(RNS) — Zohran Mamdani, the Muslim state assemblyman running for mayor in New York, led the Democratic primary election on Tuesday (June 24) with 43.5% of ballots over former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who earned 36.4% of the vote.
Though the results of the ranked-choice election won’t be final until next week, Cuomo conceded victory to Mamdani. “Tonight was not our night. Tonight was Assemblyman Mamdani’s night,” Cuomo said, addressing his supporters on Tuesday evening.
In blue New York, Mamdani’s victory as the Democratic nominee puts him in a favorable position to win the general election in November. If elected, the 33-year-old democratic socialist will become the city’s first Muslim mayor, a prospect that unleashed a wave of Islamophobia from political adversaries in the wake of Tuesday’s results.
As he delivered his victory speech from his campaign headquarters in Queens, Mamdani cited Nelson Mandela to highlight what he saw as his campaign beating the odds.
“It always seems impossible until it’s done. My friends, it is done. And you are the ones who did it,” he said.
Mamdani promised to make the city more affordable by freezing the rent of rent-stabilized units, eliminating bus fares and creating a network of city-owned grocery stores, appealing to working-class New Yorkers across the city’s five boroughs.
A Twelver Shia Muslim, Mamdani also appealed to Muslim New Yorkers, addressing constituents at Jummah prayers, Muslims’ congregational Friday prayers. His volunteers also led multiple canvassing operations at mosques.
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For Mohamed Gula, national organizing director of Emgage Action, which works to increase Muslim voters’ mobilization and has endorsed the campaign, Mamdani’s victory illustrates the community’s political influence.
“Our communities showed up. Together, we mobilized not just votes, but a movement, one that believes in a future where housing is a human right and every New Yorker, regardless of background, has a fair shot,” he wrote in a statement released Wednesday.
U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar, who is Muslim, congratulated Mamdani on X, calling his victory a “testament to the people powered campaign you put together.”
“Thank you NYC for not letting the bigots and corrupt billionaires prevail. This victory also belongs to you. / As you’ll get ready for the general election, know that we will all be cheering you. / Alhamdulillah!” the Minnesota congresswoman wrote.
New York mayoral candidate and state Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani speaks during the New York City Mayoral Candidates Forum at the National Action Network National Convention, April 3, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)
Ruwa Romman, a Georgia state representative who arrived in New York on Thursday to canvass with Mamdani’s volunteers, said that in addition to his strong presence on social media, Mamdani’s campaign succeeded because it reached out to undecided voters from marginalized groups.
“You can do the media really well, but if the candidate lacks substance, it’s just not going to work,” she said. “We were able to show what could happen when you send your people, when you focus on what they need and what they care most about.”
Mamdani’s victory also sent a strong message to disillusioned Muslim voters in New York who doubted their political power, said Romman. His campaign, she said, spoke directly to these communities, by translating campaign material into multiple languages and relying on faith leaders and community leaders.
“This shows again, and something I have tried to tell our community, is that when you show up, you can do a lot of amazing things, including making history,” she said.
But in the most Jewish city in America, Mamdani’s open criticism of Israel has some New York City Jews alarmed.
During his monthslong campaign, Mamdani was outspoken against the war in Gaza, calling for a ceasefire and denouncing the death toll of the Israeli military campaign that followed the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attacks on Israel.
In recent days, his refusal to condemn pro-Palestinian protesters’ chants like “Globalize the Intifada” and “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” — considered by some to be calls for violence against diaspora Jews and for Israel’s destruction — prompted accusations of antisemitism.
The Republican Jewish Coalition, after news of Mamdani’s victory, urged Jews to “evacuate NYC immediately” in a post on X.
Avital Chizhik-Goldschmidt, who co-leads the Altneu Orthodox Synagogue in Manhattan, also denounced Mamdani’s victory in a post on X, saying: “Perhaps soft antisemitism is not a liability for a NYC politician. It’s an asset. Perhaps New York City is not the city we thought it was.”
But Mamdani also benefited from the support of progressive Jewish groups. Volunteers with Jewish Voice for Peace, an anti-Zionist Jewish organization, canvassed with Mamdani’s campaign for months. Beth Miller, JVP Action political director, called his victory a historic moment.
“For decades, traditional political wisdom said that in order to win elections, politicians shouldn’t speak about Palestinian rights or hold the Israeli government accountable to international law,” she said. “But Zohran’s historic victory last night that toppled a political dynasty shows that people are done with that tired, racist and hateful old version of politics.”
Romman, who is Palestinian American and joined the Uncommitted Movement during the 2024 presidential election, said Mamdani’s consistency on Gaza won him voters worried about the devastation caused by the war.
