BROOKLYN, NEW YORK — The crowd erupted inside the Paramount music venue a little after 9:30 p.m on Tuesday night as the New York City mayoral race was called for Zohran Mamdani, capping an electrifying run by a 34-year-old state assemblyman who emerged out of nowhere to lead the nation’s biggest city.
When Mamdani later took the stage, the applause was thunderous. “The future is in our hands,” he declared. “My friends, we have toppled a political dynasty. New York, tonight, you have delivered a mandate for change, a mandate for a new kind of politics, a mandate for a city we can afford and a mandate for a government that delivers exactly that.”
It’s an historic victory, electing the first Muslim mayor in New York City and the youngest in more than a century. Mamdani propelled himself into the political conversation through a savvy social media strategy and old-school campaigning, while hammering home a consistent message on affordability with a pledge to freeze rent-stabilized apartments, provide free childcare and offer fast and free buses.
His rapid ascent drew global attention and may offer a playbook for how Democrats can re-energize a base that has been largely deflated by the losses of the 2024 election. More than 2 million New Yorkers voted in this mayoral election, the most in decades.
One key to his victory has been the consistency of his messaging. On Tuesday night, he reiterated those campaign pledges and promised the “most ambitious” agenda to “tackle the cost of living crisis.” Mamdani didn’t mince words, either, knowing he was reaching a national audience. “Donald Trump, since I know you’re watching, turn the volume up,” he said.
The city’s first Muslim and South Asian elected mayor spoke of how immigrants have been critical to the life of the city, and how an immigrant will now be running it.
The Paramount, a majestic 1920s theater that reopened last year after a stunning restoration and has emerged as one of the borough’s top destinations for live music, was a fitting venue for Mamdani’s victory party. The mood was jubilant, as DJs kept the crowd moving with hits like “Waiting for Tonight” and “Not Like Us.” People swayed, took group selfies and knocked back tall cans of Modelo. In other words, just like a typical concert at the Paramount.
The hipness factor seemed appropriate for a young Democratic Socialist who just ousted a three-time governor, Andrew Cuomo, and who has managed to both rankle the Democratic establishment and antagonize Republicans in the process.
Another progressive star, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, made her way through the crowd before Mamdani’s speech, mobbed by reporters and supporters, while Brad Lander, a former candidate who endorsed Mamdani in the Democratic primary and became an enthusiastic backer, donned a shirt reading, “Good Fucking Riddance.” The loudest boos came when NY1 flashed a White House tweet appropriating the Knicks logo with the words, “Trump Is Your President.”
Major national outlets, like CNN, and local channels, such as Pix11, were broadcasting from the election night party, along with voices on the left, including Drop Site News’ Ryan Grim and Democracy Now!’s Amy Goodman. Also in attendance was Hasan Piker, the YouTube and Twitch star who was thrust into the race as Cuomo tried linking his rival to the provocative left-wing commentator.
Piker, surrounded by journalists, described Cuomo as essentially “demanding that he be mayor, demanding that he be ordained as mayor, instead of making a positive statement of what … it would look like if he was mayor of New York. It was all negative.”
In his speech, Mamdani wished “Andrew Cuomo only the best in private life,” and said he planned to not mention his rival’s name again.
“I have one final request,” he said. “New York City, breathe this moment in. We have held our breath for longer than we know.”
