NEW YORK CITY – Zohran Mamdani has caused a political earthquake in the Big Apple.

The Indian-origin immigrant and staunch advocate for the Palestinian cause who became a U.S. citizen only a few years ago, scored a sweeping victory in the Democratic Party’s primary for the New York City mayoral race on Tuesday.

His win paves the way for him to become the first immigrant and first Muslim to lead the largest city in the United States, after decisively defeating former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo.

Mamdani, 33, has served as a member of the New York State Assembly since early 2021. He received more than 43.5 percent of the vote, compared to Cuomo’s 36.4 percent, while the remainder was split among five other candidates. With this victory, Mamdani secured the Democratic Party’s nomination for the general election in November, where he will face incumbent mayor Eric Adams, who is running as an independent, alongside other independent candidates and the sole Republican contender, Curtis Sliwa, who holds little chance of competing seriously in the traditionally Democratic stronghold.

“Today, we made history,” Mamdani said in a victory speech to supporters. “…We won because New Yorkers stood up for a city they can afford to live in — a city where they can do more than just struggle to survive.”

Cuomo, 67, who was seeking a political comeback after a sexual harassment scandal, told his supporters, “Tonight wasn’t our night… I called him and congratulated him… It’s his win.”

A successful campaign

Mamdani, a favorite of the Democratic Socialist wing of the party, received strong backing from Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY). He announced his candidacy in October 2024 under the slogan “A City We Can Afford”, focusing on three core priorities: halting rising rent costs, providing free public transportation and increasing taxes on large corporations to fund essential services.

He views New York City’s housing crisis as more than just a temporary issue — with the average rent for a one-bedroom apartment surpassing $3,500/month, hundreds of thousands of residents are at risk of losing their homes.

During the campaign, Mamdani warned that New York has become a city that works for the wealthy, while everyone else is expected to fight just to survive.

Backlash from pro-Israel groups

According to Haaretz, Mamdani’s candidacy and victory have triggered concern among pro-Israel organizations. The paper noted that Mamdani faced intense scrutiny over allegations of “anti-Semitism”, particularly given New York’s population of nearly one million Jews.

Mamdani is known for his strong criticism of Israeli policies. He described Israel’s war on Gaza as “genocide” and was among the few in the state legislature who demanded defunding police departments’ programs that collaborate with the Israeli military. He participated in pro-Palestine events in New York and voted against legislation he saw as restricting freedom of expression in support of the BDS movement (Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions).

These stances earned him broad popularity among Muslim voters, but drew harsh criticism from pro-Israel lobbying groups.

Shock among Israel supporters

Abe Silberstein, a scholar of Hebrew and Jewish studies at New York University, wrote in Haaretz that Mamdani’s run was “not favorable to Israel.” Silberstein noted that Mamdani has been open and explicit about his views on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, particularly his insistence on equal rights for Palestinians.

Silberstein added that Mamdani had previously supported the BDS movement and described Israeli actions in Gaza as genocide. He also sponsored legislation aimed at revoking the charitable status of organizations that support Israeli settlements.

Opponents fear, according to Silberstein, that if elected, Mamdani would prioritize the concerns of all New Yorkers, including Palestinians affected by international events — rather than offer uncritical support to Israel.

His likely victory in a major city like New York, Haaretz argued, signals a shift in public sentiment, as recent polling indicates that sympathy toward Israel has hit a historic low, while support for Palestinians has reached a record high not seen since 2001.

Mamdani wins Democratic primary for mayor of the largest U.S. city, shocks pro-Israel groups and Trump

President Trump has weighed in on Mamdani’s win in New York, saying: “the Democrats have crossed the line.” He called Mamdani “a 100 percent Communist Lunatic.”

“He looks TERRIBLE, his voice is grating, he’s not very smart, he’s got AOC+3, Dummies ALL, backing him and even our Great Palestinian Senator, Cryin’ Chuck Schumer, is groveling over him,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “Yes, this is a big moment in the history of our country!”

Mamdani responds to Trump’s attacks

On Wednesday, in an interview with ABC News’ Rachel Scott, Mamdani conceded that he will likely be a frequent target of the president going forward, while urging Trump to look up his platform.

“You know, this is not the first time that President Trump is going to comment on myself, and I encourage him — just like I encourage every New Yorker — to learn about my actual policies to make the city affordable,” Mamdani said.

Mamdani added that Trump has so far failed to fulfill his campaign promise of lowering prices, noting that this could be an issue “that I would be willing to work with him.”

But, he said that he is prepared to clash with Trump over his mass deportation policies, among other things.

“If he continues to focus on persecuting political enemies and on trying to detain and disappear New Yorkers, be it on the basis of their documentation or their sexual orientation or their politics, that is someone that I will fight time and again,” Mamdani told ABC.

Who is Zohran Mamdani?

Zohran Kwame Mamdani was born and raised in Kampala, Uganda, to an Indian-origin father and Indian mother. His father is Mahmood Mamdani, a renowned political scientist and professor at Columbia University, and his mother is the acclaimed Indian filmmaker Mira Nair, known for movies such as Mississippi Masala and Monsoon Wedding.

At age 7, Mamdani moved with his family to New York, growing up in a multicultural environment. Influenced by his father’s intellectual pursuits and his mother’s artistic work, he gravitated toward social and economic justice issues affecting marginalized communities.

He began grassroots activism early, participating in housing justice and student debt relief campaigns. In 2020, he was elected to the New York State Assembly representing District 36 in Astoria, becoming the third Muslim ever elected to the Assembly in the state’s history.

A member of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) — the country’s largest socialist organization — Mamdani has been a vocal progressive advocating for economic fairness, housing reform and Palestinian rights.

Born in 1991, Mamdani lived between Cape Town and New York before settling permanently in the U.S., where he became a citizen in 2018. He recently married Rama Douaji, a Syrian American visual artist.

Education and personal background

Mamdani attended public schools in New York City, graduating from the Bronx High School of Science. In 2014, he earned a bachelor’s degree in Africana Studies from Bowdoin College.

He is fluent in English, Swahili and Hindi, which has helped him connect with New York’s diverse population of approximately 8.3 million.

While in high school, he co-founded his school’s first cricket team. His early political expression was limited to long posts on Facebook. In college, he co-founded a campus chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) and organized national campaigns with progressive organizations to support left-leaning candidates and push for healthcare reform.

Before entering politics, Mamdani gained recognition as a rapper, performing under the stage name Mr. Helal. He later worked as a housing counselor helping prevent home foreclosures — a job that inspired him to run for public office after realizing the housing crisis was not accidental, but the product of deliberate policy decisions over time.

He officially joined the DSA in 2017, committing to the promotion of democratic socialism within American political life.