XPost: alt.politics.socialism.democratic, nyc.politics, sac.politics
XPost: alt.politics.republicans, alt.fan.rush-limbaugh
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ckg6yg7x467o
A young left-wing candidate, Zohran Mamdani, is poised to become the
Democratic nominee for New York mayor after delivering a stunning
political upset.
The 33-year-old democratic socialist declared victory in the party's
primary on Tuesday, defeating his main rival and political veteran Andrew
Cuomo who previously served as state governor.
"Tonight we made history," Mamdani said in his victory speech. If elected,
he would be the first Muslim and Indian American to lead the nation's
largest city.
Cuomo, 67, was attempting to pull off a comeback after resigning from
office in 2021 over a sexual harassment scandal. He congratulated his
opponent for a "really smart and great campaign".
The primary in staunchly liberal New York is likely to determine who
becomes mayor in November's election.
The contest was being watched as a litmus test for the Democratic Party as
it seeks to hone its messaging after election losses last November that
saw President Donald Trump's Republicans win the White House and both
chambers in Congress.
Results on Tuesday night showed Mamdani with a commanding lead, but
falling short of the 50% threshold needed to win outright.
Who is Zohran Mamdani?
Cuomo's concession was unexpected because counting looks likely to
continue next week under the ranked choice system, which allowed New
Yorkers to pick up to five candidates in order of preference.
The former governor's loss marks the "biggest upset in modern NYC
history," Trip Yang, a political strategist, told the BBC.
"A massive win for Zohran Mamdani that shows that when Donald Trump is President, New York Democrats want to see their leaders fight with
enthusiasm and courage, and that's what Zohran showed voters."
In an interview with the New York Times, Cuomo said he was still examining whether he would run in the general election in November on the
independent line.
"I said he won the primary election," Cuomo told the outlet. "I said I
wanted to look at the numbers and the ranked-choice voting to decide about
what to do in the future, because I'm also on an independent line."
Cuomo was seen as a moderate and the establishment favourite, known across
the country after his governorship during the Covid pandemic.
Mamdani is a millennial outsider who was fairly unknown until recently.
Born in Uganda, his family moved to New York City when he was seven. He
has posted one campaign video entirely in Urdu and mixed in Bollywood film clips. In another, he speaks Spanish.
Mamdani's strong support of Palestinians and criticism of Israel put him
at odds with most of the Democratic establishment.
He went viral during his campaign for videos where he talked to New York
voters who swung for Trump in the November election.
He asked what issues led them to cast their ballots for the Republican candidate and what it would take for them to swing Democrat.
Mamdani's platform includes free public buses, universal childcare,
freezing rent in subsidised units, and city-run grocery stores - all paid
for by new taxes on the rich.
"This is a city where one in four of its people are living in poverty, a
city where 500,000 kids go to sleep hungry every night," he told the BBC
at a recent event.
"And ultimately, it's a city that is in danger of losing that which it
makes it so special."
Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio Cortez and Senator Bernie Sanders, also democratic socialists, endorsed Mamdani during his campaign.
--
November 5, 2024 - Congratulations President Donald Trump. We look
forward to America being great again.
We live in a time where intelligent people are being silenced so that
stupid people won't be offended.
Every day is an IQ test. Some pass, some, not so much.
Thank you for cleaning up the disasters of the 2008-2017, 2020-2024 Obama
/ Biden / Harris fiascos, President Trump.
Under Barack Obama's leadership, the United States of America became the
The World According To Garp. Obama sold out heterosexuals for Hollywood
queer liberal democrat donors.
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