Democratic socialist Mamdani wins NYC mayoral primary with record votes

Democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani clinched a historic, and deeply polarizing, victory by officially receiving the most votes ever recorded in a New York City mayoral primary.

After three rounds, Mamdani received 565,639 votes, surpassing the previous record of 547,901 votes held by David N. Dinkins in 1989, according to updated ranked-choice voting totals released Tuesday by the NYC Board of Elections.

Mamdani celebrated the milestone on X, posting: “With the updated RCV totals just released by the Board of Elections, our campaign has officially earned the most total votes in a primary in New York City history.”

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The far-left Assemblymember from Queens secured 565,639 votes after just three rounds of ranked-choice voting, defeating former Gov. Andrew Cuomo by nearly 13 points, official BOE data confirms. Cuomo finished with 440,655 votes.

Mamdani’s campaign immediately seized on the numbers, touting the result as a “mandate” for progressive policies like a citywide rent freeze, taxpayer-funded childcare, and even “fast and free” public buses.

“This movement made history on election night,” Mamdani said in a statement Tuesday, promising to “fulfill our promises to lower costs and build a city working people can afford.”

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Mamdani, who openly identifies as a Democratic socialist, currently represents Astoria and Long Island City in the New York State Assembly. His two-term record includes pushing for tenant protections, opposing utility rate hikes, and advocating for mass transit subsidies.

Ranked-choice voting was used for only the second time in a NYC mayoral primary. Mamdani secured 56.2% of the vote after three rounds, compared to Cuomo’s 43.8%. 

Mayor Eric Adams needed eight rounds in 2021 to reach a narrow 50.4%.

The leftward political shift in New York City has drawn attention from state and national leaders.

“I had the first of what I consider to be many conversations with the nominee yesterday,” New York Gov. Kathy Hochul told reporters Tuesday, adding that they discussed shared affordability goals as well as concerns from Jewish communities that “feel under siege.” Hochul said Mamdani “understands the need” to engage those constituencies.

When asked about a Truth Social post by President Donald Trump calling Mamdani a “Communist Luncatic” and implying New York could lose funding under a Mamdani administration, Hochul pushed back firmly.

“We’re New Yorkers, we’re not going to be intimidated by threats from Washington, not now, not ever,” she said.

With the general election looming, eyes are now on whether Cuomo or other centrist Democrats will mount independent challenges.

“President Trump supports Eric Adams, and we do not believe socialism is the answer,” Cuomo campaign spokesman Rich Azzopardi told Fox News Digital. “Most New Yorkers are not Trumpers, and most New Yorkers are not socialists — the majority lies in the middle. We will continue to assess the current situation in the best interest of the people of the City of New York.”

The Mamdani campaign did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.