Zohran Mamdani Is on Track to Become Democrats' Candidate for NYC Mayor

New Delhi: New York state assembly member Zohran Mamdani is on track to become the Democrats' candidate for New York City mayor – quashing former New York governor Andrew Cuomo's comeback hopes of a comeback in a stunning feat.

Mamdani won 43.5% of first-place votes – these elections allow voters to rank candidates in order of preference – and Cuomo got 36.3%. The New York City board of elections will announce the full and finals results on July 1.

For many New Yorkers, Mamdani – whose socialist politics has been one of the planks he has fought the primaries on – represents an opportunity to bring forward a new era for the Democratic Party.

Mamdani is 33 years old and if he wins, will become New York's first Muslim and Indian-American mayor. As New York is largely a Democratic-dominated city, there is a good chance that Mamdani is the city's next mayor.

"Hope is not naive when you have a vision and a movement behind it. Hope is in fact righteous. This is the dawn of a new era in New York City. And we will win it together," Mamdani wrote on X, along with a short video.

Mamdani's campaign had been youth-oriented and his short video outreach efforts had captured the attention of Indian social media participants as well.

Opponent Andrew Cuomo conceded the contest two hours after the polls closed. "Tonight is his night. He deserved it. He won," Cuomo told supporters. The 67-year-old had resigned four years ago amid sexual harassment allegations.

Bernie Sanders, who had endorsed Mamdani, is among those who have posted celebratory messages on social media. On X, Sanders wrote, "Congratulations to Zohran Mamdani and his thousands of grassroots supporters for their extraordinary campaign. You took on the political, economic and media Establishment- and you beat them. Now it’s on to victory in the general election."

Incumbent Mayor Eric Adams will run as an independent in the November ballot, after a series of corruption scandals weakened his position, coupled with his perceived ties to Republican President Donald Trump.

With inputs from DW.

The Wire is now on WhatsApp. Follow our channel for sharp analysis and opinions on the latest developments.