Zohran Mamdani wins New York City mayoral race
Zohran Mamdani will be the 111th mayor of New York City, defeating former governor Andrew Cuomo and Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa and making history as the city’s first Muslim mayor and, at 34, its youngest in more than a century.
His victory marks a stunning rise for from little-known state lawmaker to leader of the nation’s biggest city. Mamdani has held a steady lead in the race since he pulled of a shock upset over Cuomo, the former three-term governor, in June’s Democratic primary.
Current mayor Eric Adams, who had campaigned for a second term as an independent, dropped out of the race in September.
Key events
Republican mayoral candidate Sliwa concedes to Mamdani in fiery speech
Jenna Amatulli
Republican candidate and founder of the Guardian Angels Curtis Sliwa conceded the race on Tuesday night with an impassioned speech.
“We’re not only organizing, but we are mobilizing and we will become the mayor-elect and his supporters’ worst enemies,” said Sliwa, who added to a crowd of supporters that “some of the most powerful people in the world” mobilized against his candidacy.
Donald Trump most notably urged Sliwa voters to support Cuomo earlier this week.
Anna Betts
at Zohran Mamdani’s watch party in Brooklyn
Mamdani supporter Soaptarshi Paul said that he feels “ecstatic” after the results were announced just after 9;30pm ET. He said he has been volunteering for the campaign, and feels “reassured” by the results.
“On this day, I feel reassured and really, really, I feel a real sense of community and a real sense of reward for all the hard work” he said.
Republicans are already seizing on Mamdani’s win in New York to cast the Democratic party too extreme for Americans.
“Democrats in New York City have chosen a true extremist and Marxist, and the consequences will be felt across our entire nation,” House Speaker Mike Johnson said in a statement on Tuesday night. “Zohran Mamdani’s election cements the Democrat party’s transformation to a radical, big-government socialist party.”
But Tuesday’s election results don’t fall neatly along ideological lines. Sherrill and Spanberger also ran campaigns centered on affordability and lowering costs, but presented themselves as far more moderate in their states where Republicans have made inroads.
In a statement, DNC chair Ken Martin praised Mamdani’s campaign for being “laser-focused on what matters most to working families in New York: lowering costs, expanding access to affordable childcare, and making it easier for families to make ends meet”.
He added: “Mayor-elect Mamdani’s campaign illustrated the power of a big-tent party that focuses relentlessly on lifting up all working people.”
Anna Betts
at Zohran Mamdani’s watch party in Brooklyn
The crowd at Brooklyn Paramount erupted as news broke in screens within the venue that Mamdani had won.
People are cheering and hugging each other at the news. Just moments before the announcement came, Brad Lander, New York City’s comptroller, told the Guardian that he was feeling confident. He cheered as the results came on the stage.
Jumaane Williams, the New York City public advocate, actor Cynthia Nixon, and other notable faces began to mill about the room.
Zohran Mamdani wins New York City mayoral race
Zohran Mamdani will be the 111th mayor of New York City, defeating former governor Andrew Cuomo and Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa and making history as the city’s first Muslim mayor and, at 34, its youngest in more than a century.
His victory marks a stunning rise for from little-known state lawmaker to leader of the nation’s biggest city. Mamdani has held a steady lead in the race since he pulled of a shock upset over Cuomo, the former three-term governor, in June’s Democratic primary.
Current mayor Eric Adams, who had campaigned for a second term as an independent, dropped out of the race in September.
Anna Betts
at Zohran Mamdani’s watch party in Brooklyn
Supporter Ira Pollock is at the Mamdani event. He told the Guardian that he has canvassed for Mamdani’s campaign, and said that he is “feeling really good”.
“This is a big event” he said. “The whole thing is bigger than I expected. I’m a member of [the] DSA. And so when the question was should we run a mayoral campaign with Zoran, it was: I did not expect it to become so big.”
In the background, the DJ is playing Black Eyed Peas in the main room.
In a short post on X, Sherrill thanked voters for making her the next governor of New Jersey.
New Jersey, it is the honor of my life to earn your trust to become this great state’s 57th Governor.
