NEW YORK — Ugandan-born Zohran Mamdani won the New York mayoral election, securing a major victory for the Democratic Party and becoming the city’s first Muslim, South Asian and African-born mayor.
Mamdani’s win came despite significant opposition from political figures, including then-President Donald Trump, and millions of dollars in campaign contributions to his opponents from several prominent billionaires.
Mamdani, 33, also becomes the youngest person to secure the mayoral seat in 100 years.
Less than an hour after polls closed, the Ugandan-born candidate was projected to receive 50% of the vote. Former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo secured 41.4%, and Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa took 7.7%. Mamdani was the first New York mayoral candidate to receive more than 1 million votes since 1969.
Clash with Trump
During his victory speech, Mamdani addressed President Trump directly, highlighting the opposing views on immigration and economic policy.
“New York will remain a city of immigrants, a city built by immigrants, powered by immigrants, and as of tonight, led by an immigrant,” Mamdani said. “So hear me, President Trump, when I say this: to get to any of us, you will have to get through all of us.”
The statement underscored the conflict between Mamdani, who moved to New York with his family at age seven, and Trump, whose administration had pursued aggressive measures against illegal immigration.
Prior to the election, Trump had publicly stated that if “Communist Candidate Zohran Mamdani” won, he would be unlikely to contribute federal funds to the city, saying, “I don’t want to send, as President, good money after bad,” on Truth Social.
Opposition from the wealthy
Mamdani also faced stiff opposition from the business world due to his stance on wealth inequality and tax policy. Billionaires, including Bill Ackman, Joe Gebbia, Barry Diller and former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg, jointly contributed millions of dollars to the campaign of his main opponent, Cuomo.
Mamdani had previously stirred controversy by stating in June that billionaires should not exist. New York City is home to 123 billionaires, who collectively control $759 billion in wealth.
“I don’t think that we should have billionaires because, frankly, it is so much money in a moment of such inequality,” Mamdani said.
He has also signaled plans to increase the corporate tax rate and the income tax on millionaires by two percentage points.
During his victory speech, Mamdani challenged the city’s wealthiest: “The billionaire class has sought to convince those making $30 an hour that their enemies are those earning $20 an hour. We refuse to let them dictate the rules of the game anymore. They can play by the same rules as the rest of us.”
