Zohran Mamdani wins New York mayor race; defeats Trump’s favourite Andrew Cuomo

Zohran Mamdani has won the New York City mayoral race, capping a meteoric rise from a little-known state lawmaker to one of the country's most visible Democratic figures.

The 34-year-old will become the first Muslim mayor of the largest city in the United States.

He defeated Democratic former Governor Andrew Cuomo who ran as an independent after losing the nomination to Mamdani in the primary election. Cuomo also had the backing of Republican President Donald Trump.

Mamdani's campaign and subsequent victory may have national implications in terms of the direction for the Democratic Party.

Celebrating the promise of a Mamdani mayoralty

The mood among Mamdani’s supporters at the Brooklyn Paramount remains jubilant - with cheers erupting intermittently even after the race was called some time ago.

For those celebrating here, it marks a satisfying finish to a race that has energized and excited them. 

Inevitably, the conversation will eventually turn to whether Mayor Mamdani will be able to deliver on his ambitious promises. 

But it's a line of discussion that Nicholas Alban, a Mamdani supporter, says he finds irritating. 

"The fact that those are the things he wants and advocates for, tells me enough about him already," Alban said. "Yeah, it's gonna be hard to get them through legislatively, the fact that he's promising them, that signals to the people that he's on our side, that he cares about what's gonna make our lives better."

To him and others here, tonight is about celebrating the promise of a Mamdani mayoralty, but the difficult compromises involved in running the US' biggest city will come soon enough.