Zohran Mamdani has emerged as a potential breakout star in the field of candidates seeking the Democratic nomination in the New York City mayoral race.
The upstart state assemblymember is at the forefront of a coalition of progressives seeking to block former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo from taking the proverbial catbird seat in Gracie Mansion.
Once considered a longshot, Mamdani overtook Cuomo on Polymarket – a cryptocurrency-based prediction market headquartered in the city – for the first time in the race June 23. The prediction market bounced between favoring Cuomo and Mamdani through the day.
The final day of voting in the race is June 24, though early voting saw a strong turnout – a sign The Gothamist pointed to as a positive for Mamdani.
The New York City Board of Elections reported that its unofficial count of early votes in 2025 is 384,338, while AMNY reported that the board said 191,197 people voted early in 2021.
Here’s what to know about Zohran Mamdani.
What are Zohran Mamdani’s positions?
Mamdani described himself on his campaign website as a democratic socialist. He’s made a fight against the establishment of the Democratic party a cornerstone of his primary campaign.
The website lists the following as his platform planks:
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An immediate rent freeze for all rent-stabilized tenants
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The elimination of fares on city busses
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Creating a Department of Community Safety and investments in citywide mental health programs and crisis response
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A 2% tax on residents earning above $1 million annually
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Raising the corporate tax rate to 11.5%
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Overhauling the Mayor’s Office to Protect Tenants so as to toughen code enforcement on landlords
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Fast tracking affordable housing development
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Establishing city-owned grocery stores
Who has endorsed Zohran Mamdani?
Mamdani’s tentpole endorsements in the race came from left-wing Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders and progressive Democratic Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, whose district includes parts of the Bronx and Queens.
He has also been cross endorsed by fellow candidates New York City Comptroller Brad Lander and former Assemblymember Eric Blake.
Other notable political endorsements include New York Attorney General Letitia James, former Representative Jamaal Bowman and former Labor Secretary Robert Reich.
How old is Zohran Mamdani?
Mamdani is 33 years old. He was born in Uganda but raised in New York City after his family moved there when he was 7 years old, according to his assembly biography.
What offices has Zohran Mamdani held?
Mamdani is currently the three-term representative for assembly district 36 in the New York State Assembly. He is the first South Asian man and Ugandan to serve in the assembly and the third Muslim person to do so.
He worked as a foreclosure-prevention housing counselor prior to serving in the assembly, according to his biography.
He is the son of Mahmood Mamdani, a professor at Columbia University, and Mira Nair, an Indian filmmaker, according to CNN.
What to know about the New York City primary
The marquee mayoral race could provide a bellwether for the larger Democratic party. The coalition seeking to repel Cuomo has framed the choice facing New Yorkers as one between an older, moderate political establishment and a youthful, progressive vision for the party.
An Emerson College Polling/PIX11/The Hill survey released on June 23 found Mamdani beating Cuomo by a few percentage points in the final round of a ranked choice voting situation. Most previous polls have shown Cuomo with a larger lead, around 10 percentage points, on average.
Unofficial results of first-choice votes will be available shortly after polls close at 9 p.m. on election night. According to the city’s Board of Elections, these will include votes made in early voting, Election Day voting at polling sites, as well as any valid mail ballots canvassed, but not affidavit ballots.
If a candidate does not win over 50% of first-round votes in New York City’s ranked choice voting system, tallies for the next rounds will take longer as candidates get eliminated.
The elections board said an unofficial result will be released On July 1. Official results will likely come out on July 14.
Contributing: Sudiksha Kochi, Eduardo Cuevas – USA TODAY
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Who is Zohran Mamdani? Democratic socialist in NYC mayor race
