Democrat Zohran Mamdani is New York City's 1st Indian-origin Muslim mayor

Zohran Kwame Mamdani has been projected to win New York City’s mayoral race, making history as the first Muslim, first Indian-origin, and first African-born mayor of America's biggest city and financial capital.

Mamdani’s victory caps a meteoric rise for the once-underdog candidate, whose populist working-class message and personal charisma energised voters across New York’s five boroughs. His win also marks a major moment for the progressive wing of the Democratic Party at a time when national Democrats are divided over how to counter President Donald Trump.

Early projections showed Mamdani defeating former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo for the second time, after first toppling him in the June Democratic primary. Republican Curtis Sliwa, who stayed in the race despite Trump’s jibes, trailed far behind.

When Mamdani (34) is sworn in on January 1, he will also become New York’s youngest mayor in more than a century.

More than 2 million New Yorkers voted in the election, making it the city’s highest turnout for a mayoral race since 1969, according to the Board of Elections.

Conceding after most major outlets called the election for Mamdani, Curtis Sliwa vowed to stay in New York and continue the fight.

"We will hold the mayor-elect to make sure that he serves all the people and that socialism does not replace capitalism," the Republican said, as quoted by NBC News.

Throughout his campaign, Mamdani has been under fire from Republicans, including Trump, who has labelled him a "communist" and threatened to freeze federal funds and "take over" New York if he won. Trump also questioned his eligibility, despite the Democrat being a naturalised US citizen since 2018.

Born in Uganda to filmmaker Mira Nair and academic Mahmood Mamdani, both of whom have Indian roots, Mamdani moved to New York as a child and grew up in Queens.

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