Mamdani declares victory in NYC mayoral primary
by Sarah Fortinsky
New York State Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani declared victory early Wednesday after emerging with a commanding lead over former Gov. Andrew Cuomo in the Democratic mayoral primary’s first-choice ballot.
Mamdani — a democratic socialist, who ran a progressive campaign focusing on the state’s affordability crisis — addressed his supporters at a rally shortly after midnight on Wednesday in Queens.
“Tonight, we made history. In the words of Nelson Mandela, it always seems impossible until it is done,” the 33-year-old state lawmaker said. “My friends, we have done it. I will be your Democratic nominee for the mayor of New York City.”
“Today, eight months after launching this campaign, with a vision of a city that every New Yorker could afford, we have won,” he added.
Mamdani told his supporters during the presser that Cuomo called him an hour earlier to concede the race and that he stressed to the former governor “the need to bring this city together.”
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“I will be the mayor for every New Yorker, whether you voted for me, for Governor Cuomo, or felt too disillusioned by a long-broken political system to vote at all, I will fight for a city that works for you, that is affordable for you, that is safe for you,” he said.
No candidate won a majority in the first-choice ballots, but Cuomo trailed Mamdani by a significant margin and would have a difficult path toward victory once the ballots were redistributed in the city’s ranked-choice voting system.
The former governor congratulated Mamdani and also told his supporters that he conceded.
“Tonight was Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani’s night,” Cuomo said, adding, “Tonight is his night. He deserved it. He won.”
Incumbent New York City Mayor Eric Adams was not on the ballot in the Tuesday primary election, instead opting to run as an independent in the general election in November. Republican Curtis Silwa, who founded the Guardian Angels, is also running in the general election.
Cuomo could decide, too, to run as an independent in the general election.
“We’re going to take a look. We’ll make some decisions,” he told his supporters.
The governor who resigned from his position during the COVID-19 pandemic had been seen as the favorite in the race — but Mamdani managed to pull off a stunning upset.
As of Wednesday morning, Mamdani leads with 43.5 percent of first ballot voters, according to Decision Desk HQ estimates. Cuomo trails with 36.4 percent followed by New York City Comptroller Brad Lander — who entered the national spotlight earlier this month after being arrested by immigration officials — with 11.3 percent and City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams with 4.1 percent.
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