Zohran Mamdani, a 34-year-old democratic socialist, won the New York City mayoral race on Tuesday, capping a meteoric rise from a little-known state lawmaker to one of the country’s most visible Democratic figures.
Mamdani will become the first Muslim mayor of the largest US city. He defeated Democratic former Governor Andrew Cuomo, 67, who ran as an independent after losing the nomination to Mamdani in the primary election. The campaign served as an ideological and generational contest that could have national implications for the Democratic Party.
According to CBS, Mamdani received 677,615 votes (49.6 per cent) against 568,488 (41.6pc) for former New York governor Andrew Cuomo and 108,377 (7.9pc) for Curtis Sliwa.
Mamdani was born in Uganda to a family of Indian origin and has lived in the United States since he was seven, becoming a naturalised US citizen in 2018.
In Virginia, Democrat Abigail Spanberger easily won the election for governor, becoming the first woman elected to serve in that role, while Democrat Ghazala Hashmi won the Virginia lieutenant governor’s race becoming the first South Asian to hold statewide office in the state and the first Muslim woman ever elected to a statewide post in the United States. And in New Jersey, Democrat Mikie Sherrill won the governor’s race.
The races offered the beleaguered Democratic Party a test of differing campaign playbooks a year ahead of the 2026 midterm elections, when control of Congress will be at stake.
Since US President Donald Trump’s win last year, Democrats have found themselves locked out of power in Washington and struggling to find the best path out of the political wilderness.
Ghazala Hashmi becomes first Muslim woman to win statewide office in US
Hashmi defeated Republican writer and conservative talk show host John Reid in the Virginia lieutenant governor’s race on Tuesday. Hashmi maintained a steady lead over Reid throughout the campaign, though polling tightened in the final days before election day. She secured 747,773 votes (53.8 per cent) against 659,421 (46.4pc) for her Republican rival.
Earlier in June, Hashmi narrowly clinched the Democratic nomination, defeating former Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney and state Senator Aaron Rouse in a closely contested primary.
A member of the party’s progressive wing, Hashmi enjoyed strong support from prominent figures such as Representative Ro Khanna, a California Democrat, who backed her during the primary campaign.
Born in Hyderabad, India, Hashmi moved to the United States in her youth and later earned a PhD in English from Emory University. She began her career in academia, teaching English for over two decades at community colleges in Virginia before entering politics.
Her election to the state Senate in 2019 marked her as the first Muslim woman to serve in the Virginia legislature, a milestone she has now extended to statewide office.
Democrat Spanberger defeated Republican Earle-Sears in the Virginia governor’s race flipping control of the state and making her the first woman ever to serve as the state governor.
A former congresswoman and CIA officer, Spanberger maintained a consistent lead over Earle-Sears through most of the campaign, buoyed by strong fundraising and strong support in the state’s suburban counties. Her victory gives Democrats a significant boost as they seek to regain political footing following their 2024 national election losses.
Spanberger, 47, centered her campaign heavily on economic and affordability issues, as well as public safety and her support for abortion rights. Her campaign and allied groups attacked Earle-Sears over her conservative record on social issues and her loyalty to Trump. Earle-Sears, 61, struggled throughout much of the race to find a coherent message.
“We sent a message to the world that in 2025 Virginia chose pragmatism over partisanship,” Spanberger said in her victory speech. “We chose our Commonwealth over chaos.”
“You all chose leadership that will focus relentlessly on what matters most lowering costs, keeping our communities safe and strengthening our economy for every Virginian,” she said.
Separately, Democrat Sherrill won New Jersey’s election for governor. Sherrill, a US representative and former Navy pilot, defeated Republican Jack Ciattarelli and will succeed Democratic Governor Phil Murphy. It is the first time since the 1960s that New Jersey voters have elected governors from the same party for three consecutive terms.
