New York explodes with joy with the triumph of Zohran Mamdani: “This is a victory for the people”

At around eight in the morning on Tuesday, Zohran Mamdani was voting for himself at his polling station in Astoria, Queens, a neighborhood recognized as one of the most diverse in not only New York, but in the entire United States. “We are about to make history in our city,” said the then Democratic candidate for mayor of the most populated city in the United States. Less than 12 hours later, his prediction was confirmed: New York erupted in jubilation after electing its first Muslim mayor and the youngest in the Big Apple’s recent memory.

In the heart of Astoria, a neighborhood that Mamdani represented from 2020 in the New York State Assembly until running for mayor a year ago, and where he still lives, the euphoria was tangible around nine at night, the time the polls closed. At an event organized in a beer garden by the Democratic Socialists of the United States (DSA), the largest socialist group in the country and to which Mamdani belongs, more than 1,000 people gathered to receive the results. About a hundred were left out because the place reached capacity even before the vote counting began, and many looked for space in other bars in the area.

When the young politician’s victory was confirmed, the entire bar stood up and the joint cry of victory lasted more than a minute. Between applause and tears, those present hugged each other and jumped with emotion. In chorus, they began singing, “The name is Mamdani, MAMDANI,” a song that went viral during the race over how to spell the next mayor’s last name, which so many, including President Donald Trump, have mispronounced in recent months.

“This is a victory for the people. This election is not just about Zohran winning. It is about us going to the polls, making our voices heard and standing up to the billionaires,” said Upasna Barath, 28, outside the event at the bar. “This is proof that we can, with our vote, through the democratic process, make our voice heard. And I think the billionaires are going to be scared after this,” the young woman added.

Mari Celly Malave summed up the electoral victory in a simple phrase: “I feel inspired.” “I met Zohran at the Puerto Rican stop last summer, and he is a supportive, humble guy,” said the 42-year-old Puerto Rican, who has lived in Queens most of her life. “His campaign shows that all migrants in this city, those of us who were born elsewhere and ended up here, are important,” she added, wrapped in a Puerto Rican flag and holding a Mamdani banner.

Glenn Cantave, 32, from New York, walked around the bar high-fiving people. Although he was “euphoric,” in his own words, he was also pragmatic: he knows that this is just the beginning of what will be a long fight between Mamdani and President Trump. “I’m excited about this moment, about having someone who is not backed by billionaires, who is based on values. If you look at what Trump is doing, sending federal and immigration agents to different cities around the country, it is something he is doing on his own terms. But I think Zohran is skilled enough to handle that situation,” he says.

Beyond Astoria, tonight the celebration spreads throughout New York. In addition to those organized by DSA, there are countless parties planned in the city’s five boroughs. And in the streets, at ten at night, the horns of the cars that celebrated the victory of the socialist democrat through the streets sounded.

The festive atmosphere developed throughout the day. Voters and volunteers from Mamdani’s campaign consulted by this newspaper were confident that their candidate would be victorious from the first hour of the day.

Around 12:00 noon, in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn, Zach Elliott had already spent six hours distributing leaflets and information about Mamdani’s proposals to voters who were constantly arriving at the voting centers in the area. “I’ve been here since 6 in the morning; people are enthusiastic, excited and happy, so I feel pretty good,” said the 23-year-old volunteer, who was dressed in a Mamdani hat and T-shirt and several pins of the campaign.

Elliott signed up to volunteer just two weeks ago, after becoming worried about Mamdani losing. Nerves that, he assured, completely disappeared this Tuesday when he saw the energy in the streets early on. “I haven’t been excited about a candidate in a long time. I used to work in campaigns and congressional offices, and after the 2022 elections I lost all enthusiasm to continue doing that,” he shared. These were the first municipal elections in which he has voted in his hometown.

It’s a sentiment Machi Davis shares. He brooklynitewhose family has lived in the center of this district for more than 100 years, said that “he had not been so enthusiastic about a candidate since Obama,” the former Democratic president with whom Mamdani is constantly compared due to the charisma they share and the movements they have been able to create.

“Instead of voting for someone because they’re the lesser of two evils, it’s nice to have someone to vote for because you want them to win and you believe in their program,” said the 37-year-old New Yorker. “Even if he doesn’t get to do everything he wants to do, the spirit of what Mamdani is trying to do and why is right.”