Democratic mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani is headed to City Hall. Just before 9:40 p.m., with roughly 66% of scanners reporting, Mamdani had a lead of nine points over independent candidate and former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, with Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa at under 8%.
The 34-year-old democratic socialist’s rapid rise to mayoral front-runner over the last year has shaken establishment politics to its core, cementing a new era of progressive power in New York City that has resonated around the world.
How long that lasts past Inauguration Day on Jan. 1, 2026, is unclear. But a packed crowd of Mamdani supporters at the Brooklyn Paramount had little concern for that question Tuesday night, as they celebrated a victory that started to look inevitable after Mamdani’s stunning primary win in June.
Inevitable had been the very word surrounding former Gov. Andrew Cuomo for much of his primary campaign – that is until his stunning defeat in the Democratic primary. History repeated itself once again Tuesday.
On Tuesday, minutes before polls closed at 9 p.m., the New York City Board of Elections announced that the city had officially hit 2 million votes cast in the election – the first time turnout has been that high since 1969.
Mamdani’s victory is an inflection point in one of the most unexpected ascendent political arcs in recent memory. The stuff of countless political profiles and musings about the future of the Democratic Party, Mamdani’s upset victory in the Democratic primary in June over Cuomo was something of a shock to the political establishment. Mamdani, along with a massive army of volunteer canvassers, turned out younger voters and previously disengaged blocs of voters in South Asian and Muslim communities. Campaign insiders and outside observers credited a relentless focus on his affordability platform and deft political messaging.
“Zohran has been running this campaign like it’s the final three days for more than 12 months,” said Mamdani’s creative director Andrew Epstein. “It has been a level of grit and endurance that is, I think, unparalleled in anything we’ve seen in a municipal election.”
After his primary victory, moderates came to him and he came closer to moderates on some issues, like promising to retain NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch.
Whether his triumph on Tuesday night is just another data point on his rising arc or its peak will depend on how well he’s able to deliver on that affordability platform once in office.