Select Language:
Zohran Mamdani’s Surprising Win in NYC’s Democratic Primary
NEW YORK: The New York City Election Board announced an unexpected victory for mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani in the Democratic primary on Tuesday, paving the way for the rising star to become the party’s nominee for the upcoming mayoral election in November.
The results from the ranked-choice voting showed that Mamdani, who previously held a low profile as a member of the New York State Assembly, managed to secure 56% of the votes in the critical third round of voting, surpassing the necessary 50% threshold for victory.
As the Democratic nominee, Mamdani is set to compete against incumbent Mayor Eric Adams in the general election. Adams, who previously won the office as a Democrat in 2021, is now contesting as an independent candidate following his indictment on corruption charges, which were later dropped by the U.S. Department of Justice.
In a recent video shared on X, Mamdani drew parallels between his primary victory and Adams’s campaign from 2021. "We always expected our victory would come after multiple rounds of ranked-choice voting. It was shocking to see that we received more first-round votes than Eric Adams did in his seven rounds last time," he remarked.
Mamdani’s surprising triumph over veteran politician Andrew Cuomo, a centrist who received 44% of the total votes, has raised eyebrows within some factions of the Democratic party. The 33-year-old, born in Uganda and identifying as a democratic socialist, raises concerns that his perspectives might be weaponized against vulnerable Democrats by their Republican opponents.
The day following Mamdani’s win, Donald Trump criticized him as being a "100% Communist Lunatic." The Republican congressional campaign committee vowed to connect Mamdani to every vulnerable Democrat in the next year’s elections.
In that same video, Mamdani expressed his intention to “re-engage people with the Democratic Party,” highlighting that he even gained support in neighborhoods that backed Trump in the previous election.
When asked how he would react if Mamdani attempted to halt immigration arrests as mayor, Trump replied, "Well then, we’ll have to arrest him. We don’t need a communist in this country, but if we have one, I will keep a close eye on him for the nation."
Mamdani has previously condemned immigration raids, characterizing them as acts of terror that signify law enforcement’s disinterest in upholding justice.
While Cuomo has not confirmed if he will attempt to run as an independent, his concession followed the early results released last Tuesday.
Mamdani will also face off against Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa, a radio host known for establishing the Guardian Angels anti-crime patrol, as well as Jim Walden, an independent candidate and attorney.
New York City adopted the ranked-choice voting system in 2021, allowing voters to rank up to five candidates by preference. Ballots are counted in rounds, eliminating the lowest-placed candidates and redistributing their votes until a candidate exceeds the 50% mark.
ChatGPT
Perplexity
Gemini AI
Grok AI