I promise to listen, lead with courage, and never forget who I serve. pic.twitter.com/gipM0fWnqF
— Mikie Sherrill (@MikieSherrill) November 5, 2025
Anna Betts
at Zohran Mamdani’s watch party in Brooklyn
Hundreds of supporters are at Zohran Mamdani’s watch party at the Brooklyn Paramount. Many are wearing Mamdani campaign merchandise, and the DJ is playing dance music for the crowd. Drinks are flowing and the mood is definitely jubilant and hopeful.
One supporter, Ibrahim Ahmed, 45, who has volunteered for the campaign, said that he was motivated to volunteer for Mamdani’s campaign because he believes that Mamdani “speaks the language that New York wants to hear right now”.
“I’m feeling positive tonight” Ahmed, who has lived in New York City for 30 years, said.
Another attender, Shruti Ganguly, said that she has known Mamdani since he was 12. “It’s electric. We feel hopeful” she said.
Another Mamdani supporter, James Davis, whose labor union supported Mamdani, told the Guardian that he feels “hopeful” and “confident” tonight.
“We’ve been out on the streets, we’ve been knocking on doors, talking to our neighbors,” he said.
Mikie Sherrill wins New Jersey governor’s race
Democratic representative Mikie Sherrill wins New Jersey governor’s race, according to the Associated Press.
Sherrill’s victory over Republican Jack Ciattarelli, a businessman and former state lawmaker ensures the state’s highest office will remain in Democratic hands after Trump helped his party make significant inroads in the state.
Jake Wasserman
The energy for Mikie Sherrill is high after Abigail Spanberger was declared the victor in the Virginia governor’s race.
“It won’t be long now,” Senator Cory Booker joyfully proclaimed to the crowd in the East Brunswick Hilton ballroom as results poured in. “New Jersey has come together and tonight the whole nation will hear us roar.”
Mikie Sherrill’s campaign vice-chair Patricia Campos-Medina declared that “We are the firewall against Donald Trump,” praising the New Jersey’s diverse immigrant communities that turned out for the Democratic Party.
Attacks against New Jersey by the Trump administration are top of mind for speakers – on Snap, on healthcare, and on the Gateway Tunnel project. Upon display of CNN’s coverage of the first results for the mayoral election in New York City, the crowd did not cheer.
Virginians are making history tonight.
NBC News projects that Ghazala Hashmi has prevailed in the state’s lieutenant governor’s race, becoming the first Muslim American woman elected to statewide office in the US.
Hashmi, a Democrat, flipped the seat currently held by Republican Winsome Earle-Sears, who lost her bid for the governorship to Abigail Spanberger.
Spanberger is the first woman to be elected governor in Virginia.
Read more about Hashmi here.
Polls close in New York City
Polls have officially closed in the high-stakes and closely-watched race to be the next mayor of New York.
Turnout was high. The New York City board of elections is reporting that New Yorkers have cast more than 2m ballots for the first time in more than a half-century.
📢We officially hit TWO MILLION votes – first time since 1969! 🗳️🗳️
Polls are open until 9pm.
If you are on line by 9pm, you will be allowed to vote pic.twitter.com/oHcSBl9RgH— NYC Board of Elections (@BOENYC) November 5, 2025
Anna Betts
reporting from Zohran Mamdani’s election night party at the Brooklyn Paramount:
Mamdani supporters were set to start arriving at the venue from 9pm ET. Right now, there are hundreds of members of the press gathered at the Brooklyn Paramount theatre in Brooklyn.
Twitch streamer Hasan Piker has arrived and is speaking with members of the press.
Saam Niami reporting from Little Bangladesh in Queens:
In Jackson Heights, one of New York’s most diverse neighborhoods, locals bought from vendors and headed home from the polls on Tuesday evening.
Erbab Hussein, 58, a retiree from Astoria, said of Mamdani: “I don’t know what’s in his mind – I know he likes biryani. But when you put him up against Cuomo and Sliwa, I think Mamdani is the best. This is a city of change and I think his ideas are a little better off for a city that needs change.”
Hussein also referenced the sexual harassment allegations against Andrew Cuomo, which Cuomo has denied. “I think he’s learned his lesson: you can’t compromise on family values here in New York,” Hussein said. “And Trump is trying to say [Mamdani] is a communist – come on! He’s a socialist, not a communist.”
His friend Zubair, a 58-year-old fire safety director from Queens, chimed in: “He’s a very positive person. I think he’ll be our next mayor and I hope he has a very positive impact on the city.”
