Zohran Mamdani has been elected as Mayor of New York City, garnering 50.4% of the vote to emerge in front of rivals Andrew Cuomo (Independent) and Curtis Sliwa (Republican).

Mamdani’s election is a remarkable one, becoming the city’s first ever Muslim mayor, the first born in Africa and the youngest since 1892. Many regard him as the Democratic party’s ideal modern candidate – young, charismatic, social media savvy and representative of the left’s philosophy of diversity and inclusion.

In his victory speech, the newly appointed mayor vowed to guide the city towards “relentless improvement” and dedicated his victory to the working people of New York. Mamdani built his campaign with emphasis on improving affordability in the city, as the cost-of-living soars year on year. He has put forward plans to freeze rent rates for over 2 million stabilized tenants, introduce a scheme to make all city buses free and establish a chain of city-owned grocery stores, all formulated with the objective of easing the day-to-day financial strain of living in the Big Apple.

He has also tabled a revolutionary initiative to provide free childcare for all New Yorkers from 6 weeks – 5 years of age, as well as raising the wages of childcare workers to match those of public school teachers in the city. This comes as a recent study showed that families with young children are twice as likely to move out of the city than families without children.

He has proposed increases in tax rates for residents with an income of over $1 million per annum, as well as a corporate tax hike to help fund these affordability policies.

He also promised to target the ever-growing issues of mental health and homelessness through the introduction of a Department of Community Safety tasked with tackling these crises.

The eyes of America will be trained upon the city that never sleeps to see if its newest political champion can deliver upon his lofty visions of advancement.