Securing 50.4% of the Votes, Zohran Mamdani Becomes New York's First Muslim Mayor

Zohran Mamdani was elected as the mayor of New York after securing 50.4% of the total valid votes cast in the election held on Tuesday, November 4, 2025, US time. This amounted to 1,036,051 votes.

According to AP News, Zohran surpassed his strongest opponent, Andrew Cuomo, who garnered 854,995 votes or 41.6%. Another candidate, Curtis Sliwa, received 146,137 votes or 7.1%.

Other candidates received less than 0.5% of the votes. These included incumbent Eric Adams (0.3%), Irene Estrada (0.1%), Jim Walden (0.1%), Joseph Hernandez (0.06%), and other candidates or total write-ins (0.3%).

The victory of this progressive left-wing candidate from the Democratic Party marks a new chapter in New York's history.

Zohran will become the city's first Muslim mayor, of South Asian descent, and the first to be born in Africa. AP News also reported that the 34-year-old will become New York's youngest mayor in over a century when he officially takes office on January 1, 2026.

"By conventional standards, I am far from the perfect candidate. I am young, although I try hard to appear older. I am a Muslim. I am a democratic socialist. And most 'fatally,' I refuse to apologize for any of it," Zohran said in his victory speech.

Zohran's Pledges

Zohran's campaign focused on the affordability of living costs for the public, according to a Time report.

New York, like other areas, is grappling with an affordable housing crisis. In response, Zohran plans to freeze housing rents in New York and completely reform the mayor's office to ensure property owners are held accountable for the condition of their buildings.

Zohran also pledged to triple the production of permanent affordable homes built by labor unions and with stabilized rents.

Zohran also proposed providing free city buses, establishing a network of city-owned grocery stores focused on low prices rather than profit, and offering free childcare services for every New Yorker aged 6 weeks to 5 years.

Additionally, he will establish a Department of Community Safety to prevent the proliferation of violence. This is because New York is the largest city in the US, inhabited by a multicultural population with a history of diverse issues, such as racial issues, and social and economic inequality.