By Shannon Raneri
On Nov. 4, Zohran Mamdani made history in New York City when he was elected as the first Muslim and South-Asian mayor, as well as the youngest mayor since 1898, The New York Times reported.
Mamdani, who moved from Uganda to New York City at 7 years old, defeated independent Andrew Cuomo and Republican Curtis Sliwa with 1,036,051 votes, compared with Cuomo’s 854,995 and Sliwa’s 146,137, reported The Associated Press.
Throughout his campaign, Mamdani was able to connect with younger voters, one of the key factors that allowed him to secure his election win. CIRCLE, a Tufts University research organization, found that 75% of voters between the ages of 18-29 voted for Mamdani.
Leo Ross, a freshman enrolled in letters and sciences, is a Manhattan native and voted for Mamdani, a democratic socialist.
“I think it showed that people are ready for a new type of leadership, particularly in New York City. I hope he’s able to get a lot of policies done,” Ross said.
Most of Mamdani’s policies involve making New York City more affordable for citizens. Some of those policies include free public bus transportation, rent freezes for those living in places where rent is stabilized and the implementation of city-funded grocery stores.
Regarding finances and income, Mamdani intends to impose a flat tax rate of 2% on those who make more than $1 million per year and wants to raise the city’s minimum wage from $16.50 per hour to $30 per hour by 2030.
Junior government and politics major and UMD College Democrats member Alexander Randle-Johnson hopes that the elected mayor is able to get his policies passed.
“I think [Mamdani’s win] showed that people are ready for a new type of leadership, particularly in New York City,” Randle-Johnson said.
On the same day as the New York City mayoral race, Virginia and New Jersey elected their governors – Abigail Spanberger and Mikie Sherrill, respectively. Both are female Democrats.
Sophomore public policy major Tara Barnes hopes Democrats continue winning elections.
“I feel like the whole country hasn’t been represented in their values, so that will lead to more representation for people,” Barnes said.
Randle-Johnson thinks “it just shows that people are upset and tired of Donald Trump and the current Republican Party…[Democrats are] ready for something more.”
UMD College Republicans did not respond to multiple requests for comment. Mamdani will be sworn into office on Jan. 1, 2026.
Featured image: Millard E. Tydings Hall, home to the Department of Government and Politics. Photo by Miller Rogers-Tetrick