In a rousing speech to a jubilant Brooklyn crowd, Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani proclaimed the start of a “new age” for New York City, promising a government that prioritizes working people and confronts the crises of affordability and division head-on.
“Tonight we have stepped out from the old into the new,” Mamdani announced, framing his victory as a fundamental shift. “So let us speak now with clarity and conviction that cannot be misunderstood about what this new age will deliver and for whom.”
Mamdani, a Democrat, made history by winning the mayoral race, becoming the city’s first Muslim mayor and its youngest in over a century. He defeated Republican Curtis Sliwa and Independent Andrew Cuomo, according to the NYC Board of Elections, which showed Mamdani securing 50.4% of the vote to Cuomo’s 41.3%. He will be sworn in on January 1st.
A current New York State Assemblyman and a member of the Democratic Socialist Movement, Mamdani has been a fierce critic of President Donald Trump. His win, powered significantly by young voters, signals a sharp turn toward progressive politics in the nation’s largest city.
A Defiant Message to Washington
Mamdani directly addressed President Trump in his remarks, positioning his victory as a blueprint for resistance.
“If anyone can show a nation betrayed by Donald Trump how to defeat him, it is the city that gave rise to him,” he stated.
He characterized his campaign as a blunt rejection of authoritarian tactics, declaring that New Yorkers “respond to oligarchy and authoritarianism with the strength it fears, not the appeasement it craves.”
Unapologetic Identity and a Multicultural Vision
The mayor-elect also confronted the criticisms leveled at his background during the campaign, turning his perceived vulnerabilities into a declaration of strength.
“I am young, despite my best efforts to grow older. I am Muslim. I am a democratic socialist. And most damning of all, I refuse to apologize for any of this,” he said to cheers.
Celebrating the city’s diversity, he recalled releasing campaign videos in Arabic, Spanish, and Hindustani to connect directly with its many communities. Echoing one of those videos, he told the crowd in Queens-style Arabic: “Ana minkom wa-ilaykom” — “I am from you and for you.”
Source: Agencies (edited by Al-Manar English Website)
