What to know about the NYC mayoral candidate : NPR

Zohran Mamdani, candidate for New York town hall, celebrates an electoral evening event in New York early Wednesday morning while he was taking a advance early.

Christian Monterrosa / Bloomberg via Getty Images

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Christian Monterrosa / Bloomberg via Getty Images

Zohran Mamdani is about to become the Democratic candidate for the mayor of New York, after having led Tuesday in the primary of the city.

The 33 -year -old member of the State and the Democratic Socialist was practically unknown when he jumped in the primary field crowded last fall. But he had recently skyrocketed in the polls, fueled by interactions in person, viral videos and political proposals which seem to have resonated in particular among younger primary voters and for the first time.

With 93% of the constituencies, Mamdani collected 44% of voting bulletins – most of the 11 candidates and much more than the 36% of former governor Andrew Cuomo, the single favorite. Cuomo conceded to Mamdani on Tuesday evening, but left the door open to present himself as independent in the general elections of November.

The primary is not officially completed: the voting bulletins of losing candidates must be redistributed to the candidates of voters for voters until one of them breaks the 50%threshold, a process which should start on July 1.

But Mamdani’s commander manager sent a clear message – and was enough to declare the victory just after midnight.

“I will be the mayor of each New York, whether you voted for me, for Governor Cuomo or that you feel too disillusioned by a long broken political system to vote,” Mamdani told the supporters of his long Island City Watch Party. “I’m going to fight for a city that works for you, which is affordable for you, which is safe for you.”

If Mamdani wins the primary, he will face a multitude of candidates in November – including the Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa, who ran without opposition in the primary of his party, and the besieged mayor Eric Adams, who bypassed the Democratic primary by announcing that he would ask for a re -election as an independent.

There are more of the Democrats registered than the Republicans eight to one in New York, according to Gothamist.

But the ascent of Mamdani was far from being guaranteed: with the help of tens of thousands of unpaid volunteers, young people and new progressive voters in Ugandans have mobilized young and new voters for an astonishing upheaval against the establishment of the Democratic Party in the most populated city in America, with implications for the rest of the country.

Here’s what you need to know about him.

He would be a mayor of history

If it is elected, Mamdani would be the first Muslim mayor in New York. It would also be its youngest for over a century.

Mamdani, who will be 34 years old in October, would share the honor with John Purroy Mitchel – nicknamed the “boy mayor” – who took office at 34 in 1914.

Mamdani was born and grew up in Kampala, Uganda, Mahmood Mamdani, Mahmood Mamdani University and the Indian filmmaker, Mira Nair, who is best known for films that Mississippi Masala And Monsoon wedding.

The family moved to New York when Mamdani was seven years old and he became an American citizen in 2018.

Mamdani would also be the first mayor of New York to meet his wife on a meeting application, as he revealed on The rampart. He married the Syrian host and illustrator Rama Dawaji during a civil ceremony at the office of the municipal clerk at the beginning of 2025.

He was elected for the first time in the New York State assembly in 2020

After obtaining his Bowdoin College diploma with a diploma in Africana studies, Mamdani worked as a foreclosure prevention housing advisor in Queens – a job that, according to him, was inspired to present herself in the elections.

“After having passed every day to negotiate with banks that appreciated the benefits on people, he found himself face to face with reality that this housing crisis – which preceded this pandemic – was not natural in our lives, but rather a choice,” reads Mamdani’s official biography.

Mamdani won a seat in the New York State assembly in 2020 after having narrowly beat a holder in four terms in primary school, becoming the first southern man to serve in this body. He represented the 36th district – which includes the Queens of Astoria district – since, winning re -election without opposition in 2022 and 2024.

Legislative priorities – and campaign – of Mamdani include affordable housing, free public buses and the drop in the cost of living by increasing taxes on large companies and the richest 1% of New Yorkers.

He presented more than 20 invoices of this type during his four years and more in Albany, although the New York Times Note that only three “relatively minor articles” have actually become. One of his signature achievements was a one -year pilot program for free bus routes – one in each of the city of the city – which has not been renewed.

It was approved by high -level progressives

In the last weeks of the primary race, Mamdani marked the approvals of the Democratic representative Alexandria Ocasio -Cortez – whose congress district includes parts of Queens – and Senator Bernie Sanders, I -VT., Who congratulated him and “his thousands of basic supporters” in a tweet on Tuesday evening.

“You faced the political, economic and media establishment – and you beat them,” wrote Sanders. “Now is the victory in the general elections.”

The list of Mamdani’s political recommendations also includes personalities such as representative Nydia Velázquez, DN.Y., the former representative of New York Jamaal Bowman, the New York General Prosecutor James, the public lawyer of New York Jumaane Williams, the mayor of Newark Ras Baraka and the former American secretary of Laborn Reich.

In addition to the New York section of American Democratic Socialists, Mamdani was approved by organizations such as the New York Working Family Party, the National Youth Climate Groum Sunrise Movement and several local unions.

A certain number of celebrities have also expressed public support to Mamdani, the actor and former candidate for the post of governor of New York Cynthia Nixon, musician Lorde, and Saturday Night Live Bowen Yang and Sarah Sherman distribution members.

In particular, Mamdani was interrupted by some of his colleagues mayors Democrats, the former member of the Assembly Eric Blake and the controller of New York Brad Lander, with whom he formed a public alliance in the hope of keeping Cuomo out of voting ballots.

Lander was in third place in the race on Tuesday evening, ready to offer a large part of votes to Mamdani.

His opinions on Israel have been divided

Mamdani – who co -founded the first students of his college for justice in Palestine – was a vocal critic of Israel’s military response to Hamas attacks on October 7, 2023, a question that deeply divided the Democratic Party.

While crying the loss of Israeli and Palestinian lives, Mamdani condemned Israel’s decision to reduce electricity to Gaza and the occupation in a statement the day after the attack on Israel, which he then called a “horrible war crime”. But criticism, including certain Jewish groups, underlined the history of Mamdani on Israel even before October 7.

This includes his longtime support for the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement (BDS) (he refused to say if he would plead for politics as mayor), and a bill in 2023 that he wrote who would prohibit New York non -profit organizations from supporting the activity of Israeli colonists. The legislation was widely criticized by democratic legislators – which called it “a ploy to demonize Jewish caritative organizations” – and has not succeeded.

Mamdani still aroused controversy the week before the primary when, in an interview with The rampartHe refused to condemn the expression “globalizing the intifada” – which many Jews interpret as an appeal to violence against them and Israel, even if some pro -Palestinian demonstrators say that it is a peaceful call to resist the occupation by Gaza by Israel and the West Bank.

When asked if the slogan made him uncomfortable, Mamdani said that he had captured “a desperate desperate desire for equality and equal rights to defend Palestinian human rights”.

After his comment was condemned by the American Holocaust museum and other Jewish leaders, Mamdani told journalists that “it hurt me to be called anti -Semitic”.

“I said on every occasion that there was no room for anti-Semitism in this city, in this country. I said that because it is something that I believe personally,” he said.

Mamdani melted into tears by describing the vitriol he confronted with his own faith on the campaign track.

“I receive messages that say that the only good Muslim is a dead Muslim,” he said. “I receive threats to my life, on the people I love.”