STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — The borough’s Democratic politicians, most of whom previously threw their support behind former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, say Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani must prioritize the unique wants and needs of Staten Island once he takes office.

The Advance/SILive.com asked various local elected officials how they plan to work with Mamdani, who secured a historic victory Tuesday night over Cuomo and Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa.

Councilmember Kamillah Hanks, a Democrat who represents the North Shore, congratulated Mamdani on his victory and said she looks forward to working with his administration to meet the needs of the Staten Island community.

“I congratulate Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani and look forward to working together to ensure that the needs of the 49th District and Staten Island are prioritized. As councilmember, I will continue advocating for the best interests of my constituents and holding all city leadership accountable to the unique challenges and opportunities our borough faces,” Hanks said.

On election night, Assemblymember Charles Fall, who represents the North Shore and serves as chair of the Richmond County Democratic Party, said the local Democrats will continue fighting for the issues that matter to the borough, but had little to say about Mamdani or the platform he ran on.

“The Democratic Party and the Democratic elected (leaders), we’re going to fight for the interests of Staten Islanders, and that’s going to be the priority for Democratic Party when it comes to City Hall. How does this administration protect public safety, quality of life, the Staten Island issues. That’s what we care about at the end of the day,” Fall said.

When asked about whether he had met with Mamdani in the lead up to the election, Fall, who represents the only assembly district on Staten Island that Mamdani won, said: “I’ve been interacting with several of the mayoral candidates and whoever wins, we have to work with them. But most importantly, we have to advocate for the issues Staten Islanders care about.”

Both Hanks and Fall previously endorsed Cuomo during the Democratic primary.

While Mamdani won each of the other four boroughs by at least five percentage points, he performed poorly on Staten Island, receiving less than 25% of the vote, compared to Cuomo’s roughly 55%.

The borough’s politicians kept their distance from Mamdani during the lead up to the election, with none of the borough’s major Democratic elected officials endorsing him or campaigning alongside him.

However, Mamdani did receive the support of Debi Rose, Hanks’ predecessor who served three terms representing the North Shore in the City Council.

At an August campaign event in Stapleton, Rose spoke to the need for the Democratic Party to support and embrace Mamdani, something it had not done at the time.

“I’m here to tell you that this is the candidate that we should be supporting because he is a candidate that recognizes what the needs are of the people. I don’t know why the Democratic Party is afraid. They are afraid to talk to and listen to what the people need and what the people want,” Rose said at the time.

“Zohran has listened to what the people need, what they want, and has developed a plan to make that happen. And so I’m here today to say to you that we should not be afraid as a party to endorse and embrace Zohran Mamdani,” she continued.

At the same event, Jasmine Robinson, district leader for the 61st Assembly district, spoke about Mamdani’s commitment to being a mayor for all New Yorkers, particularly those living in communities that have been deprioritized in the past.

“We know, especially in communities like this in Stapleton where we see inequities, we need someone that’s not only going to talk the talk, but walk the walk. For us, it is long overdue. We have seen the haves and the have nots and it’s time for us, for all of us, to get our fair share of the pie. I’m so tired, of especially the Black community, being treated as constituents of convenience,” said Robinson.

All of the Democratic Party Assembly District leaders from Staten Island, including Robinson, had also previously endorsed Cuomo during the Democratic primary.

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