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Zohran Mamdani<\/strong><\/a>, the 34-year-old democratic socialist who went from near obscurity<\/a> to a stunning win in the New York City mayoral Democratic primary<\/a> over former governor Andrew Cuomo<\/strong>, has done it again: Mamdani was voted in as New York City\u2019s new mayor on Tuesday.<\/p>\n The win was projected by both the Associated Press and NBC less than an hour after polls in the city closed. Mamdani spoke before a packed victory party shortly after 11 p.m. \u201cThank you to the next generation of New Yorkers who refused to accept that the promise of a better future was a relic of the past,” Mamdani said. He also acknowledged his opponents, namely Cuomo. \u201cI wish Andrew Cuomo only the best in private life, and let tonight be the final time I utter his name,\u201d Mamdani said. And he used the stage to speak directly to the president. “Donald Trump<\/strong>, since I know you\u2019re watching, I\u2019ve got four words for you: turn the volume up,\u201d Mamdani said to raucous applause.<\/p>\n By Election Day, all eyes were on the race in America\u2019s most populous city as an electoral proxy for Donald Trump\u2019s second stint in the White House. There was Mamdani, the upstart, a Ugandan-born political organizer turned state assemblyman representing the Astoria neighborhood in Queens since 2021, the anointed Democratic candidate. Republican Curtis Sliwa<\/strong> consistently polled last in the race, though he found a slice of TikTok virality with a subset of Gen Z voters<\/a>. And then there was Cuomo, soundly defeated in the primary but keeping himself on the ticket anyway running as an independent, receiving a last-minute cash infusion of $1.5 million<\/a> from former mayor Mike Bloomberg<\/strong> on Halloween, days before voters headed to the polls.<\/p>\n Incumbent Eric Adams<\/strong>, who has his place in the history books for being the first sitting New York City mayor to be indicted on corruption charges including fraud, bribery, and illegal campaign donations<\/a>, halted his re-election campaign<\/a> and dropped out of the race in late September. (Adams has denied wrongdoing.) Many of his former supporters, a notable segment of whom belong to an ultra-wealthy tax bracket, shifted their allegiances to Cuomo<\/a> after Adams\u2019 defection, and Adams himself endorsed Cuomo in late October<\/a>, despite having called him \u201ca snake and a liar\u201d in September. (Adams shrugged off the comment when asked about it after his endorsement: \u201cBrothers fight,\u201d he said by way of explanation.)<\/p>\n Still, Mamdani didn\u2019t forget, telling Vanity Fair<\/em>‘s James Pogue<\/strong> via text<\/a> in the days following Adams stepping back from the race that he had a message to voters: \u201cI\u2019d say listen to what Eric Adams said: ‘Andrew Cuomo is a liar and a snake.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n