Zohran Mamdani. / X

Zohran Mamdani is the new Mayor of New York City, the world’s financial capital. He is the youngest, the first Indian-American, and the first Muslim elected to that post.

He convincingly trounced his Independent rival Andrew Cuomo in a race that caught global attention for the controversies it raised and President Donald Trump pitching in for Cuomo and even threatening to cut off funds to the city if Mamdani was elected.

Mamdani won from New York, Queens, Bronx, Kings and Queens. The toughest fight between the top two was in Queens. Cuomo’s performance in Richmond was a consolation for him.

It will take some time for the final votes to be counted. He will replace Mayor Eric Adams, who was also in the fray but trailed far behind the leaders, on Jan. 1.

Campaign promises

Mamdani was a state assemblyman from Queens. He began his campaign with a democratic socialist pitch. His promises were clearly Left-leaning: he targeted the high and unaffordable cost of living.

He said if elected, he would freeze rent on rent-stabilized units, offer free buses, universal health care, and build affordable housing. He also said he would tax the wealthiest residents of the city.

The city’s rich, the billionaires and dynasts, were not amused. They donated millions of dollars to counter his campaign.

Challenges ahead

Mamdani’s toughest challenges are twofold. One, he must convince New Yorkers to move past the divisions that arose during a campaign marked by vicious attacks on race, religion and immigration. He has promised to treat everyone equally.

Two, he faces the threat of a possible cutoff of federal funds for New York – a threat coming directly from President Donald Trump.

Trump’s endorsement twist

On the eve of the polls, President Trump, a Republican, crossed party lines to back Democrat Cuomo in the heavily Democratic city.

Trump said on Truth Social: “Whether you personally like Andrew Cuomo or not, you really have no choice. You must vote for him, and hope he does a fantastic job. He is capable of it, Mamdani is not!”

Trump said a vote for Curtis Sliwa, the Republican candidate, would only help Mamdani. The president also wrote about Mamdani: “If Communist Candidate Zohran Mamdani wins the Election for Mayor of New York City, it is highly unlikely that I will be contributing Federal Funds, other than the very minimum as required, to my beloved first home.”

The U.S. federal government is providing $7.4 billion to New York City in fiscal year 2026, or about 6.4 percent of the city's total spending, according to a report from the New York State Comptroller.

Mamdani responds

Responding to Trump’s remarks on Nov. 3, Mamdani said he would “address that threat for what it is: it is a threat. It is not the law.” Mamdani added, “The MAGA movement’s embrace of Andrew Cuomo is reflective of Donald Trump’s understanding that this would be the best mayor for him. Not the best mayor for New York City, not the best mayor for New Yorkers, but the best mayor for Donald Trump and his administration.”

Mamdani, a Uganda-born state assembly member — whose mother is Indian filmmaker Mira Nair — shocked political observers on June 24 with a convincing victory in the primary.

Indian roots

Mamdani has used his campaign to rally New Yorkers against establishment candidates like Cuomo, who was elected governor of New York three times but resigned in 2021 following a report concluding he had sexually harassed 11 women.

Mamdani's policies include hiking taxes on the city’s wealthiest, raising the corporation tax rate, freezing stabilized apartment rental rates, and increasing publicly subsidized housing.

His rise presents both risks and rewards for the national Democratic Party, which seeks to attract young voters but remains cautious about Republican attacks over Mamdani’s criticism of Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories and his democratic socialism, which has unsettled the city’s financial elite.

Early life

Zohran Mamdani was born and raised in Kampala, Uganda, before moving to New York City with his family at the age of seven. His father is a Columbia University professor, and his mother is a filmmaker. Growing up in the Bronx, he attended Bronx High School of Science, where he helped start the school’s first cricket team.

He studied Africana Studies at Bowdoin College, graduating in 2014, and founded a Students for Justice in Palestine chapter on campus. Before entering politics, Mamdani worked as a community organizer and foreclosure prevention counselor.

In 2020, he was elected to represent New York’s 36th district in the state assembly, becoming the first South Asian man, the first Ugandan, and one of only a few Muslims ever to serve there. He became a U.S. citizen just two years earlier.

In 2021, he met Syrian American artist Rama Duwaji on a dating app, and the two were married at city hall earlier this year.

Public response

Even his critics acknowledged that his message of fairness and affordability resonated, especially with younger voters. His social media presence — lively, funny, and energetic — made politics feel human again.

Despite facing racism and Islamophobia, Mamdani stayed true to his values, embracing his Muslim identity and speaking openly about Palestinian rights.

A short message from Trump’s Truth Social account quoted pollsters as saying: “TRUMP WASN’T ON THE BALLOT, AND SHUTDOWN, WERE THE TWO REASONS THAT REPUBLICANS LOST ELECTIONS TONIGHT.”

Political outlook

The talk in the United States is already about New York’s future under Mamdani. In the coming days, commentary will assess whether he will be successful or a political experiment that fails.

For now, The New Yorker, in a detailed analysis, reflected on what his victory means: “New York City wanted, and still wants, for its mayors to be quite powerful… Mamdani will test whether New York City can get good government, or at least better government, by having a mayor who is more committed to a leftist ideology than any in the city’s history.”

The magazine concluded that Mamdani’s campaign “has already changed certain conceptions of the city, bringing Muslims and South Asians to the center of its politics for the first time, and exploding old bromides about coalitional lines and voter engagement.”