A young left-wing candidate, Zohran Mamdani, is poised to become the Democratic nominee for New York mayor after delivering a stunning political upset.
The 33-year-old democratic socialist declared victory in the party’s primary on Tuesday, defeating his main rival and political veteran Andrew Cuomo who previously served as state governor.
“Tonight we made history,” Mamdani said in his victory speech. If elected, he would be the first Muslim and Indian American to lead the nation’s largest city.
Cuomo, 67, was attempting to pull off a comeback after resigning from office in 2021 over a sexual harassment scandal. He congratulated his opponent for a “really smart and great campaign”.
The primary in staunchly liberal New York is likely to determine who becomes mayor in November’s election.
The contest was being watched as a litmus test for the Democratic Party as it seeks to hone its messaging after election losses last November that saw President Donald Trump’s Republicans win the White House and both chambers in Congress.
Results on Tuesday night showed Mamdani with a commanding lead, but falling short of the 50% threshold needed to win outright.
Cuomo’s concession was unexpected because counting looks likely to continue next week under the ranked choice system, which allowed New Yorkers to pick up to five candidates in order of preference.
The former governor’s loss marks the “biggest upset in modern NYC history,” Trip Yang, a political strategist, told the BBC.
“A massive win for Zohran Mamdani that shows that when Donald Trump is President, New York Democrats want to see their leaders fight with enthusiasm and courage, and that’s what Zohran showed voters.”
In an interview with the New York Times, Cuomo said he was still examining whether he would run in the general election in November on the independent line.
“I said he won the primary election,” Cuomo told the outlet. “I said I wanted to look at the numbers and the ranked-choice voting to decide about what to do in the future, because I’m also on an independent line.”