Who is Zohran Mamdani, presumptive winner of NYC's Democratic mayoral primary?
- - - Who is Zohran Mamdani, presumptive winner of NYC's Democratic mayoral primary?
James Powel, USA TODAY June 24, 2025 at 6:09 PM
(This story has been with new details.)
Zohran Mamdani, a 33-year-old state lawmaker, declared victory in New York City's Democratic mayoral primary following a stunning upset over former Gov. Andrew Cuomo in first-choice ballots on Tuesday night.
Mamdani currently leads Cuomo with 43.5% of first-place votes compared to Cuomo's 36.4%, with 96% of ballots counted. Although the final outcome won't be official until mid-July, NYC's Board of Elections is expected to have unofficial results of ranked-choice voting by July 1.
Cuomo, 67, and Mamdani represented ideological poles in the 11-candidate field, with ex-governor − a centrist who appointed many Republicans to his administration − on its right, and Democratic Socialists of America member Mamdani on its left.
The presumptive Democratic nominee, who would be the city's first Muslim mayor and its first Asian American mayor, will begin the general election as the favorite in the overwhelmingly Democratic city.
What are Zohran Mamdani's positions?
Mamdani described himself on his campaign website as a democratic socialist. He's made a fight against the establishment of the Democratic party a cornerstone of his primary campaign.
The website lists the following as his platform planks:
An immediate rent freeze for all rent-stabilized tenants
The elimination of fares on city buses
Creating a Department of Community Safety and investments in citywide mental health programs and crisis response
A 2% tax on residents earning above $1 million annually
Raising the corporate tax rate to 11.5%
Overhauling the Mayor's Office to Protect Tenants so as to toughen code enforcement on landlords
Fast-tracking affordable housing development
Establishing city-owned grocery stores
Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani greets people after the New York City Democratic Mayoral Primary Debate at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice in the Gerald W. Lynch Theater in New York City, June 12,Who has endorsed Zohran Mamdani?
Mamdani's tentpole endorsements in the race came from left-wing Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders and progressive Democratic Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, whose district includes parts of the Bronx and Queens.
He has also been cross-endorsed by fellow candidates New York City Comptroller Brad Lander and former Assemblymember Eric Blake.
Other notable political endorsements include New York Attorney General Letitia James, former Representative Jamaal Bowman and former Labor Secretary Robert Reich.
How old is Zohran Mamdani?
Mamdani is 33 years old. He was born in Uganda but raised in New York City after his family moved there when he was 7 years old, according to his assembly biography.
What offices has Zohran Mamdani held?
Mamdani is currently the three-term representative for Assembly District 36, located in Queens, in the New York State Assembly. He is the first South Asian man and Ugandan to serve in the assembly and the third Muslim person to do so.
He worked as a foreclosure-prevention housing counselor prior to serving in the assembly, according to his biography.
He is the son of Mahmood Mamdani, a professor at Columbia University, and Mira Nair, an Indian filmmaker, according to CNN.
What to know about the New York City primary
The marquee mayoral race could provide a bellwether for the larger Democratic party. The coalition seeking to repel Cuomo has framed the choice facing New Yorkers as one between an older, moderate political establishment and a youthful, progressive vision for the party.
An Emerson College Polling/PIX11/The Hill survey released on June 23 found Mamdani beating Cuomo by a few percentage points in the final round of a ranked-choice voting situation. Most previous polls have shown Cuomo with a larger lead, around 10 percentage points, on average.
Unofficial results of first-choice votes will be available shortly after polls close at 9 p.m. on election night. According to the city's Board of Elections, these will include votes made in early voting, Election Day voting at polling sites, as well as any valid mail ballots canvassed, but not affidavit ballots.
If a candidate does not win over 50% of first-round votes in New York City's ranked choice voting system, tallies for the next rounds will take longer as candidates get eliminated.
The elections board said an unofficial result will be released on July 1. Official results will likely come out on July 14.
Contributing: Ben Adler, Eduardo Cuevas, Anna Kaufman, Sudiksha Kochi and Gabe Hauari, USA TODAY
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Who is Zohran Mamdani? Democratic socialist in NYC mayor race
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