‘Time for a new era’: hope swells in New York as Zohran Mamdani makes history

At Zohran Mamdani’s election night party in downtown Brooklyn on Tuesday night, hundreds of his supporters erupted in cheers and applause as the democratic socialist from Queens was elected the next mayor of New York City. “I’m ecstatic!” “This is life-changing!” “I’m lost for words!” were just some of the refrains from the crowd as they celebrated history in the making: New York has its first Muslim mayor. The 34-year-old state assembly member won with more than 50% of the vote, defeating former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa. Supporters began arriving and gathering at the Brooklyn Paramount Theatre around 9pm ET, when the polls in New York closed. Many attenders were seen wearing Mamdani campaign merchandise such as baseball caps, beanies and T-shirts. Before results rolled in, a DJ on stage played dance music for the crowd as drinks flowed and anticipation built. Hope – one of the central themes of Mamdani’s campaign - filled the room throughout the evening, with supporters sharing their optimism for the night before the race was called. James Davis, whose labor union, PSC/Cuny, supported Mamdani, said he was “hopeful” and “confident”. Ibrahim Ahmed, 45, said he was motivated to volunteer for Mamdani’s campaign because he believes that Mamdani “speaks the language that New York wants to hear right now”. Awaiting the results, Ahmed said he was feeling “positive tonight”. Gustavo Gordillo, one of the co-chairs of the New York City Democratic Socialists of America, said this night marked a turning point. “I think we’re gonna have a mandate after tonight that shows that working-class New Yorkers are tired of mayors who have turned New York into a playground for the rich, and it’s time for a new a new era of democratic socialist governance,” he said. Kathy Culter, a 27-year-old volunteer since January, said: “This is 10 months in the making, blood, sweat and tears.” “I’ve been up since 5am this morning, I did the Brooklyn Bridge walk yesterday with Zohran. It’s incredible to see this level of support, and to have been out all day and constantly getting people coming up to me so excited, and excited about the future for New York, I think, is really amazing,” she said. The crowd was full of high-profile Democrats including New York Representative Alexandria Ocasio Cortez; the New York City public advocate, Jumaane Williams; the city comptroller, Brad Lander; the New York attorney general, Letitia James; and actor Cynthia Nixon. Twitch streamer Hasan Piker was among those seen making the rounds talking to members of the media and partygoers. When screens inside the venue flashed the news of Mamdani’s victory around 9.35pm ET, the theater erupted. Supporters screamed, danced, hugged and filmed the moment on their phones. “I’m ecstatic!” said Soaptarshi Paul, who volunteered for the campaign. “On this day, I feel reassured and really, I feel a real sense of community and a real sense of reward for all the hard work.” Salma Haque described the outcome as “life-changing”. “Honestly, I would cry if I weren’t here,” she said. “I cried during the primaries where he won. I’m ecstatic.” For Norman Frazier, 73, the moment was one he said he would “never forget as long as I live”. “I got a story to tell my grandkids, my great grands. I am blessed to be here today and to see this here,” Frazier, a born and bred New Yorker who supported Mamdani’s campaign, said. “I’m lost for words really.” Jasmine Gripper, co-director of New York’s working families party, celebrated the victory and said she was feeling “excited and proud of what we accomplished”. “Not only did we defeat Andrew Cuomo once, we defeated him twice, sending him back to the suburbs, but we got to elect a real, true champion for working families, Zohran Mamdani, and this is a history-making campaign, and we’re excited that he won, and we’re excited to get his agenda to the finish line,” she said. Shortly after the race was called, Mamdani’s team posted a video on X showing subway doors opening with the the conductor saying over the loud speaker: “The next and last stop is city hall.” As the party continued, guests waited for Mamdani to deliver his address. When a live feed briefly cut to Cuomo’s concession speech, the crowd booed loudly. At around 11.30pm, Mamdani walked onstage to applause. Before he even began speaking, the crowd was deafening as it chanted “Zohran, Zohran!” Mamdani thanked his supporters and volunteers in his speech, vowing to fight for all New Yorkers and to make the city more affordable for everyone. “On January 1, I will be sworn in as the mayor of New York City, and that is because of you,” Mamdani said. “Thank you to the next generation of New Yorkers who refused to accept that the promise of a better future was a relic of the past. You showed that when politics speaks to you without condescension, we can usher in a new era of leadership. We can fight for you because we are you.” He continued, to a cheering crowd: “For as long as we can remember, the working people of New York have been told by the wealthy and the well-connected that power does not belong in their hands … And yet over the last 12 months, you have dared to reach for something greater. Tonight, against all odds, we have grasped it. The future is in our hands.” People could be seen hugging, raising fists and waving their phones in the air as he spoke. Mamdani offered one final note about his biggest competitor, Cuomo: “My friends, we have toppled a political dynasty. I wish Andrew Cuomo only the best in private life, but let tonight be the final time I utter his name as we turn the page on the politics that abandons the many and answers only to the few. New York, tonight you have delivered a mandate for change.” As Mamdani listed out his pledges, which included providing universal childcare, fast and free buses, freezing rent hikes for those in rent-stabilized units and more, the crowd responded with even more thunderous applause. In perhaps the most fiery part of his speech, Mamdani called out Donald Trump by name to declare that he is ready to face the president head-on as New York’s mayor-elect. “So, if there is any way to terrify a despot, it is by dismantling the very conditions that allowed him to accumulate power. This is not only how we stop Trump, it’s how we stop the next one. So, Donald Trump, since I know you’re watching, I have four words for you: turn the volume up,” he said, the crowd exploded again, cheering with approval. The first prospective millennial mayor of New York City ended his speech on a softer note, by putting his hand on his heart and thanking everyone in the room around him. “This power is yours,” he told the crowd, before being joined by his parents and wife. “The city belongs to you.”