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Zohran Mamdani, a 34-year-old Assemblyman from Queens, became New York City’s first Muslim and South Asian mayor in a moment that is being hailed as transformative for urban politics in the United States. Mamdani defeated former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and Republican nominee Curtis Silwa to win the coveted post. Mamdani had become one of the most visible faces in the streets of New York in the run-up to the mayoral elections. Even after his historic win, videos went viral of his campaign in nightclubs and bars – where the Mayor-elect was seen interacting with people and singing songs. He visited the Caribbean Social Club, Gabriela, Damballa, Mood Ring and Papi Juice in Brooklyn as part of his campaign. At one nightclub, Mamdani was spotted dancing and singing along to “Empire State Of Mind,” a Grammy-winning song by Jay-Z featuring Alicia Keys that has become a sort of informal New York anthem since its release in 2009. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Kara ? nyc Photographer (@karamccurdy) Mamdani also made an unannounced stop at a gay bar in Brooklyn, where he directly addressed the crowd. “Are we ready to beat Andrew Cuomo? Are we ready to win a city we can afford? Are we ready to make history? Let’s go out and do it. Thank you, my friends.” so it’s 1am and zohran just showed up at the gay bar pic.twitter.com/tc8hZRPdKG — matt (@mattxiv) November 2, 2025 Throughout his campaign, the democratic socialist has made a visible effort to meet voters where they are at. He visited local communities and participated in salsa and tai chi with senior citizens at a cultural centre in the days before the polls. Mamdani, 34, was born in Kampala, Uganda, to Indian-Ugandan parents—filmmaker Mira Nair and academic Mahmood Mamdani. He went on to become a naturalised US citizen in 2018. He based his campaign on progressive policies, including rent freezes, affordable housing, free bus service, and higher taxes on wealthy residents. In a fiercely contested race, Mamdani defeated former New York governor Andrew Cuomo, who ran as an independent after losing to him in the Democratic primary, and Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa, securing a decisive win in one of America’s most closely watched local elections. He will take office on 1 January 2026, but his win has already triggered debate across the US about the future direction of the Democratic Party.
