For the First Time in History, a Muslim Immigrant — Zohran Mamdani — Becomes Mayor of New York

1 day ago

New Yorkers have selected their next mayor following a tightly watched race that ended in a dramatic changing of the guard.

Zohran Mamdani was elected mayor of New York City on November 4, 2025, making history because of his background. His victory over former Governor Andrew Cuomo and Republican Curtis Sliwa also marks a powerful shift in city politics, with voters embracing his bold, progressive platform centered on affordability, equity, and immigrant rights.

With polls closing at 9 p.m. ET, the 34-year-old democratic socialist was projected to win once 60 percent of the vote had been counted. By the following day, Wednesday, November 5, Mamdani held 50.4 percent of the vote, with Cuomo trailing at 41.6 percent and Sliwa at just 7.1 percent.

More than 2,000 people gathered in Brooklyn to celebrate his win, as he is the first Muslim and first immigrant ever elected to the city’s highest office. The crowd included high-profile figures such as New York Attorney General Letitia James and New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams.

Taking the stage with confidence, the new mayor opened his speech with a quote:

"The sun may have set over our city this evening, but as Eugene Debs once said, 'I can see the dawn of a better day for humanity.'"

He framed the election as a victory not for the elite, but for the people.

After briefly offering his regards to Cuomo, Mamdani declared he hoped to never speak his name again, as the city begins a new chapter. He moved on, thanking New Yorkers for believing in the promise of a better future.

Additionally, he expressed gratitude for his team, his parents, his wife Rama Sawaf Duwaji — whom he met on Hinge, as he revealed in a "The Bulwark" podcast interview — and all the volunteers who made his campaign possible.

During this celebratory moment, he also promised that under his administration, city officials would be doers, not excuse-makers. One of his key proposals is freezing rent for two million rent-stabilized tenants, aiming to confront New York's devastating cost-of-living crisis head-on.

Mamdani even pledged to make buses faster and free, bring universal child care to the city, hire more teachers, and revitalize NYCHA developments. He laid out plans to establish a dedicated mental health and homelessness department to tackle two of the city's most urgent and complicated issues.

The mayor also vowed to defend the rights of immigrants, people of color, transgender New Yorkers, and Jewish and Muslim communities.

Then came a moment many had been waiting for: a message directed at President Donald Trump. First, Mamdani asked him to "turn the volume up," then he let loose: his administration would go after abusive landlords, stop billionaires from abusing tax breaks, and support labor unions across the five boroughs.

Additionally, Mamdani declared that New York will remain a city built, powered, and led by immigrants before adding, "So hear me, President Trump, when I say this, to get to any of us, you will have to get through all of us."

Zohran Mamdani giving his mayoral victory speech in Brooklyn, New York on November 4, 2025 | Source: Youtube/CBS News and Face the Nation

But the newly-elected mayor wasn't finished. He criticized his own party, saying too many working people have been left behind. That needed to change. Finally, Mamdani ended the night with a call for unity and collective action:

"New York, this power, it's yours. This city belongs to you. Thank you."

Mamdani, a three-time assemblyman, was born in Uganda and raised in Cape Town, South Africa. His family moved to New York City when he was seven. He attended the Bronx High School of Science and later earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Africana Studies from Bowdoin College.

He was finally naturalized in 2018. His father, Mahmood Mamdani, is a professor at Columbia University, and his mother, Mira Nair, is an acclaimed Indian film director.

Before entering politics, Mamdani worked as a housing counselor and even pursued music as a C-list rapper, performing under the name Mr. Cardamom.

During the campaign, opponents circulated images of him shirtless in one of his music videos in an attempt to discredit him, but the strategy backfired.

His campaign aide, Andrew Epstein, told CNN that Mamdani's past as a rapper actually helped, as he was able to push through embarrassment and meet with strangers in a more relatable, light-hearted way.

In fact, Mamdani's campaign leaned heavily into youth engagement and digital strategy, using the full power of social media to reach new voters. His team even featured interviews with Trump supporters who had voted Republican last year due to rising living costs.

Fluent in Urdu, Bangla, Spanish, and Arabic, Mamdani's multilingual outreach helped him connect with New York’s diverse communities.

One of his most viral videos introduced the term "Halalflation," which highlighted the rising costs facing street vendors. In the clip, Mamdani spoke about the city's permit system, which is partly to blame for the rising costs of food that should've remained cheap.

"We were downtown by Zuccotti Park near Wall Street, and Zohran was just out there asking people, 'Would you rather pay $10 or $8 for halal?'" Epstein recalled, adding that it was a bitterly cold night. "People were pushing through trying to get home, you know, it was rejection over and over and over and over again, but it never fazed him."

As the June primary approached, Mamdani was gaining ground on Cuomo in the polls, even though the former governor had the support of major donors, influential allies, and New York's elite. Millions were spent on anti-Mamdani attack ads.

But the strategy misfired. The race became a battle of working-class New Yorkers versus the ultra-wealthy, and Mamdani's momentum surged.

He went on to win the Democratic primary, shattering expectations. Brad Lander, one of his opponents who later endorsed him, expressed that Mamdani was proving that pushing for big ideas and bold visions was worthwhile, as it got voters excited.

Ultimately, Mamdani's victory is deeply personal for many New Yorkers who saw in him the reflection of their own struggles, hopes, and voices. The mayoral office has a new face, but only time will tell if he will fulfill his promises.

For the First Time in History, a Muslim Immigrant — Zohran Mamdani — Becomes Mayor of New York

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