Upstart socialist stuns political veteran in NYC mayoral primary

NEW YORK

New York City Democrats chose 33-year-old Muslim socialist Zohran Mamdani as their mayoral candidate in June 24's elections, stunning his opponent, former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo.

"Tonight was not our night," Cuomo, a political veteran who was vying to come back from a sexual harassment scandal, told supporters at an election night party.

"I called him, I congratulated him... he won."

In what appears to be the left-leaning city's rebuke of the Democratic party's veteran moderates, and New York's rarely claimed native son, Republican U.S. President Donald Trump, Mamdani led with 43 percent of the vote with 95 percent of ballots counted, city officials reported.

The party's primary contest featured almost a dozen candidates seeking to become mayor of the biggest U.S. city, where registered Democrats outnumber Republicans three to one.

With the Democrats reeling nationally from Trump's presidential election last year, the high-profile city race has done little to calm party nerves.

But Mamdani's upbeat campaign, built with youthful social media savvy and campaign promises to improve the city's affordability, appears to have resonated with voters.

Cuomo stepped down as New York governor four years ago after multiple women accused him of sexual harassment.

Staunchly pro-Israel Cuomo led in polls for most of the race, with massive support from powerful centrist figures including former president Bill Clinton.

Mamdani, meanwhile, is backed by the Democratic Socialists of America, the kind of niche, leftist affiliation that might work in the Big Apple but many analysts warn against.