Not only Asians, Whites also backed Zohran Mamdani despite racist attacks

Despite a wave of racist and Islamophobic attacks against Zohran Mamdani over his upset victory in New York's Democratic mayoral primary, data shows that the Indian-American received significant backing from white voters, apart from Asians.

Mamdani made history as the first Muslim nominee of the Democrats after former Governor Andrew Cuomo conceded the race on Wednesday. A closer analysis of the data shows that 36% of white or Caucasian voters backed Mamdani, while only 25% voted for Cuomo, a heavyweight whose career has been wracked by sex scandals.

In fact, whites were the second-largest chunk of voters for Mamdani after Asians. Mamdani, born in Uganda, received a staggering 58% of the Asian votes, as compared to 16% got by Cuomo.

According to the New York Post, he swept the liberal bastions of Brooklyn and Fort Greene, predominantly white areas. He also made inroads in black and Hispanic neighbourhoods across the city.

Data shows he received 30% of the Hispanic/Latino vote, while Blacks accounted for 21% of his vote share. "Mamdani developed a much broader coalition than you might have expected," John Mollenkopf of the City University of New York told the New York Post.

Moreover, Mamdani, who campaigned on the plank of affordability, resonated with voters, especially the younger ones. His near-ubiquitous presence on social media also helped in reaching out to young professionals seeking more affordable rents.

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