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With the victory, will etch his place in history as , the first of South Asian heritage and the first born in Africa. He will also become the city’s youngest mayor in more than a century when he takes office on Jan. 1.

Gov. Kathy Hochul said on X that she looked forward to working with Mamdani “to make our city more affordable and livable� and congratulated him on winning “one of the city’s highest-turnout elections on record.�

More than 2 million New Yorkers cast ballots in the contest, the largest turnout in a mayoral race in more than 50 years, according to the city’s Board of Elections.

Mamdani’s unlikely rise gives credence to Democrats who have urged the party to embrace more progressive, left-wing candidates instead of rallying behind centrists in hopes of winning back swing voters who have abandoned the party.

He has already faced scrutiny from national Republicans, including President Donald Trump, who have eagerly cast him as a threat and the face of what they say is a more radical Democratic Party. Trump has repeatedly threatened to cut federal funding to the city — and — if Mamdani won.

At his victory party in Brooklyn, Mamdani supporters cheered and embraced, some tearfully, after The Associated Press called the race. Campaign posters flew through the air, as one person hoisted the official flag of New York City and Bad Bunny played from the speakers.

Mamdani’s X account of a subway train pulling up to City Hall station, with an announcement that said, “The next and last stop is City Hall.�

Meanwhile, at Cuomo’s watch party at a Manhattan theater, the mood was far more muted. The crowd, which had once been standing-room only, thinned out, leaving plenty of open seats.

Mamdani’s grassroots campaign centered on affordability, and his charisma spoiled Cuomo’s attempted political comeback. The former governor, who four years ago following allegations of sexual harassment that he continues to deny, was dogged by his past throughout the race and was criticized for running a negative campaign.

There’s also the question of how Mamdani will deal with Trump, who not only , but also suggested he might try to arrest and deport Mamdani if he won. Mamdani , where he spent his early childhood, but was raised in New York City and became a U.S. citizen in 2018.

Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, one of Mamdani’s most prominent backers, said New Yorkers would fight back.

"We’re going to stand up to bullies and thugs in the White House," she told reporters.

New mayor will pursue an ambitious agenda

Mamdani, who was criticized throughout the campaign for his thin resume, will now have to begin staffing his incoming administration before taking office next year and game out how he plans to accomplish the ambitious but polarizing agenda that drove him to victory.

Among the campaign’s promises are free child care, free city bus service, city-run grocery stores and a new Department of Community Safety that would send mental health care workers to handle certain emergency calls rather than police officers. It is unclear how Mamdani will pay for such initiatives, given Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul’s steadfast opposition to his calls to raise taxes on wealthy people.

His decisions around the leadership of the New York Police Department will also be closely watched. Mamdani was a fierce critic of the department in 2020, calling for “this rogue agency� to be defunded and slamming it as “racist, anti-queer & a major threat to public safety.� He has for those comments and has said he will ask the current NYPD commissioner to stay on the job.

Mamdani’s campaign was driven by his optimistic view of the city and his promises to improve the quality of life for its middle and lower classes.

But Cuomo, Sliwa and other critics assailed him over his ’s military actions in Gaza. Mamdani, a longtime advocate of Palestinian rights, has accused Israel of committing genocide and said he would honor an arrest warrant the International Criminal Court issued for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Mamdani “is now the face of the Democratic Party,� New York GOP Chair Ed Cox said in a statement.

Mamdani won over the city while Cuomo faltered

Mamdani began his campaign as a relatively obscure state lawmaker, little known even within New York City.

Going into the Democratic primary, Cuomo was the presumed favorite, with near-universal name recognition and deep political connections. Cuomo’s chances were buoyed further when incumbent Mayor Eric Adams bowed out of the primary while dealing with the fallout of his now-dismissed .

But as the race progressed, Mamdani’s natural charm, catchy social media videos and populist economic platform energized voters in the notoriously expensive city. He also began drawing outside attention as his name ID grew.

Mamdani ultimately trounced Cuomo in the primary by about 13 points.

The former governor for the general election, vowing to hit the streets with a more energetic approach. However, much of his campaign continued to focus on attacking opponents. In the race’s final stretch, he claimed Mamdani’s election would make Jews feel unsafe.

Meanwhile, supporters , and he held whimsical events, including a scavenger hunt and a community soccer tournament.

Cuomo also juxtaposed his deep experience in government with Mamdani’s less than five years in the state Legislature. But the former governor also faced his own political baggage, as his opponents dredged up the sexual harassment allegations that led to his resignation, as well as his decisions during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Sliwa, the creator of the Guardian Angels crime patrol group, also had his moments — mostly in the form of on the debate stage — but had difficulty gaining traction as a Republican in an overwhelmingly Democratic city.

He conceded the race about a half hour after the polls closed, telling supporters: “We have a mayor-elect. Obviously I wish him good luck because if he does well, we do well.�

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Associated Press writers Jennifer Peltz, Philip Marcelo and Jake Offenhartz contributed to this report.