Unlock the White House Watch watch newsletter for free
Your guide on what Trump’s second term for Washington, Business and the World means
Zohran Mamdani, the left democrat dreaded by Wall Street, is on the right track to win the primary mayor of the party for New York, sending shock waves through American politics.
Mamdani, a democratic socialist who called for higher taxes on rich American support and assaulted in Israel in Gaza, amazed Andrew Cuomo, the former governor of New York State, in the primary Democratic race on Tuesday.
Its success will affect Wall Street And among the billionaire donors, including the healing fund manager Bill Ackman, who supported his rival. This will also intensify the debate among the Democrats as they seek a convincing political strategy to face Donald Trump.
“Tonight, we made history,” said Mamdani during a speech in Queens in front of a crowd of hundreds of supporters. “I will be your Democratic candidate for the mayor of New York.
“When we no longer believe in our democracy, it only becomes easier than people like Donald Trump to convince us of his value, for billionaires to convince us that they must always lead,” he told the jubilant crowd.
New York is looking towards Democrats, and Mamdani’s victory gives the 33 -year -old a major advantage in the elections later this year to replace Eric Adams as mayor of the city – one of the most powerful positions in American domestic policy.
Cuomo conceded the defeat late Tuesday in a competition that is widely considered a referendum on the future of the party.
“Tonight was not our night, tonight. It was the night of the Mamdani assembly,” Cuomo told supporters during a post-electoral party, adding that he had called Mamdani to congratulate him.
The unofficial results Tuesday evening showed that Mamdani with a seven -point lead on Cuomo, with more than 90% of the counted votes.
The final result will depend on the statement of the city’s classified choice system, which allows people to collect up to five candidates in order of preference. The winner will be officially declared on July 1, at the earliest, after all the other votes of the candidates have been reassigned.
The result will arouse a new debate among the Democrats still in shock from Trump’s victory over Kamala Harris in the presidential election last year.
After Trump’s victory, the Democrats were struck between a progressive wing illustrated by the deputy for New York Alexandria Ocasio-CortezAnd moderate such as the American senator from Pennsylvania John Fetterman, who congratulated Trump.
Mamdani has led his campaign on a commitment to make life more affordable for New Yorkers, whose cost of living has skyrocketed from the Covid-19 pandemic. If it is elected, he says that he will increase taxes on the rich to finance free buses and childcare services, as well as grocery stores belonging to the city.
The progressive candidate has exploited a wave of support among young voters – an electoral strategy that will be studied by the Democrats nationally while they are trying to win back the young voters who supported Trump in November.
“In the words of Nelson Mandela: this always seems impossible until it is done,” said Mamdani on X after the result.
Ocasio-Cortez, which operated a similar electricity base, congratulated Mamdani on Tuesday evening, saying in an article on social networks: “billionaires and lobbyists have paid millions against you and our public financing system. And you won. ”
CuomoA New York State policy match for more than four decades has long been considered the favorite. But the Centrist found himself fighting an increasingly serious challenge of the upstart Mamdani, who has a huge audience on social networks.
After having resigned as governor four years ago in the midst of charges of sexual harassment, which he denies, Cuomo entered the mayor’s race in March.
Cuomo is committed to restoring the attraction of the Democratic Party among the voters of the working class, promising to hire more police officers, improve security in the metro and remove administrative formalities to build more affordable housing.
His campaign was built on the thesis that the Democratic Party had been “diverted” and that he “no longer fought for workers”.
The Cuomo campaign has benefited from a major fundraising advantage compared to competitors in the last weeks of the race, supported by major contributions, notably the former mayor Michael Bloomberg.
Combined and external fundraising groups have spent more than $ 20 million. Mamdani’s campaign relied on small contributions, with more than 21,000 donors, of which around 75% gave less than $ 100.
Eric Adams, the outgoing mayor, will present himself in the general elections of November as an independence. Its approval rating is only 20% after being charged last year for corruption and fraud in a case which was then rejected.
