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By Khaleda Rahman
National Correspondent
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Zohran Mamdani's win in New York City's Democratic mayoral primary is more than just a stunning political upset.
A self-described democratic socialist who ran on taxing the rich and making the city affordable, Mamdani defeated disgraced former governor Andrew Cuomo, a well-funded, familiar and powerful figure backed by billionaire donors and establishment Democrats alike.
Mamdani took such a commanding lead over Cuomo on Tuesday that the former governor, who was seeking a comeback after resigning in disgrace over a sexual harassment scandal, conceded the race early. The ultimate outcome may not be known for days due to the city's ranked choice voting system.
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He will now face off against incumbent mayor Eric Adams, who is running as an independent in November's election—and Cuomo could still reenter the race.
Still, Mamdani, a progressive upstart with a history of pro-Palestinian activism, is on course to become the first Muslim mayor of the nation's largest city.
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His victory is sure to reverberate through the Democratic Party at a time when it remains ideologically divided about its future after losing the White House in November.
"Even though it's a Democratic primary in New York City, with a very progressive base and an even more progressive primary electorate, I'm still struck by how far left Democrats seem willing to go at the ballot box," Grant Davis Reeher, a professor of political science at Syracuse University, told Newsweek.
"If this is where the energy of the party is, it leaves me questioning how Democrats will re-establish dominance at the national level. I would expect Democrats to retake the House in 2026, almost as an automatic, but this result suggests a real question for the presidential election cycle in 2028."
Costas Panagopoulos, a professor of political science at Northeastern University, told Newsweek that Mamdani's victory "shows just how influential voters at the outer edges of the ideological spectrum are in contemporary American primary elections."
He added that while the mayoral race is far from over, progressives "have made their voices heard in New York City, reminding everyone it can be perilous to overlook or dismiss these voters too easily."
Mamdani's triumph is "a confirmation that progressive politics, when pursued with discipline, vision and vigor, can resonate broadly – even in a city known for its entrenched power structures," said Bhaskar Sunkara, president of progressive politics magazine The Nation, in an opinion piece for The Guardian.
National Democrats will also likely look to Mamdani's winning strategy as they try to win back younger voters who abandoned them in November's election.
Pollster Nate Silver wrote in a post on his Silver Bulletin website that it shows how the "aging Democratic establishment should probably be put out to pasture."
He wrote: "If you want to inspire younger voters, nominate younger candidates. Mamdani, at age 33, is literally half Cuomo's age: the former governor is 67."
Mamdani "thoroughly earned the win, and Cuomo and the Democratic establishment thoroughly earned the loss," Silver added. "And even if they finally take the hint, generational turnover in the Democratic Party is coming whether they like it or not."
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David Hogg, who has clashed with Democratic National Committee leadership over his plan to raise money for young progressive candidates challenging Democratic incumbents, said on X that Mamdani's campaign "constantly grows in size in person and virtually bc people believe the message so much this share it for free and get others to join in. People want something to believe in & for many Zohran was the first Democrat who gave them that, post 2024."
His victory shows "what can happen when a candidate runs on a platform filled with policy proposals to improve the lives of voters in tangible ways," Jonathan Nagler, a professor in the Department of Politics at New York University, told Newsweek.
His platform focused on freezing rent, building affordable housing, free buses, free child care, a higher minimum wage and more, mostly paid for by new taxes on the rich.
Pablo O'Hana, a political advisor and campaign strategist who worked on former vice president Kamala Harris' failed presidential campaign last year, said Mamdani's win "is proof" that progressive ideas can win elections.
Mamdani "speaks the language of renters, immigrants and low-income workers – not in abstract policy terms, but with urgency and clarity," O'Hana wrote in an opinion piece for The Independent newspaper.
"Voters can understand how something as basic as free buses or a rent-freeze will provide a direct benefit to them," Nagler said.
He added that Mamdani's win "could motivate the Democratic Party to campaign more on core economic issues. But they will have to decide whether to campaign on issues that are basic economic transfers or subsidies (such as free buses) or issues that involve heavier-handed regulation (such as rent-freezes)."
But Thomas Gift, the director of the Centre on U.S. Politics at University College London, said Mamdani's victory could prove to be short-lived.
"Mamdani's politics resonate with a relatively narrow segment of Democratic elites, which may be enough to win a New York City primary but is likely to face stiffer competition in a general election," he told Newsweek. "Self-styled socialists always have a ceiling of support."
Gift added that Mamdani was also "fortunate to face a scandal-plagued primary challenger whom many New Yorkers were eager to cast aside—yet again."
Mamdani's success also came despite his defiant stance against Israel, which led to accusations of antisemitism that he refuted.
"In a city with more Jewish residents than Tel Aviv, this would typically be politically suicidal," O'Hana wrote. "But Mamdani has made a sharp distinction between opposing Israeli government policy and antisemitism – a feat that seems to have eluded practically every left-wing politician on the planet."
Margaret DeReus, the executive director of the nonprofit IMEU Policy Project, said in a statement to Newsweek that not only did Mamdani "run a progressive campaign to lift up working-class New Yorkers of every race and in every borough, he stood up for Palestinian rights despite relentless attacks.
"He understands that voters want to see their tax dollars go toward making housing, transportation, healthcare, and education affordable — not sending weapons for Israel to kill Palestinians. This is a winning message for Democrats—in New York City and around the country."
Update 6/26/25, 4 a.m ET: This article has been update to add additional comments.
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