Extract from The Washington Post report Nov. 4, 2025
Mamdani, a 34-year-old New York Assembly member and democratic socialist, has won New York’s mayoral race, according to a projection by the Associated Press. He faced (Curtis) Sliwa and (Andrew) Cuomo, who lost the Democratic primary against Mamdani and ran as an independent in the general election.
Mamdani will become the city’s first Muslim mayor and is the youngest person in a century to win City Hall.
In Jackson Heights, Queens, a center of New York City’s Muslim and South Asian communities, there was a sense that history was being made on Tuesday (November 4, 2025). Voters who showed up at the city’s polling place marked their role in the milestone with selfies – alone or with their children.
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Cars were double-parked up and down 37th Avenue, as family members took turns running in to vote. And even after the sun went down and temperatures started to drop, people huddled outside, celebrating what they were sure would be a turning point for their community.
New York is home to the country’s largest Muslim population. But for too long, their community has been overlooked by politicians, said Raunaq Zamal, a 30-year-old Muslim who grew up in post-9/11 New York.
“He’s like a hometown hero around here, he goes to the same restaurants we go to,” Zamal said. “It’s beautiful to see someone like us achieve these heights.”
Mamdani led in polls leading up to the election, but Cuomo picked up support after the Democratic Mayor Eric Adams dropped out of the race and endorsed him. Trump also endorsed Cuomo on Monday and accused Mamdani, who is a member of the Democratic Socialists of America, of being a Communist.