NEW YORK CITY – Enjoying a surge of support from progressive and younger voters, democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani is a big step closer to becoming the first Muslim mayor of the nation’s most populous city.
While the Associated Press had yet to project a winner in New York City’s Democratic Party mayoral primary Tuesday night, former Gov. Andrew Cuomo saw the writing on the wall, telling supporters at an election night gathering that Mamdani ‘won.’
Mamdani, a 33-year-old state assembly member from Queens who is originally from Uganda, topped the former three-term governor and nine other candidates in a crowded primary field in an election that was determined by ranked-choice voting. He will be considered the frontrunner in November’s general election in the heavily blue city.
‘Tonight was Assemblyman Mamdani’s night, and he put together a great campaign,’ Cuomo said Tuesday in front of supporters. ‘He touched young people and inspired them and moved them and got them to come out and vote. He really ran a highly impactful campaign. I called him. I congratulated him. I applaud him sincerely for his effort.’
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Cuomo added that ‘tonight is his night. He deserved it. He won.’
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As the unofficial results of the first round of voting trickled in, in which Mamdani was leading as of Tuesday night, Cuomo told his supporters that his campaign would be ‘having conversations’ about how to proceed to help both the Democratic Party and New York City moving forward.
‘Now I want to look at all the numbers, as they come in and this ranked choice voting and, what the numbers actually say and do,’ Cuomo added.
A Cuomo campaign aide, following the former governor’s speech, said Cuomo was leaving the door open for a possible run as third party or independent candidate in November.
‘I want to look at all the numbers as they come in and analyze the rank choice voting. I will then consult with my colleagues on what is the best path for me to help the City of New York, as I have already qualified to run for mayor on an independent line in November,’ Cuomo said in a statement.
Across town at an election night celebration, Mamdani confirmed Cuomo called him to concede the race as they discussed the ‘need to bring this city together,’ and then invited New York City Comptroller Brad Lander on stage to thank him for demonstrating the ‘power of the politics of the future.’
Mamdani was introduced by notorious Trump-foe New York Attorney General Letitia James, telling his supporters just past midnight, ‘Tonight, we made history.’
‘I will be your Democratic nominee for the mayor of New York,’ Mamdani declared.
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