Zohran Mamdani, 33, likely to become New York City's 1st Muslim & Indian-American mayor

New York state assemblyman Zohran Mamdani has taken a dominant lead in the New York City (NYC) mayoral Democratic primary after his closest opponent, former New York state governor and heavy favourite Andrew Cuomo conceded the race on Jun. 24.

On Jun. 24, 67-year-old Cuomo told his supporters that Mamdani has "won" the primary race, and that his campaign was "going to take a look and make some decisions", BBC reported.

"Tonight is his night. He deserved it. He won", Cuomo said of the 33-year-old Mamdani, whom he had called to congratulate on Tuesday night, The Guardian said.

However, Cuomo has yet to confirm if he will be running for the general election in November on an independent line, though he is likely to do so, The New York Times reported.

Current NYC mayor Eric Adams has also announced his plans to take on Mamdani as an independent in the November elections.

"We are not running against anyone,” he said. “They’re running against us.”

The primary will likely determine who becomes the traditionally liberal city's mayor in November. Mamdani's likely opponent is Curtis Sliwa, who won the Republican primary without even a contest.

If elected, Mamdani will be the first Muslim and first Indian-American to govern America's largest city.

Cuomo's concession came after 91 per cent of the votes were counted in the first round, in which Mamdani won 43.5 per cent of the votes, while Cuomo took 36.4 per cent.

Progressive New York comptroller Brad Lander was in third place with 11.4 per cent of the votes. Lander has expressed his support and congratulations for Mamdani.

As neither candidate is likely to attain 50 per cent of the votes to win outright, NYC will use a ranked-choice voting system.

New Yorkers will be allowed to rank up to five candidates and the board of elections will tally people's second-choice preferences.

Mamdani is likely to benefit from from this system than Cuomo, The Guardian said.

A traditional favourite vs. a breakout star

Described as a "potential breakout star" by USA Today, Uganda-born Mamdani was considered a political outsider fairly unknown until recently.

He is currently a three-term representative for assembly district 36 in New York State Assembly, and the first South Asian man and the third Muslim in the role.

Among others, Mamdani's platform campaigned for free city buses, a two per cent tax on millionaires, universal childcare and the freezing of rent in subsidised units.

Endorsed by Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders and Democratic House Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Mamdani's win represents a "fight with enthusiasm and courage", what New York Democrats reportedly hope to see in their leaders with Donald Trump as president, BBC said.

“I will be the mayor for every New Yorker, whether you voted for me, for Governor Cuomo, or felt too disillusioned by a long, broken political system to vote at all”, Mamdani said in his campaign.

Cuomo's baggage

Meanwhile, Cuomo's participation in this primary is his first political race and attempted political comeback after a sexual harassment scandal in 2021 forced him to resign from office.

Cuomo received the support of the Democratic Party's big names, such as former NYC mayor Michael Bloomberg and former U.S. President Bill Clinton, but it wasn't enough to secure victory.

He previously served as Secretary of Housing and Urban Administration in Clinton's Administration and New York state's governor.

His concession was unexpected, BBC pointed out, as counting of votes is likely to continue for a few more days before a final result is reached.

Political strategist Trip Yang described his loss as the "biggest upset in modern NYC history", BBC reported.

Top images via ZohranKMamdani/Facebook