How Zohran Mamdani rose to NYC's mayor office after four years in politics
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Zohran Mamdani is the first candidate in more than 50 years to win over one million votes in an NYC mayoral election. Photo by ANGELA WEISS / AFP) (Photo by ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images
Zohran Mamdani's triumph in New York City's mayoral election Tuesday night was a historic victory that could reverberate far beyond the five boroughs.
The big picture: Mamdani, the city's youngest mayor in at least a century, has catapulted into the national spotlight with a speed and popularity that echoes the trajectories of both Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and former President Obama.
- To great effect, Mamdani's massive grassroots campaign deployed social media to broadcast his affordability proposals — including a rent freeze and city-run grocery stores — as well as marathon in-person outreach to low-income New Yorkers and communities of color.
By the numbers: Mamdani went from notching 1% in primary polling to becoming the first candidate in more than 50 years to win over one million votes in a NYC mayoral election.
Driving the news: Mamdani's win makes him the city's first Muslim and South Asian mayor, as well as one of the highest-placed democratic socialists in the United States.
- About three-quarters of New York City voters under 30 voted for Mamdani, according to the Associated Press.
- Though young voters were a relatively small portion of the city's electorate, they were also much more likely than older voters to say it was their first time voting in a mayoral election, per the AP.
- Mamdani made huge inroads with low-income voters and voters of color as well.
Here's what to know about Mamdani's career:
Mamdani's early years, college
Mamdani was born in Kampala, Uganda, immigrating with his family to New York City when he was seven years old.
- Both of his parents, Mira Nair and Mahmood Mamdani, are from India originally. Nair is an acclaimed director, best known for her 1991 film Mississippi Masala, and Mahmood Mamdani is a professor of anthropology at Columbia University.
Mamdani attended the Bronx High School of Science, a specialized public school.
- There, Mamdani founded the school's first cricket team.
- "This act, though not ostensibly a political one, taught him how coming together with a few like-minded individuals can transform rhetoric into reality," according to the biography on his New York assemblymember website.
Mamdani earned a bachelor's degree in Africana studies from Bowdoin College in 2014, where he also founded the school's first Students for Justice in Palestine chapter.
He became a naturalized US citizen in 2018.
Housing counselor
Before entering politics, Mamdani worked as a foreclosure prevention housing counselor.
- As a counselor, per his bio, he helped "low-income homeowners of color across Queens fight off eviction and stay in their homes."
- "It was this job that led him to run for office. After having spent every day negotiating with banks that valued profits over people, he came face-to-face with the reality that this housing crisis – one which predated this pandemic – was not natural to our lives, but instead a choice."
Assemblymember
Mamdani was elected to the New York Assembly in 2020.
- He represents the 36th Assembly District and its neighborhoods of Astoria, Ditmars-Steinway, and Astoria Heights — all located in Queens.
- At the time of his election, Mamdani became the first South Asian man, the first Ugandan, and one of only three Muslims to ever serve in the body.
Zoom in: Mamdani's team frequently tied key campaigns as assemblyman to Mamdani's central mayoral economic proposals.
- One such campaign was a 2021 hunger strike among NYC taxi drivers — which Mamdani joined — advocating for debt relief for drivers who had been the victims of financial schemes.
- After 15 days of striking, then-Mayor Bill de Blasio agreed to cap debt loads and monthly payments for the drivers.
Mamdani has also frequently referenced a fare-free bus pilot that he championed.
- The pilot made a single bus route in each borough free for one year between September 2023 and 2024.
- A key policy proposal of his mayoral campaign is to expand that citywide, covering over 330 routes and about 1 million paid trips per weekday.
