In a stunning upset, 33-year-old Democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani won Tuesday’s New York City Democratic mayoral primary in a dominant way. Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who ran a weak campaign as he believed he would coast to victory, had to concede just an hour and a half after polls closed.

It is one of the most historic victories in NYC mayoral history — Mamdani was polling at 1% as of February. He then surged in a large field of candidates to take out a three-term governor who had all the major city power brokers and a massive financial advantage. TKO. Democratic socialists hope their vision could come to life in America’s largest city.

Mamdani’s campaign focused on voters’ concerns about cost of living and affordability, and now, with the race his to lose, he hopes to chart a new roadmap for the Democratic Party.

The Democratic primary winner in NYC’s mayoral race is typically seen as the front-runner for the general election in November. However, this year’s race is anything but typical, with current Mayor Eric Adams running as an independent after being indicted on bribery charges and losing support within the Democratic Party. Cuomo has left the door open for an independent run, but the bruising primary loss may ultimately keep him out of the race.
- We’re waiting to see post-primary polling numbers.

Check out Mosheh’s conversation on Substack with journalist Tara Palmeri about what the results mean.

A LOOK AT THE RESULTS
With 93% of the vote counted, Mamdani leads 44% to Cuomo’s 36%. Neither reached the 50% needed to be declared the winner in the ranked choice election, but Cuomo’s concession came as Mamdani’s win in later rounds was effectively guaranteed. It will be finalized next week.

“Tonight is his night,” Cuomo said of Mamdani after he conceded. “He deserved it. He won.”
- As reporter Ross Barkan put it: “A Democratic dynasty was shattered. Bill Clinton and Jim Clyburn could not save Cuomo. Michael Bloomberg’s millions could not save Cuomo. An endless barrage of furious advertising on the television and radio for weeks on end could not save Cuomo. The New York Times editorial board could not save Cuomo. One city died last night and another was born.”
- Four years since resigning as New York governor amid a sexual harassment scandal, Cuomo played the campaign safe, attempting to ride the wave of his experience and connections.

Breakdown of the mayoral primary results. Via: NYTimes.

By contrast, Mamdani ran a hyper-online, grassroots campaign that brought together white, Asian, and Latino voters across Brooklyn, Manhattan, and Queens. Mamdani struggled in Black middle-class areas and Orthodox Jewish neighborhoods, where his stance on Israel appeared to sway voters. He made a generational argument similar to that of Barack Obama in 2008, when he upset Hillary Clinton for the presidential nomination on his way to the White House.

MAMDANI & HIS VISION
A third-term state assemblyman born in Uganda in 1991, Mamdani was a little-known figure until recently, running on a progressive platform that energized young voters. He would be the youngest NYC mayor in over a century and the city’s first Muslim mayor.

Affordability: Mamdani is making numerous promises: free buses, free child care, and rent freezes for one million rent-stabilized apartments, along with city-run subsidized grocery stores. He is also vowing to invest $70 billion in public housing — which he claims would be paid for by significant tax hikes on the city’s wealthiest residents and businesses. Mamdani has said he would impose a 2% income tax on city residents who make more than $1 million a year and bump the corporate tax rate from 7.25% to 11.5%.
- As for those tax hikes, Mamdani will need support from moderate New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) — and she’s already rejected the idea.
  - “I don't want to lose any more people to Palm Beach,” she said. “We've lost enough.”
    - Incidentally, as Mamdani rose in the polls ahead of Election Day, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis shared an article about the race on X and said, “Just when you thought Palm Beach real estate couldn’t go any higher…” According to data from the Citizens Budget Commission, a nonpartisan New York-based fiscal watchdog, more than 125,000 New Yorkers have fled for Florida in recent years — taking nearly $14 billion worth of income out of the state. They were leaving some of the highest state and city taxes in the country, and the fear is they will keep going up under Mamdani.
    - Meanwhile, Mayor Adams said Mamdani was a “snake-oil salesman” for making these campaign promises. If Cuomo doesn’t run in November, New York’s business leaders may organize around Adams in an attempt to block Mamdani from the mayor’s office.
  - Mamdani still has room to get some of his visions through with New York City’s $115 billion budget.
Progressive causes: Mamdani did not explicitly run on defunding the police, something he has previously supported on social media. However, his plan would create a new department to support mental health incidents, cut parts of the NYPD budget, and he has vowed to stop masked ICE agents from deporting residents.
- One major concern many Jewish voters have about Mamdani (NYC has the largest population of Jews outside Israel) is his view of Israel. He has been a pro-Palestinian activist since college, condemning only Israel after the October 7 Hamas terrorist attack, said he would have the NYPD arrest Israeli PM Netanyahu if he tried to visit the city, has questioned Israel’s right to exist (before reversing his stance), and recently endorsing the slogan “globalize the intifada.”
- Mamdani recently acknowledged there is a “crisis of antisemitism,” has touted some Jewish supporters like Bernie Sanders, and has vowed to listen and speak to Jewish New Yorkers concerned about his views.

LARGER IMPACT ON THE PARTY
Out with the old guard? Mamdani may serve as a model for the future of the Democratic party. About 62% of Democrats think it is time for new party leadership. Former Democratic National Committee vice chair David Hogg made headlines over his plan to spend $20 million through his pac Leaders We Deserve to elect younger primary challengers to older incumbents in safely Democratic districts. There is major anger among Democratic voters with their longtime leaders, so look for more losses in next year’s primaries across the country.

Two of the Democratic Party’s biggest leaders, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, represent New York in Congress. They congratulated Mamdani, but stopped short of offering full support.

President Trump made massive gains in New York — and across the country — with minority and younger voters when he was reelected last year. Democratic leaders have struggled to mobilize those groups since Obama, and Mamdani’s win (and dominance with the youth vote) might change that.

President Trump and Republican leadership are celebrating the news, hoping that Zohran is elected so they can have him as a foil next year as they look to keep their majorities in Congress during midterms. Here is a taste of things to come: