Enthusiastic backers of Democratic mayoral hopeful Zohran Mamdani gathered to celebrate at an election night watch party, their spirits high.

“If any place can demonstrate to a nation let down by Donald Trump how to overcome him, it’s the city from which he emerged. And the most effective way to unsettle a tyrant is to dismantle the very structures that enabled his rise to power,” Mamdani declared to a cheering crowd of supporters.

He added with a pointed address to Trump, “So Donald Trump, since I know you’re tuned in, I have four words for you: turn the volume up.”

Who is Zohran Mamdani?

Under the alias Young Cardamom, he ventured into the world of rap in 2015, influenced by hip-hop group Das Racist, which had two members of Indian origin who played with references and tropes from the subcontinent.

Mamdani will become New York’s first Muslim mayor when he takes office in January 2026. Source: Bloomberg, Getty / Adam Gray

Mamdani’s attempt to break into the competitive world of professional music did not last, with the performer-turned-politician calling himself a second-rate artist.

He was elected in 2018 as an assembly member from Queens, a melting pot of predominantly poor and migrant communities, representing the area in the New York State Assembly.

What are Mamdani’s main policies?

He has promised more rent control, free day care and buses, and city-run neighbourhood grocery stores.

Mamdani’s main rival Andrew Cuomo resigned in disgrace from his position as New York state’s governor four years ago. Source: SIPA USA / Laura Brett

Mamdani is also a long-standing supporter of the Palestinian cause, although his positions on Israel — which he has called an “apartheid regime” while branding the war in Gaza a “genocide” — have drawn the ire of some in the Jewish community.

“He has managed to galvanise support from disaffected voters and others in New York City who are dissatisfied with the status quo and with an establishment that they perceive to be overlooking their needs and policy preferences,” he said.

“He really is a kind of a hybrid of a great 1970s campaign and a great 2025 campaign,” said Lincoln Mitchell, a Columbia University professor.

Democrats sweep major elections across the US

Perhaps the biggest practical boost to Democrats on Tuesday came out of California, where voters gave Democratic politicians the power to redraw the state’s congressional map, expanding a national battle over redistricting that will shape the race for the US House of Representatives.