05.11.2025 09:37
New York's Democratic mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani has become New York's first Muslim mayor by receiving 50.4% of the votes according to unofficial initial results. President Trump had called for support for Mamdani's opponent in the election and threatened to cut funding if Mamdani won.
After the voting process, which was completed at 21:00 local time, 89% of the votes from the opened ballot boxes were counted. According to the unofficial first results announced by the Associated Press (AP) in New York, USA, Mamdani received 50.4% of the votes from the opened ballot boxes, leading his closest rival, independent candidate Andrew Cuomo, by nearly 9 points.
THE CITY'S FIRST MUSLIM MAYOR
Cuomo received 41.6% of the votes, while Republican Party candidate Curtis Sliwa remained at 7.2%. In total, Mamdani received 1,016,968 votes, Cuomo 840,191, and Sliwa 144,397 votes. The 34-year-old Mamdani made history by becoming "the first Muslim Mayor of New York City."
TRUMP HAD THREATENED: COMMUNIST MADMAN
U.S. President Donald Trump supported Cuomo, Mamdani's rival in the elections, and threatened to cut funding if Mamdani was elected.
Trump stated about Mamdani, whom he called a "communist madman": "If the communist candidate Mamdani wins the New York City mayoral election, my chances of providing federal funds, except for the minimum required amount, are very low, because under a communist administration, the chances of success for this once-great city, even its chances of survival, are zero! The situation could worsen under a communist administration."
WHO IS ZOHRAN MAMDANI?
Zohran Kwame Mamdani was born on October 18, 1991. He was born in Kampala, the capital of Uganda, and moved with his family to South Africa at a young age, and then to the USA. His family is of Indian descent: his mother is the famous director Mira Nair, and his father is academic Mahmood Mamdani.
EDUCATION AND CAREER
He studied Africana Studies at Bowdoin College and graduated in 2014. After graduation, he worked in areas such as social housing and housing rights: for example, combating housing discrimination and rent control.
POLITICAL ACTIVITY
Since 2021, he has represented the 36th district (Queens – Astoria & Long Island City area) in the New York State Assembly.
He has announced his candidacy for the New York City mayoralty in 2025 and is gaining attention within the Democratic Party for his progressive (democratic socialist) stance.
POLITICAL VIEWS
He prioritizes housing policies such as rent control, limiting rent increases, and the construction of publicly owned social housing. He has also supported pilot programs in public transportation and mobility, such as "free buses." He believes that the minimum wage should be set much higher for those living in large cities.