Mamdani sweeps the New York elections with a promise of change against Trump

SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT TO NEW YORK"This city belongs to him," Zohran Mamdani proclaimed triumphantly after securing a landslide victory in the New York City mayoral election. The left-wing Democrat, who waged a blistering campaign against the party establishment, has become the mayor of the world's financial capital. With 91 percent of the vote counted, Mamdani garnered 50.4 percent, far ahead of his main rival, former Democratic Governor and independent candidate Andrew Cuomo, who, despite having Trump's endorsement, failed to surpass 41.6 percent. Turnout was historically high, with the Democrat receiving over a million votes, more than all the other candidates combined.

In his victory speech in Brooklyn, the democratic socialist addressed Trump directly and vowed to counter the president's divisive policies from City Hall: "Donald Trump, I know you're watching. I have three words for you: Turn up the volume." The Republican has simply sent a defiant message to his network, Truth Social: "AND SO IT ALL BEGINS."

The polls had closed forty minutes ago, and the vote count was being projected on the screens in Room 9 Bob Note in Brooklyn, where the Democratic Socialists (DSA) had set up one of the parties to follow election night. Many held their beers or mixed drinks in one hand while refreshing the vote count page with the other. Suddenly, a young man started shouting "He's won, he's won!" while euphorically showing the live page of the New York TimesThen the loudspeakers announced the victory. Shouts and more shouts and lots of hugs, like a New Year's Eve party.

The song Don't stop believingJourney's song has started playing to celebrate the victory of the unlikely candidate who has turned the preposition despite On his mark. Despite being an unknown a year ago, despite being a socialist in the financial capital of the world, despite being Muslim, despite his lack of experience, at 34 years old Mamdani becomes one of the youngest mayors which has had the most populous city in the United States in over a century.

A feeling of relief

Beyond the euphoria, there's a palpable sense of relief: there's still hope after the presidential debacle and nine months of Donald Trump in power. "My God, it feels like nine years," says Peter, one of the 100,000 volunteers who have been canvassing the streets of New York to spread the Democrat's campaign promises to every corner. "What a relief. It was worth it. I can't believe it, all that work for a year. And tomorrow a new chapter begins. And you know what the best part is? Now other Mamdanis will start popping up in other cities and states. We have to keep fighting to stop Trump."

At the DSA party, the feeling was that a movement was beginning that went beyond Mamdani. Carr and Brendann, before the count even started, were already arriving with Zohran's campaign bags, explaining that they had just joined. "Look, I spend $15 on the subscription to New York Times“Why shouldn’t he do it for that?” Brendann jokes. Both are in their late twenties and feel that Mamdani is more than just a politician. “We have to remember that politicians can always fail, but this is a movement, and we have to keep fighting once he wins. His becoming mayor isn’t the end, it’s the beginning. And we know that those at the top, and especially Trump, won’t make it easy for him.”

The historic turnout—more than two million people went to the polls—far surpasses the 2001 mayoral election and further reinforces Mamdani’s meteoric rise, especially among his base. The anticipation was not in vain: the contest between Mamdani, Cuomo, and Republican Curtis Silwa promised an outcome that could redefine the city’s power structures.

Mamdani's result, and the large turnout in New York, also underscores the magnitude of the earthquake that He has been shaking up the Democratic Party establishment for months. The city elections, as well as the state elections in Virginia and New Jersey (where Democratic candidates for governor also won), highlight the two possible courses of action to follow in the lead-up to the 2026 legislative elections. They also read as a small referendum on Trump's first nine monthswho had already threatened, on the eve of the election, to cut off federal funding to New York if Mamdani won. On Tuesday morning, Mamdani responded to the Republican: "I will treat his words as they deserve to be treated, because they are the words of a president who do not necessarily represent the law of the land."

The young candidate, whose social media campaign has revolutionized political communication, has echoed the analysis of independent Senator Bernie Sanders regarding Kamala Harris's defeat in 2024. "It shouldn't surprise us too much that a Democratic Party that has abandoned the working class discovers that ...

The result has been that many of their voters They said throughout the day that they felt excited and hopeful about their candidate again. That someone was listening to their problems. Now, since Mamdani won the party primaries, he hasn't just spoken to his potential voters, but has also sought to meet with all those who disagree with him or who detest him. In a city with a large Jewish community, Mamdani's rivals had labeled him anti-Semitic for his pro-Palestinian stance, but neither that false accusation nor all the money invested by real estate tycoons has been able to stop him.