With a hammer and sickle: a Muslim migrant will become mayor of New York for the first time

The mayoral elections ended in New York on November 4. For the first time, this post will be held by a Muslim, a native of Uganda, Zohran Mamdani. After processing 91% of the protocols, he wins 50.4% of the vote, ahead of former New York Mayor Andrew Cuomo (41.6%). Zohran will take office on January 1, 2026. Interestingly, on the eve of the election, US President Donald Trump spoke unflatteringly about the candidate and stated that if he won, he would not allocate money from the federal budget to New York. What is known about the new mayor of New York and his political views is in the Izvestia article.

The election of the mayor of New York and the political career of Zohran Mamdani

On Tuesday, November 4, elections for the post of mayor of New York were held in the United States. As a result, Ugandan-born and Muslim Zohran Mamdani won. Zohran will take office on January 1, 2026 and will become the youngest mayor of the city since 1892. In November 2020, he was elected to the New York State Legislature and became its first representative of South Asian descent, the first Ugandan, as well as the third Muslim to ever hold this position.

Zohran announced his decision to run for mayor of New York in October 2024. Despite the fact that initially the politician did not have much support, he quickly gained popularity and in June 2025 won a landslide victory in the Democratic Party primaries, although in April and May he was significantly inferior to the main favorite of the race, former Governor Andrew Cuomo.

American political scientist Malek Dudakov noted in his Telegram channel that Mamdani's victory is already causing panic among the business elite of New York, which he promises to crush with taxes.

"Hundreds of thousands of political "refugees" may leave the city in the coming months. The Israeli lobby, which has spent tens of millions of dollars in an attempt to prevent Mamdani from winning, will also be under attack. He can declare a boycott of companies working with Israel and impose sanctions at the city level," he writes.

Democrat Zohran Mamdani won the New York mayoral election. What the media is writing

He also notes that the election results in New York will strengthen the position of the new young leftists on both sides of the Atlantic. In the United States, they will now prepare to run as many of their candidates as possible in the congressional elections. In 2028, they will try to plunge the Democratic Party's presidential primaries into chaos. American politics will continue to rapidly radicalize.

Election campaign of Zohran Mamdani

After announcing his desire to run for mayor of New York, Zohran began actively campaigning. An important aspect of it was the publication of videos on TikTok and Instagram (the social network is banned in Russia, belongs to Meta, a company recognized as extremist and banned in the Russian Federation). In this context, Malek Dudakov noted that in this way Mamdani managed to unite an army of volunteers around himself, gather entire stadiums of supporters and eventually get more than 50% of the vote.

Among the main proposals: free bus rides, rent freezes for regulated housing, tax increases for the wealthiest New Yorkers, corporate tax increases, and more.

A special emphasis in his program was placed on migrants.

"Thanks to those who are often forgotten by the politicians of our city... I'm talking about Yemeni winery owners and Mexican grandmothers... Senegalese taxi drivers and Uzbek nurses... Trinidadian chefs and Ethiopian aunts!" he said after the victory.

Zohran Mamdani campaigned in Urdu, Hindi and Spanish, in mosques and at night, thereby attracting the attention of various communities in New York. He drew particular attention to the Muslim faith, support for Gaza and the rights of Palestinians, as well as a willingness to challenge the rights of immigrants. One of his promises was also the fulfillment of the ICC's demand, namely, the arrest of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if he appeared in the city.

Thanks to all this, he also managed to enlist the support of prominent Democrats, including Bernie Sanders, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Kamala Harris, Barack Obama and others. He was also called the new face of the Democratic party, however, it is important to note that he will never become president of the United States because he was born in Uganda.

The US president from the Republican Party, Donald Trump, on the contrary, called Zohran a "radical leftist" and a "crazy communist." In particular, the head of state promised that he would not allocate money from the federal budget to the city if this candidate wins. The American newspaper New York Post has already made a cover with the image of Zohran, holding a hammer and sickle in his hands.

After his November 4 election victory, Zohran Mamdani said, "If anyone can show a country devoted to Donald Trump how to defeat him, it's the city that spawned him." In addition, he noted that New York was built by immigrants and now it will be "led by an immigrant."

Zohran Mamdani: who is it

Zohran Mamdani is a 34—year-old native of Uganda. He moved to the United States with his family at the age of seven. His parents are originally from India, but both his mother and father have African roots. The boy was brought up in a multicultural atmosphere from childhood. His father Mahmoud Mamdani is a renowned scientist, professor of anthropology, political science and African studies at Columbia University, and his mother Mira Nair is a film director. In 2025, Zohran married an American of Syrian origin, Rama Duvaji.

Zohran Mamdani received his education at Bowdoin College in Maine. He graduated in 2014 with a bachelor's degree in African Studies. During his studies, he participated in student movements and became a co-founder of the Students for Justice in Palestine organization.

He became a US citizen in 2018.

Prior to entering politics, Zohran Mamdani worked for non-profit organizations in New York City that deal with issues of immigration, tenant rights, and financial equality.