Zohran Mamdani, 34, has won the New York City mayoral election and will become the first Muslim mayor of the biggest city in the US.
The self-described democratic socialist was relatively unknown just months ago, and surged to victory with promises to tax millionaires to pay for expanded social programmes.
In all, it has been big wins for Democrats: The party had victories in major contests across multiple states, building momentum into the 2026 midterms. In addition to Zohran Mamdani’s feat, Abigail Spanberger and Rep. Mikie Sherrill are poised to win their respective gubernatorial races in Virginia and New Jersey. Californian also voted to approve Democrats’ redistricting push.
Historic firsts: Mamdani will be New York City’s first Muslim mayor and the first South Asian to hold the office. Spanberger will become Virginia’s first female governor and Sherrill will become New Jersey’s first female Democratic governor. Democrat Ghazala Hashmi, projected to be Virginia’s lieutenant governor, will become the nation’s first Muslim woman elected statewide.
Test for Trump: The elections were seen as the first major electoral tests of Donald Trump’s second presidency. In a social media post tonight, he blamed GOP losses on the government shutdown and his absence from the ballot. (Culled from BBC and CNN reports)
