Zohran Mamdani wins New York City's mayoral election: US media

Democratic Socialist Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani has been projected as the winner of the 2025 New York City mayoral election, defeating former Governor Andrew Cuomo and Republican Curtis Sliwa.

Decision Desk HQ called the race at 9:03 PM New York time, with Mamdani leading in key boroughs including Brooklyn and Queens.

US cable channels NBC, CBS and CNN also projected Mamdani, who will become New York's first Muslim mayor, would pick up more votes than Andrew Cuomo.

Mamdani, 34, a first-term state assemblyman from Queens and member of the Democratic Socialists of America, campaigned on progressive policies like affordable housing, police reform, and climate action.

He secured the Democratic primary victory in June, positioning him as the frontrunner in the heavily blue city.

The race drew national attention due to Cuomo's comeback bid after his 2021 resignation amid sexual misconduct allegations, and Sliwa's focus on crime reduction.

Early results showed Mamdani capturing strong support from young and working-class voters.

First Muslim 

Mamdani is set to officially become the first first Muslim to hold the office in the city's history.

Born in Kampala, Uganda, to Indian-origin parents, a filmmaker father and a Columbia University professor mother, Mamdani immigrated to the U.S. at age seven and grew up in New York.

He attended the Bronx High School of Science, founded its cricket team, and graduated from Bowdoin College with a degree in Africana studies, where he established the first Students for Justice in Palestine chapter.

Naturalized as a US citizen in 2018, he worked as a foreclosure prevention counselor before entering politics.

Mamdani's political breakthrough came in 2020 when he won a seat in the New York State Assembly for Queens' 36th District, becoming the first South Asian man and one of the first Muslims in the body.

His rise accelerated through savvy social media use, posting viral, relatable videos on Instagram and TikTok, such as coining "halalflation" and interviewing working-class voters, that energized young and first-time participants.

Facing Islamophobia, including attack ads labeling him an "extremist" over his criticism of ‘Israel's’ assault on Gaza, Mamdani unapologetically centered his Muslim faith and advocacy for Palestinian rights.