long as we can remember, the working people of New York have been told by the wealthy and the well-connected that power does not belong in their hands.

Fingers bruised from lifting boxes on the warehouse floor, palms calloused from delivery bike handlebars, knuckles scarred with kitchen burns: These are not hands that have been allowed to hold power. And yet, over the last 12 months, you have dared to reach for something greater.

Mamdani Victory Speech We Have Toppled A Political Dynasty

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