Zohran Mamdani wins New York City mayoral election

Zohran Mamdani, 34, has won New York City’s race for mayor in a contest that rallied young voters and sparked debate about the future direction of the Democratic Party.

The Ugandan-born Mamdani, a Democrat, beat former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, running as an independent, to become the youngest person in over a century to lead the largest city in the US.

“My friends, we have toppled a political dynasty,” he told the crowd during a victory speech, touting voters’ “mandate for change” and “mandate for a city we can afford”.

A self-described democratic socialist, he made affordability the central message of his campaign, pledging to expand social programmes paid for by new taxes on high earners and corporations.

Democrats also won governor races in Virginia and New Jersey, and in California voters backed a proposition to redraw the congressional electoral map ahead of next year’s midterm elections.

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