Anti-Israel Muslim Mamdani Leads New York Mayoral Race

A sensational result emerged from the Democratic Party primaries in New York City. Muslim candidate Zohran Mamdani, a member of the Democratic Socialists of America, defeated former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo. CNN reported the news.

With 90% of ballots counted, Mamdani secured 44% of the vote, while Cuomo garnered 36%. This victory positions Mamdani as a leading candidate for the New York City mayoral race.

The 33-year-old Zohran Mamdani gained significant support among youth with his platform focusing on social justice, affordable housing, rent freeze, free public transportation, and municipal grocery stores. These initiatives are planned to be funded by imposing $10 billion in new taxes on corporations and high-income individuals.

Interestingly, despite backing from the Democratic Party’s elite and major donors, Cuomo could not maintain his lead. Mamdani’s populist messaging and energetic grassroots campaign resonated strongly with younger voters.

A pre-election poll conducted by Emerson had shown the race between Mamdani and Cuomo to be statistically close. Four weeks before the vote, Cuomo was leading Mamdani by 12 percentage points.

Despite the loss, Cuomo has not ruled out running as an independent candidate. Current mayor Eric Adams also announced his intention to run as an independent. Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa, founder of the “Guardian Angels” organization, is also in the race.

It’s worth noting that New York elections use a ranked-choice voting system. If no candidate receives over 50% of the votes, the candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated, and their votes are redistributed to the voters’ next preferences until a winner emerges.

For context, Zohran Mamdani was born in Kampala, Uganda, to Indian Muslim parents. He became a U.S. citizen in 2018 and is a follower of the Twelver Shia sect. Mamdani graduated from Bowdoin College with a degree in African Studies and founded a student group advocating for justice in Palestine.

If elected, Mamdani would become the first Muslim mayor in New York City’s history. He previously stated that if Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visits New York, he would seek legal action to have him arrested.

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