Gothamist: When Democrat Zohran Mamdani was declared the next mayor of New York City just after 9:30 p.m. Tuesday — nearly half an hour after the polls closed — supporters at watch parties across the city erupted in cheers.
Mamdani’s win over former Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Republican Curtis Sliwa makes him New York City’s first Muslim and first South Asian mayor. At 34, the Queens lawmaker will also be the youngest person to lead the city in more than 100 years.
The largely Latino crowd at a party hosted by the nonprofit Make the Road in Corona, Queens, broke out in chants of “Sí, se pudo!” which translates to “Yes, he could!”
Many of the 50 or so supporters in attendance had spent months canvassing for Mamdani, first in the primary and then again in the general election. They hugged, some cried and many pumped their fists in the air.
A similar scene played out at a basement watch party in Kensington, where Bangladeshi supporters shouted in Bengali and chanted, “Mamdani, Mamdani!”
Soon, their celebration spilled outside, where they continued chanting as they walked down the street.
Many of the Bangladeshi attendees at the party, whom Mamdani might refer to as “aunties” or “uncles,” said they had been tirelessly canvassing for the Democratic candidate, who will make history as the city’s first Muslim and first South Asian mayor.
But those in attendance said Mamdani being Muslim was secondary to his other attributes, including his youthful energy and his platform to make the city more affordable.
“Zohran Mamdani is a Muslim, but he’s not just for Muslims,” said Ahsan Bachu, a 60-year-old Muslim at the Kensington party who said he spent election day door-knocking. “He’s for all people in New York, everybody.”
As the news of Mamdani’s victory filtered through the crowd at his own election night party at the Brooklyn Paramount — a vast, ornately decorated venue in Downtown Brooklyn — some appeared caught off guard that the race was being called so early. But surprise quickly gave way to elation as supporters cheered and hugged.
