(L-R) Senator Bernie Sanders, Democratic nominee for the mayor of New York City Zohran Mamdani and US Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez hold hands in solidarity during the 'New York Is Not For Sale' rally at Forest Hills Stadium in the Queens borough of New York, New York, USA, 26 October 2025. (Photo: EPA/SARAH YENESEL) 
The streets of New York City were abuzz on Tuesday night, 4 November, as the 34-year-old Democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani clinched the mayorship of America’s largest city.
Mamdani, who in June won the race for the Democratic nomination as the mayor of New York City in a remarkable upset, built a campaign with a steadfast focus on affordability, eventually defeating former New York governor Andrew Cuomo and Republican Curtis Sliwa.
He will become the city’s youngest mayor in more than a century, and the first Muslim mayor in New York City’s history.
It has been one of New York City, and the country’s, most closely watched local election seasons in years. According to the New York Times, the election saw the highest voter turnout in decades. More than 730,000 New Yorkers cast early ballots ahead of Tuesday’s election, making it the highest early in-person turnout ever for a non-presidential election in New York, reported the publication.
/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/AFP__20251104__82YY9CU__v1__HighRes__UsPoliticsVoteNewYorkMamdani.jpg "Democratic New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani speaks to the press after voting at a polling location at Frank Sinatra School of Arts in the Queens borough of New York City on November 4, 2025. (Photo: Leonardo Munoz / AFP)")
“I think Zohran Mamdani is the most exciting politician to come out of the left in the last 10 to 15 years and this race feels historic in a lot of ways,” said Greenpoint, Brooklyn resident Grace Owens on Tuesday night. Owens spoke to Daily Maverick outside a polling station in Greenpoint, after casting her vote for Mamdani.
Read more: Zohran Mamdani wins NYC mayoral race, capping meteoric rise
“A couple different things influenced my decision. My husband and I are going through IVF right now. I was listening to WNYC this morning, Mamdani was asked what his number one platform position was, and he said universal childcare. And I think that so often, elections feel completely out of touch with what would actually affect our daily lives … (universal childcare) is something that would concretely affect my daily life and our ability to live in New York for the next five to 10 years, in one of the most expensive cities in the world,” Owens said.
“I think there are a lot of people, including myself, who love living in New York and are afraid that they can’t live in New York long-term. It just feels unsustainable, and it feels like one of the most amazing cities in the world is being crushed by billionaire and corporate interests.
“I think, if he wins, part of the reason will be because people want the city to operate for regular people and how they live their lives,” added Owens.
Sarah Chase, another Brooklyn resident and grad student, told Daily Maverick that New York’s affordability crisis was her main reason for voting for Mamdani.
“I voted for Zohran because I think the city should be more affordable, and I think he listens to people who have less money whereas Cuomo listens to people who have more money. I want New York to be better for lower-income people like myself,” she said.
/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/13485291.jpg "Guests react as the mayoral race is called, naming Democratic nominee for Mayor of New York City Zohran Mamdani as the projected winner, as they watch the news during an election party hosted by Democratic nominee for Mayor of New York City Zohran Mamdani in the Brooklyn borough of New York, USA, 04 November 2025. Mamdani has defeated Andrew Cuomo to win the New York mayoral election. (Photo: EPA/SARAH YENESEL)")
Other New Yorkers, including Jahan Shaikh, told Daily Maverick that it was simply time for change in how the city was being run.
“One of the parties brought some sort of change to the usual candidates. I feel like we’ve seen the same sort of candidates over and over who haven’t necessarily made change, and for the first time we’re seeing somebody who’s bringing some sort of change to how they publicise their campaign,” said Shaikh.
Mamdani was raised in Uganda and South Africa before his parents moved to the US, reported Daily Maverick’s Rebecca Davis.
Read more: Meet New York City’s likely next mayor — a former SA schoolboy
His father is well-known Ugandan academic Mahmood Mamdani, who in the late 1990s tried to spearhead a process of academic transformation at the University of Cape Town, which culminated in his suspension and eventual resignation.
His mother is director Mira Nair, renowned for films including Monsoon Wedding and Mississippi Masala.
Several young voters Daily Maverick spoke to on Tuesday noted Mamdani’s masterclass in social media campaigning as being a big driver of the youth vote.
The young millennial’s policies include raising taxes on the city’s wealthiest, hiking the corporation tax, freezing stabilised apartment rental rates and making buses and childcare free for New Yorkers.
‘People just want someone to stand up to Trump’
US Republican President Donald Trump has frequently commented on the New York mayoral election this season. On Monday, 3 November, the night before the polls opened, Trump openly endorsed Cuomo for mayor and threatened to hold back federal funds to the city if Mamdani was elected, reported Reuters.
Cuomo, a veteran in the Democratic Party, ran as an independent after losing to Mamdani in the Democratic primary.
Read more: Trump backs Cuomo, threatens to cut funds for New York City if Mamdani wins mayoral race
“If Communist Candidate Zohran Mamdani wins the Election for Mayor of New York City, it is highly unlikely that I will be contributing Federal Funds, other than the very minimum as required, to my beloved first home, because of the fact that, as a Communist, this once great City has ZERO chance of success, or even survival!!” Trump claimed in a post on his Truth Social platform.
“Whether you personally like Andrew Cuomo or not, you really have no choice. You must vote for him, and hope he does a fantastic job. He is capable of it, Mamdani is not!” he continued.
/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/13485293.jpg "Guests react as the mayoral race is called, naming Democratic nominee for Mayor of New York City Zohran Mamdani as the projected winner, as they watch the news during an election party hosted by Democratic nominee for Mayor of New York City Zohran Mamdani in the Brooklyn borough of New York, USA, 04 November 2025. Mamdani has defeated Andrew Cuomo to win the New York mayoral election. (Photo: EPA/SARAH YENESEL)")
Republicans have consistently attacked Mamdani’s candidacy during the campaign, with Trump and others casting him as a communist, reported Reuters.
Some voters Daily Maverick spoke to in New York on Tuesday, believed that Trump’s threat would instead drive voters to Mamdani.
“I think if anything it’s driving people to vote for Mamdani even more. They don’t like him [Trump]. It’s New York City, people don’t really like Trump here,” a volunteer for Mamdani’s campaign told Daily Maverick outside a polling station in Midtown Manhattan.
Chase said she believed New Yorkers’ desire to stand up to Trump would have a lot to do with Mamdani’s win.
“People just want someone to stand up to Trump and they see him [Mamdani] as the best person to do that,” said Chase. DM
Victoria O’Regan is a 2025 Dag Hammarskjöld Journalism Fellow whose reporting on the 80th UN General Assembly and its activities in New York has been sponsored by the Dag Hammarskjöld Fund for Journalists.