Zohran Mamdani has won New York City’s Democratic mayoral primary, a new vote count confirmed on Tuesday, cementing his stunning upset of former Governor Andrew Cuomo and sending him to the general election.
Results of the city's ranked choice voting tabulation were released on Tuesday and showed Mamdani trouncing Cuomo by 12 percentage points.
In a statement, Mamdani said he was humbled by the support he received in the primary and started turning his attention to the general election.
"Last Tuesday, Democrats spoke in a clear voice, delivering a mandate for an affordable city, a politics of the future, and a leader unafraid to fight back against rising authoritarianism," he said.
"I am humbled by the support of more than 545,000 New Yorkers who voted for our campaign and am excited to expand this coalition even further as we defeat Eric Adams and win a city government that puts working people first."
'People in New York are crazy'
US President Donald Trump, meanwhile continued his attacks on the New York City mayoral candidate as a "total nut job."
"Frankly, I've heard he's a total nut job," Trump told reporters.
"I think the people in New York are crazy because they go this route. I think they're crazy. We will have a communist in the… for the first time, really a pure, true communist. He wants to operate the grocery stores. The department stores. What about the people that are there? I think it's crazy."
The Democratic nominee has been a vocal supporter of Palestine and a critic of Israel.
He co-founded the Bowdoin College chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine, and in 2023, he joined a hunger strike outside the White House demanding end to Israeli genocide in Gaza.
Mamdani, a self-identified democratic socialist, told NBC News on Sunday that mayors should not "police speech" when he was asked to condemn the "Globalise the intifada" phrase.
In the same interview he said doesn't believe billionaires should exist, "because, frankly, it is so much money in a moment of such inequality, and ultimately, what we need more of is equality across our city and across our state and across our country."
On Tuesday, Trump repeated his false claim that Mamdani is a "communist."
"I think he's terrible. He's a communist. The last thing we need is a communist. I said there will never be socialism in the United States,” he said. “I think he's bad news and I think I'm going to have a lot of fun with him, watching him, because he has to come right to this building to get his money. Don't worry, he's not going to run away with anything.”
Speaking at a roundtable on immigration policy in the state of Florida, Trump was asked about his message to Mamdani, who recently pledged to block Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrests, and defy Trump’s deportation plans.
"Well, then we'll have to arrest him," said Trump.
"We don't need a communist in this country, but if we have one, I'm going to be watching over him very carefully on behalf of the nation," he added.
General election
Mamdani, who declared victory the night of the June 24 primary, will face a general election field that includes incumbent Mayor Eric Adams as well as independent candidate Jim Walden and Republican Curtis Sliwa.
Cuomo conceded defeat just hours after the polls closed last week but is contemplating whether to run in the general election on an independent ballot line.
After the release of Tuesday's vote count, Cuomo spokesperson Rich Azzopardi said "We’ll be continuing conversations with people from all across the city while determining next steps."
"Extremism, division and empty promises are not the answer to this city’s problems, and while this was a look at what motivates a slice of our primary electorate, it does not represent the majority," Azzopardi said.
"The financial instability of our families is the priority here, which is why actionable solutions, results and outcomes matter so much."
