Zohran Mamdani's stunning win in NYC Democratic mayoral primary creates optimism and concern
Queens Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani turned the race for New York City mayor on its ear on Tuesday night with his stunning upset victory over former Gov. Andrew Cuomo in the Democratic primary.
Mamdani's accomplishment, which was similar to Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's shocking win over longtime Congressman Joe Crowley in 2018, has left many in the political establishment trying to figure out what exactly happened.
Hours after the polls closed, Mamdani, a 33-year-old Democratic socialist, basked in what was once thought unimaginable by many, beating the man who led most of the polls heading into Election Day.
"We have won because New Yorkers have stood up for a city they can afford, a city where they can do more than just struggle, one where those who toil in the night can enjoy the fruits of their labor in the day," Mamdani told ecstatic supporters at his campaign's watch party in Long Island City.
Mamdani has not officially been declared the winner, because he has not received 50% of the vote.
The race will now move into ranked choice voting rounds, where the candidates with the fewest votes will be eliminated, and those ballots will be recounted with voters' other ranked choices.
What's next for Cuomo?
Cuomo, who is attempting to make a political comeback nearly four years after a sexual harassment scandal forced him to resign as governor of New York, said Tuesday night that Mamdani had won the race and congratulated him.
But according to CBS News New York's Marcia Kramer, donors are calling on Cuomo to stay in the race.
In an exclusive interview with Kramer on Wednesday, the former governor seemed to leave the door open to running in the general election in November on the independent line he established.
"The Democratic primary is always an interesting situation, right? There are about 5 million voters in New York City, there are about 8 million people in New York City, and about 1 million people vote in the Democratic primary. So it's not, necessarily, representative of the city at large," Cuomo said. "That's why I qualified for an independent line in November, I did that several months ago, because in the general election, more people come out to vote. It's a broader pool, if you will, of New Yorkers, more representative pool of New Yorkers."
Transit riders are optimistic, Jewish leaders are concerned
The election results were championed by transit riders eager for Mamdani's promise of free bus service.
"Bus riders make New York possible. In Zohran, we finally have a mayoral nominee who sees us, values our time, and is ready to govern as our rider-in-chief," said Betsy Plum, director of the Riders Alliance.
On the other hand, Jewish groups are worried about Mamdani's positions on Israel, Gaza and intifada.
"It is time for Mr. Mamdani to move from disturbance to responsibility and to unambiguously reject and reign in these actors with whom he has been strongly associated," said Rabbi Moshe Hauer, of the Orthodox Union.
Eric Adams and Curtis Sliwa attack Zohran Mamdami
Mayor Eric Adams, who is expected to announce his run for reelection as an independent on Thursday, wasted little time Wednesday getting after Mamdani.
"He's a snake oil salesman. He will say and do anything to get elected. Think about this for a moment: He wants to raise taxes on 1% of New Yorkers, high-income earners. As the mayor, you don't have the authority to do that. You know who has the authority to that? An assemblyman, which he is," Adams said.
In an interview with CBS News New York, he said Mamdani's successful campaign did show that New Yorkers responded to his focus on affordability.
"The problem is, is when you give false promises, when you start talking about free buses, free supermarkets, free this, free that," Adams said.
The mayor also brought up President Trump, who Mamdani slammed in his speech to supporters.
"Working with presidents, that is what the mayor of the largest city in America is supposed to do. So I'm not going to war with the White House. I'm going to work with the White House," Adams said, though he said he is not seeking Trump's endorsement.
Curtis Sliwa is the top Republican candidate for mayor.
"Nobody wants to go backwards to Adams or Cuomo. They want to move forward. And if you don't get millennials on board, who are going through exactly what baby boomers are going through, you will lose this election," Sliwa said.
