The Associated Press called Zohran Mamdani’s victory at 9:35 p.m. on Nov. 4, officiating the win of New York City’s first Muslim mayor and youngest in over a century. New Yorkers will feel the effects of his future policies over the next four years — and the impact of his campaign is already evident.
Over 1,000 Emory University students call the state of New York home, and many of them live in New York City. Emory students shared their hopes for Mamdani’s term in charge of America’s most populous city. Mamdani had secured 50.4% of New York’s tallied vote, as of 1:30 a.m. on Nov. 5.
Public policy and history major Piper Domsch (28C), a New York City resident, said she was “really excited” about Mamdani ahead of Election Day. She hoped the Democratic Socialist’s affordability-focused policies would make living in New York easier after college.
“I really want to move back to New York when I graduate,” Domsch said. “Coming off of a first post-grad salary, I don’t see how that would really be possible in the way that New York is right now.”
Mamdani announced his New York City mayoral election bid in October 2024. His biggest opponents for New York City’s highest office included Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa and former New York Governor and independent candidate Andrew Cuomo.
On Nov. 3, U.S. President Donald Trump endorsed Cuomo for the role and criticized Mamdani for not being “capable” of running New York. Former Mayor of New York City and Bloomberg L.P. co-founder Michael Bloomberg also publicly announced his support for Cuomo and donated $8 million to a super PAC backing him. Bloomberg said Cuomo comes with the “toughness” and “experience” to take on the mayoral position. Critics of Mamdani, including Gov. Kathy Hochul (D-N.Y.), have argued his plans to raise taxes to fund some of his programs could exacerbate New York’s affordability crisis. Despite her public criticisms, Hochul endorsed Mamdani in September.
Mamdani’s platform focused on affordability, including proposals such as fare-free transportation, rent freezes for apartments, city-owned grocery stores and free childcare. His platform also includes an increased minimum wage and a tax reform plan. The mayor-elect said he will increase New York City’s corporate tax rate and presented a plan to tax the wealthiest 1% of the city’s population an additional 2% flat tax on top of their income tax.
Ameer Alnasser (25Ox, 27C), who is a political science major from New York, mentioned his anticipation for Mamdani’s campaign.
“Time and time again, we’ve seen the establishment not really provide that many promising figures or even promising policy descriptions, and he’s done both at the same time,” Alnasser said. “It has been really exciting.”
Alnasser highlighted Mamdani’s campaign strategy, describing his direct approach as “interesting” and comparing Mamdani’s fame to that of a celebrity.
Tashfia Noor (24Ox, 26C), a native New Yorker who met Mamdani at a Bengali center in Jamaica, Queens, said the mayor-elect has an impressive ability to connect with young people.
“I was just really excited to see someone that’s aligned with my views and the younger generation, and someone that also motivated the younger generation to go out and vote, which is something that I had never seen before in a mayoral candidate for New York City,” Noor said.
Noor said she especially looks forward to the fast and fare-free buses that Mamdani campaigned on.
“He talked a little bit about how he would gain funding for that, and how that would work in practice, and how he launched a pilot program for the buses beforehand, and how it was successful,” Noor said. “Behind all of his policies, he had a lot of evidence and research behind it. It wasn’t just something that he threw out there.”
Mamdani also made people of different backgrounds and cultures feel seen and heard, according to Noor.
“One thing that was really amazing for Zohran’s campaign was the fact that he targeted populations that previous candidates have never done before,” Noor said. “He really paid attention to the Bengali American community in New York City, which I feel like has been neglected for a long period of time.”
Alnasser also emphasized that electing a Democratic Socialist to the top position in a city as influential as New York may also have nationwide repercussions.
“Zohran brings a new wave of energy into the political sphere that we have not seen almost ever in the country, reminiscing on a positive political campaign, which is almost unprecedented,” Alnasser said. “One that focuses on the general well-being of their constituents … as well as how clear and evident his policy positions are.”
News Editor Jacob Muscolino (28C) contributed to reporting.
