On Tuesday, July 1, the New York City Board of Elections confirmed a surprising Democratic primary victory for Zohran Mamdani, officially making him the party’s nominee for the upcoming mayoral election in November. Mamdani, previously a relatively unknown New York state assembly member, secured 56% of the vote in the third round of the city’s ranked-choice voting system—surpassing the 50% threshold required to win. His primary win sets up a general election faceoff with incumbent mayor Eric Adams, who is now running as an independent after being indicted on corruption charges, although the case was later dropped by the Department of Justice.

In a video posted on X, Mamdani drew parallels between his win and Adams’ own 2021 mayoral campaign, noting, “We always believed our path to victory would take multiple rounds. Getting more votes in the first round than Adams did in seven rounds back then was truly shocking.” The unexpected rise of Mamdani—a 33-year-old Uganda-born Muslim and self-described democratic socialist—over seasoned centrist Andrew Cuomo has sparked concern among establishment Democrats, who fear his progressive views may become a target for Republican attacks. Following Mamdani’s win, former President Donald Trump labeled him a “100 percent Communist Lunatic” and the GOP’s congressional campaign arm vowed to link vulnerable Democrats to Mamdani ahead of next year’s midterms.

In his video, Mamdani emphasized his mission to “bring people back to the Democratic Party” and pointed out his success in neighborhoods that had backed Trump in the previous presidential election. Asked how he would respond if Mamdani, as mayor, attempted to obstruct immigration arrests, Trump said, “Then we’ll have to arrest him. We don’t need a communist in this country. But if we have one, I’ll be watching him very closely—for the good of the nation.”

Mamdani has criticized immigration raids, describing them as acts of intimidation by agents who “have no interest in following the law.” Cuomo, who ultimately received 44% of the final vote count, conceded the race after early primary results were announced last week. Although he hasn’t ruled it out, the former governor has yet to confirm whether he will re-enter the race as an independent.

In November, Mamdani will also face Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa, a radio host and founder of the Guardian Angels anti-crime group, as well as attorney Jim Walden, who is running as an independent. New York Citys ranked-choice voting system—first introduced in 2021—lets voters rank up to five candidates. Votes are tallied in rounds, with lower-ranking candidates eliminated and their votes redistributed until a candidate crosses the 50% mark.

Disclaimer: This image is taken from Reuters.