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ZOHRAN MAMDANI DELIVERS STUNNING BLOW TO ‘BILLIONAIRE-BACKED STATUS
QUO’ IN NYC  
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Jake Johnson
June 25, 2025
Common Dreams
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_ "The people of New York City proved that a movement powered by
hope, courage, and working people can beat the money of billionaires,"
said one Mamdani supporter. _

Zohran Mamdani speaks to crowd after Tuesday's election victory.,
Photograph: Julius Constantine Motal/The Guardian

 

Democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani prevailed in Tuesday's Democratic
mayoral primary in New York City after running a grassroots campaign
centered on delivering transformative change and lower costs in the
expensive metropolis.

Disgraced former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who was backed
by prominent national Democrats
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deep-pocketed
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PAC funded by billionaires and corporations, conceded defeat after it
became clear that Mamdani's lead was insurmountable. With 93% of the
votes tallied
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Mamdani led Cuomo 43.5% to 36.4%.

Mamdani's primary win, a stunning upset, is expected to become
official after the ranked-choice tally next week. In his victory
speech, Mamdani said
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his campaign and its supporters "made history."

"In the words of Nelson Mandela, 'It always seems impossible until it
is done,'" he added. "My friends, we have done it."

Affordability was a key focus of Mamdani's policy platform
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Democratic state assemblymember calling for an immediate rent freeze
for all of the city's rent-stabilized tenants, the creation of a
network of city-owned grocery stores focused not on profits but on
"keeping prices low," and free childcare.

Mamdani proposed funding those and other priorities with a higher tax
rate on corporations and city residents earning more than $1 million
per year—fueling the backlash his campaign faced from the
ultra-wealthy
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Aru Shiney-Ajay, executive director of the Sunrise Movement—whose
local chapter knocked on over 20,000 doors for the race—said in a
statement that "the people of New York City proved that a movement
powered by hope, courage, and working people can beat the money of
billionaires."

"This is what it looks like to take back power," said Shiney-Ajay.
"Pundits, billionaires, and the political establishment said it
couldn't be done. But this campaign shattered that belief."

Shiney-Ajay, like other progressives, argued that Mamdani's campaign
should serve as a model for the rudderless Democratic Party as it
tries to recover from its devastating loss to President Donald Trump
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Party in last year's election.

"Zohran Mamdani is the future of the Democratic Party," said
Shiney-Ajay. "This kind of campaign and vision is what the party needs
to rebuild trust with young voters and working-class voters, so we can
defeat Trump and his allies."

Joseph Geevarghese, executive director of Our Revolution—a national
progressive advocacy group that endorsed Mamdani—said that the
democratic socialist's win "has shaken the political establishment and
proven that a united grassroots movement can take down even the most
entrenched, powerful forces."

"This race was a showdown between the billionaire-backed status
quo—which poured tens of millions into pro-Cuomo super PACs—and a
new generation ready to crush corporate greed and deliver real results
for working people," said Geevarghese. "The demand for people-powered
change is loud, clear, and unstoppable."

While the winner of New York City's Democratic mayoral primary would
typically be considered the heavy favorite going into the general
election, "this fall's contest promises to be unusually
volatile," _The New York Times_observed
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noting that it will "include Mayor Eric Adams, who is running as an
independent."

Despite conceding defeat in Tuesday's primary, Cuomo left open the
possibility
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running as an independent in November.

Following his win, Mamdani supporters pointed to his broad support and
successful coalition-building
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reasons to be optimistic about his general-election prospects.

"The results make clear that his voting base wasn't limited to young,
college-educated voters most engaged by his campaign," Bhaskar
Sunkara, the president of _The Nation_ and founding editor
of _Jacobin_, wrote
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"Notably, Mamdani succeeded in neighborhoods like Bay Ridge,
Bensonhurst, Dyker Heights, Sunset Park, and Brighton Beach—all
areas that swung rightward in the 2024 presidential election."

"Mamdani has undoubtedly delivered a major victory in America's
largest city," Sunkara added. "But we must be sober about the
challenges ahead. Electoral wins are meaningful only if they translate
into tangible improvements in people's lives, and political momentum
can dissipate quickly if governance falls short. Mamdani faces an
enormous responsibility—not only to his immediate constituency but
also to a broader progressive movement watching closely from across
the country and the world."

_Jake Johnson is a senior editor and staff writer for Common Dreams._

 

* Zohran Mamdani
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