Cnn
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Zohran Mamdani delivered a political earthquake on Tuesday during the Primary Democrat mayor of New York, an amount of progressive requests for change in a city faced with an accessibility crisis on the verge of an astonishing victory.
Democratic voters rejected an icon in the grip of the party’s past scandal, former governor Andrew Cuomo. Instead, they supported a 33 -year -old democratic socialist who energized young voters and progressive with a campaign that could represent the first project of a new manual.
“I’m going to fight for a city that works for you, which is affordable for you, which is safe for you,” said Mamdani in his celebration speech just after midnight.
“We can be free and we can be nourished. We can demand what we deserve,” he said.
The viral style of Mamdani, in its own right, of the campaign, a campaign style could send shock waves through the Democratic Party nationally while its leaders and operators operators are faced with frustrated calls for voters for authenticity and aggressiveness. The Republicans, on the other hand, immediately moved to raise Mamdani, seeing an opportunity to campaign against ideas which they consider unpopular with swing voters on a national scale.
The official result will not be known until at least July 1 on July 1, when New York publishes the initial results of choice. But Mamdani took a clear lead on Tuesday evening, and Cuomo told the supporters he called Mamdani and conceded the primary.
“Tonight is his night. He deserved it. He won,” said Cuomo.
Mamdani’s campaign has had a lot to overcome – universal recognition of Cuomo, massive financial support, the mentions of party leaders and unions – and it acted like that.
Some of his democratic rivals have described his positions as a pie in the sky and impossible to pay. Mamdani, however, sold his ideas as facilitating life in the city in the city, building his campaign around a problem that ranks among the biggest reasons that Democrats lost in the 2024 elections.
He sat on interviews with people who did not agree with him. He has embarked on cross-enders with rivals, encouraging supporters to classify them also on their classified choice ballots. He campaigned aggressively, especially by walking the length of Manhattan on Friday.
“New Yorkers deserve a mayor they can see, hear, even shout. The city is on the streets,” said Mamdani on X.
Dan Pfeiffer, a former high -level assistant by President Barack Obama, said on X that Democrats “had a lot to learn” from Mamdani.
“What is happening in New York is a blatant message to those of the Dem establishment that always hang on to old policy, recite grouped discussion points and are too afraid to say what must be said,” he said.
The Republicans were also delighted with Mamdani’s performance. The campaign arm of the GOP of the Chamber, the National Committee of the Republican Congress, published a press release declaring Mamdani “the new face” of the Democratic Party.
“Each democrat in the vulnerable chamber will have it, and each democrat who presents himself in a primary will fear him,” said NRCC spokesperson Mike Marinella.
Mamdani has faced pro-cuomo forces attacks in primary on what his opponents described as anti-Semitic comments, signaling Mamdani’s strong criticism of Israel and his defense of the expression “globalizing the intifada”.
He also ran on progressive positions – including freezing rents, offering free public transport, launching grocery stores managed by the city and even more – than Republicans are certain to use Democrats as extreme, just as they did with previous progressive proposals such as “Green New Deal”.
It is unlikely that these attacks will help the GOP in the town hall race in New York, where the registered Democrats are more numerous than the Republicans by a margin of about six to one. But New York is home to a number of competitive room seats where the GOP could seek to put Democratic candidates on the defensive on Mamdani’s positions.
It is too early to sort everything that Mamdani’s performance means for the Democratic Party. But he offered an overview of the place where the party is on certain key questions and which inside is influenced with voters.
Mamdani, who would become the first Muslim mayor of the city if he won in November, was a vocal critic of the War of Israel in Gaza and did not decide despite his criticism as anti -Semitic, an accusation which he has denied several times. He defended his opinions in an interview with Stephen Colbert de CBS in which he also recognized the fears that the Jewish people have been confronted since the terrorist attack on October 7 of Hamas in Israel.
“There is no room for violence in this city, in this country, in this world. And what I have also found, for many New Yorkers, is an ability to sail in disagreement,” he told Colbert.
He also demonstrated the influence of New York Progressive Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who approved Mamdani. Other Democratic leaders in New York, including Governor Kathy Hochul and his two senators, Kirsten Gillibrand and Chuck Schumer, remained publicly neutral.
The results also exposed the ineffectiveness of Cuomo’s effort – supported by the democratic forces of the establishment which covered television waves but could not match the wave of organic land of a state assembly which began the race with little public profile.
“The billionaires and lobbyists have paid millions against you and our public financing system,” said Ocasio-Cortez about Mamdani on X. “And you won.”
Cuomo wanted a second act.
The 67 -year -old Scion of one of the most eminent political families in New York, was forced to leave the Governor’s office in 2021 in the middle of a cloud of scandal – faced with allegations of sexual harassment he denied and a report that his administration had covered the deaths of nursing homes during the coronavirus pandemic.
The governor and the two state senators stayed on the sidelines. But Cuomo’s campaign was supported by many Democrats and New York groups, including unions and elected officials who criticized him four years ago, but – seeing his advance in the ballot box – published Devable -Savre declarations this year.
Although the classified voting bulletins must be counted next week, Cuomo recognized the reality he faced on stage on Tuesday, telling the supporters he had called and congratulated Mamdani.
“Tonight, the evening of the Mamdani Assembly, and he led a big campaign. And he touched young people, inspired them, and moved them, and I led them to go out and vote. And he really launched a very impactful campaign. I called him, I congratulated him. I sincerely applaud him for his efforts, and I gave him a series of applause and to thank him for his campaign, “said Cuomo.
His former political rivals, on the other hand, have sworn Cuomo’s apparent failure.
“Zohran has led a positive campaign speaking of affordability. Cuomo led a very negative campaign based on fear. It made a huge difference,” said former Bill de Blasio mayor on CNN.
In the city of New York massively democratic, a victorious Mamdani would normally become the first leader of the general elections of November. But it rather faces a competitive race with very different contours.
The first mandate mayor, Eric Adams, who was elected democrat four years ago, seeks a re -election as an independence.
The break of Adams with the party came when he faced the reaction after the Ministry of Justice of President Donald Trump abandoned his corruption accusations against Adams, and Adams cooperated with the federal authorities to enforce Trump’s mass deportation efforts.
“What NYC deserves is a mayor who is proud to run on his record – not the one who took over his album, or the one who has no record,” published Adams on X Tuesday evening. “We deserve a mayor who will continue to drive on crime, will support our police, fight anti-Semitism and defend New Yorkers from the working class.”
The republican Curtis Sliwa has not been opposed to the primary and will be the candidate of the GOP.
And neither Cuomo nor Mamdani had excluded the possibility of running in November on the line of voting from another party if they lost the Democratic competition – Cuomo as candidate of the newly created combat and delivery group, or Mamdani as a candidate of the working party party.