Zohran Mamdani: The democrat’s new face in NYC

New York City (NYC), the largest and most prominent city in the United States, has just made history. On Tuesday, November 4, 2025, Zohran Mamdani, a 34-year-old democratic socialist candidate, emerged victorious in the city’s most influential and polarizing mayoral election in recent memory.

Mamdani’s unprecedented ascent to City Hall has sparked widespread debate. Supporters hail him as a transformative new leader with an ambitious agenda, while critics voice serious concerns and reservations about his policies and approach.

This article seeks to examine the critical questions that emerge from this historic moment and explore what Mamdani’s victory means for the future of New York City and the US as a whole.

Who is Zohran Mamdani?

Mamdani was not born in the United States, nor was he an American citizen until just recently. Born in Kampala, Uganda to Indian parents (his mother being an award-winning filmmaker), spent his first 7 years of his life in Cape Town, South Africa before eventually moving to New York City; the very city he would one day lead as mayor.

Following his graduation from Bowdoin College in 2018, earning a bachelor’s degree in Africana Studies, Mamdani worked as a foreclosure prevention housing counsellor, helping low-income homeowners of colour across Queens fight off eviction and stay in their homes; according to his published biography, it was “this job that led him to run for office.”

Mamdani’s political career has been somewhat modest. He worked on campaigns for Democratic candidates in Queens and Brooklyn, while his first notable public office was serving in the New York Assembly in 2020. The latter dealt a major blow to a longtime Democratic incumbent for a Queens district.

Mamdani’s policy approach and election’s significance

The rise of Zohran Mamdani has been exceptional, particularly given the profound significance it carries.

Since the appointment of Thomas Willet as first mayor (for a one-year term) in 1665, NYC has never witnessed a mayor with a controversial background that Mamdani possesses. Today, the latter has become NYC’s first Muslim mayor, first born in Africa, first of South Asian heritage as well as its youngest mayor in more than a century.

The significance lies not merely in his election itself, but in the broader political and social context that has shaped the United States in recent years. With the continuous rise of the conservative right in the country (culminating in Donald Trump’s election as President) as well as anti-immigration sentiments and policies, Mamdani’s victory (who is an immigrant himself) highlights the aforementioned striking phenomenon. Moreover, after suffering from anti-Muslim rhetoric (also known as “Islamophobia”), Mamdani further held to his faith, asserting that “I will not change who I am, how I eat, or the faith that I’m proud to call my own,” adding that “there is one thing that I will change. I will no longer look for myself in the shadows. I will find myself in the light.”

Some fear that Mamdani’s election could have notable impact on the city’s character and approach, given his background and policy approach. Regarding the latter, the elected mayor had previously held critical views against law enforcement, calling for defunding the police and accusing the New York Police Department (NYPD) of being “racist” and “a major threat to public safety.” More significantly is his anti-Israel rhetoric, which has caused controversy and antisemitic allegations against him. Mamdani is a longtime supporter of Palestinian rights, cofounding his college’s Students for Justice in Palestine chapter. He has continuously criticized Israel’s “genocide” during the Gaza War, denounced Tel Aviv’s polices and approaches (including its existence as a “Jewish state”) and even claimed that he would arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (if he was elected mayor) should he step foot in NYC, in compliance with the International Criminal Court arrest warrant. His comments have caused his opponents to label him as antisemitic, however his message has resonated among the pro-Palestinian residents in NYC (including its roughly 800,000 followers of Islam).

However, Mamdani’s election came in Favor of his progressive promises for NYC, rather than his background and religious convictions. He campaigned to lower the cost of living, regulate apartments and new affordable housing, particularly by raising taxes on the wealthy. This was evident in his victory speech, during which he asserted that

New York, tonight you have delivered a mandate for change, a mandate for a new kind of politics, a mandate for a city we can afford.

Furthermore, he backtracked on some of his earlier held convictions, such as publicly apologizing to the NYPD for his past comments and pledging “to work with these officers.” Although his anti-Israel approach persisted, Mamdani made various moves to reassure the Jewish community in the city, such as meeting with rabbis, attending a synagogue during the High Holy Days and discouraging the use of the phrase “globalize the intifada.”

A “civil war” inside the democratic party

Mamdani’s candidacy has sparked an internal divide in the Democratic party between two opposing wings: the democratic socialist (to which Mamdani belongs) and the more “moderate” wing (to which his opponent Andrew Cuomo belongs). More consequential, his election might have emboldened the former wing, further deepening the growing polarization.

Prior to his winning in the mayoral election, he managed to lead in the Democratic primary in June 2025, driving his Cuomo to run as an independent candidate. During the primary debate, Mamdani’s lack of job experience prompted criticism from Cuomo, who claimed that “this is not a job for a first timer,” which caused Mamdani to strike back saying, “What I don’t have in experience, I make up for in integrity. What you don’t have in integrity, you can never make up for with experience.”

To highlight the intensity of the current divide, the anti-Mamdani opposition (which included Cuomo and other actors aligned even with the Democrats) have tried to pressure Republican candidate, Curtis Sliwa, to withdraw from the race to diminish the likelihood of Mamdani’s election. From here, it is worth noting what Sliwa recently revealed, as he claimed that “when they come up to me, they don’t say, ‘Oh, the Republican... They don’t see me as a politician. They see me as one of them, which is rare.”

US president Donald Trump’s view on Mamdani

Surrounded by a jubilant crowd, Zohran Mamdani gave his victory speech at the Brooklyn Paramount theater. He boasted by saying,

Tonight, against all odds, we have grasped it. The future is in our hands! My friends, we have toppled a political dynasty.

Mamdani added that “I speak of Yemeni bodega owners and Mexican abuelas, Senegalese taxi drivers and Uzbek nurses, Trinidadian line cooks and Ethiopian aunties, … to every New Yorker in Kensington and Midwood and Hunts Point.”

However, US President Donald Trump has not been a supporter of Mamdani, but rather the quite opposite. In July 2025, Trump warned that he would arrest Mamdani if he rejected to assist federal officials enforcing immigration laws, when he is elected as mayor. Additionally, prior to the elections, Trump staunchly endorsed Cuomo and threatened to restrict federal funds to NYC should Mamdani gets elected.

Today, as Zohran Mamdani’s election as NYC’s mayor became a reality, how will Trump and the critical Democratic opposition respond and manage such a groundbreaking development?