Leading Election, Zohran Mamdani Elected New York's First Muslim Mayor

JAKARTA - Zohran Mamdani (34), a Democratic socialist, won the New York City mayoral election on Tuesday, marking his rapid rise from a little-known state lawmaker to one of the most prominent Democratic figures.

Mamdani will be the first Muslim mayor of the largest US city. He defeated former Democratic Governor Andrew Cuomo (67), who ran as an independent after losing the primary to Mamdani.

According to NBC News, Mamdani won with 1,020,974 votes (50.3 percent), Cuomo with 843,813 votes (41.6 percent), and Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa with 144,907 votes (7.1 percent), with 89.7 percent of the votes cast.

In New York, more than 2 million ballots, including early votes, have been cast, according to the board of elections, the highest number in a mayoral election since 1969. Early vote totals in Virginia and New Jersey also surpassed those in previous elections in 2021.

Mamdani has proposed ambitious left-wing policies, including a rent freeze for nearly a million apartments and free city bus rides.

Justice Democrats Executive Director Alexandra Rojas said Mamdani's victory should "sound alarm bells to every entrenched corporate Democrat."

"If you don't serve the interests of ordinary people, your term in office is limited," she said in a statement, as quoted by Al Jazeera.

Justice Democrats supports progressive Democrats in primaries across the country.

Rojas said Mamdani shows that up-and-coming candidates can take on incumbents if they are "willing to be a unifying voice for the working class against the wealthy elite."

"Now is the time to continue our work to transform the Democratic Party through Democratic primaries across the country," she added.

Tuesday's election was an ideological and cross-generational contest that could have national implications for the Democratic Party.

In Virginia, Democrat Abigail Spanberger easily won the gubernatorial election, becoming the first woman elected to that office.

And in New Jersey, Democrat Mikie Sherrill won the gubernatorial election.

These three candidates are testing different campaign strategies for a beleaguered Democratic Party a year ahead of the 2026 midterm elections, when control of Congress will be at stake.

Since President Donald Trump's victory last year, Democrats have found themselves locked out of power in Washington and struggling to find the best path out of the political wilderness.

All three candidates emphasized economic issues, particularly affordability. However, Spanberger and Sherrill come from the moderate wing of the party, while Mamdani campaigned as a bold progressive and the voice of a new generation.

Spanberger, who defeated Republican Lieutenant Governor Winsome Earle-Sears, will replace outgoing Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin.

Both Sherrill and Spanberger have sought to link their opponents to Trump in an effort to capitalize on frustration among Democratic and independent voters over his chaotic nine months in office.

"We are sending a message to the world that in 2025, Virginia chooses pragmatism over partisanship," Spanberger said in her victory speech, as reported by Reuters.

"We choose our Commonwealth over chaos," she added.

While Tuesday's results will provide some insight into the mood of the American electorate, the midterm elections are still a year away, an eternity in the political world.

For Republicans, Tuesday's election is a test of whether voters who supported Trump's victory in 2024 will still turn out when he is off the ballot.