Zohran Mamdani has been elected mayor of New York City in a political earthquake that will put a 34-year-old democratic socialist in charge of America’s largest city.
The Independent Mirror reports that Mamdani, who will become the Big Apple’s first Muslim mayor, defeated former New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo and Republican Curtis Sliwa in a race that became a massive flashpoint in national politics.
The race was called almost immediately as polls closed at 9 pm, with the vote tally at its highest for the mayor’s race since 1969, as over two million people had already voted before closing.
The Uganda-born Mamdani’s rise from little-known assemblymember to mayor-elect of New York City has shocked the establishment, as many have worried about what his socialist policies mean for the city’s future.
President Donald Trump has branded Mamdani a ‘communist’ and threatened to cut off federal funding to the city if he is elected, following an endorsement of his longtime rival, Cuomo.
In a poll conducted by JL Partners for the Daily Mail, nine per cent of New Yorkers said if Mamdani wins, they would ‘definitely’ leave the city, which currently has a population of 8.5 million.
To make matters worse for the Big Apple, polling also found a further 25 per cent, or 2.12 million, would ‘consider’ going.
The poll revealed widespread alarm at the prospect of Mamdani taking over City Hall and highlighting the colossal economic impact of his victory.
