UNITED STATES
Zohran Mamdani wins the Democrat primary in New York
Still unknown a few months ago, Zohran Mamdani will however be the Democratic candidate in the municipal elections in New York.
Zohran Mamdani, during a television debate in the Democratic primary in New York on June 4, 2025.
AFP
The candidate of the left wing of the Democratic Party, the socialist Zohran Mamdani, won the primary on Tuesday for the New York town hall, recognized his rival Andrew Cuomo. A feeling in his camp after a campaign against expensive life and the promise to tax high income.
“Tonight was not our evening … He (Zohran Mamdani) won,” conceded, a tense smile, the former Governor Cuomo in front of his supporters, while the counting of the votes was not yet completely finished. With almost 95% of stripped bulletins, or nearly a million, Zohran Mamdani leads the race in the lead with more than 43% of the votes, against 36% for Andrew Cuomo.
This victory at hand is a feeling in the Democratic camp. Zohran Mamdani, a 33 -year -old local elected representative, who claims to be “progressive and Muslim”, caught up to 30 points behind in the polls on the former governor, more centrist, Andrew Cuomo, to finish.
Cuomo dam
Games have not yet been made in this election in the complex voting system, where voters were called upon to classify five candidates in order of preference. As no candidate exceeds 50% of the votes Tuesday evening, the count will continue in a week to count the 2nd, 3rd and following choice until to appoint a winner.
But the advantage of Zohran Mamdani, who embodies the wing the most left of his party, is substantial. Several other candidates, including the 3rd, Brad Lander, called on their voters to classify him high to block Andrew Cuomo.
The elected official of the popular district of Queens, unknown to the public when he launched himself, led a viral campaign on social networks and aroused the enthusiasm of an army of young volunteers on the ground to amplify his promises against expensive life, including free buses, nurseries and the freezing of regulated rents, measures which he intends to finance by a taxation on the highest income. This native of Uganda with Indian origins was supported by left figures like Bernie Sanders and elected it to the House of Representatives of New York Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
Cost of living
During the campaign, Andrew Cuomo attacked him on his inexperience, the former governor of New York State presenting himself as the only one capable of standing up to US President Donald Trump and his hostile policies against cities or Democratic states.
But one of the strong themes of the campaign in the megalopolis of 8.5 million inhabitants was the cost of living. “The first issue is that New York is affordable,” summed up on Tuesday, just after slipping his bulletin in a polling station in Brooklyn, Eamon Harkin, a 48 -year -old DJ.
A victory in the primary gives a favorite status to Zohran Mamdani during the election to the town hall of New York in November, the city being a democratic bastion. But Andrew Cuomo could not have said his last word. The former governor (2011-2021), who attempts his return to politics four after his resignation in the midst of a sexual harassment scandal, does not exclude presenting himself as an independent candidate.
The current Democrat mayor, Eric Adams, has given up on the primary. He also intends to appear independent, but suffers from a calamitous image, accused of compromising himself with the Trump administration in exchange for the burial of prosecution for corruption.
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