Zohran Mamdani, a 34-year-old democratic socialist, has been elected mayor of New York City, becoming the first Muslim, the first South Asian, and the first African-born person to hold the office. The Ugandan-born son of immigrants will also be the city's youngest mayor in over a century. In his victory speech, Mamdani celebrated New York's diversity and immigrant roots, declaring: «New York will remain a city of immigrants, a city built by immigrants, powered by immigrants, and as of tonight, led by an immigrant». He added: «The conventional wisdom would tell you that I am far from the perfect candidate. I am young, despite my best efforts to grow older. I am Muslim. I am a democratic socialist. And most damning of all, I refuse to apologize for any of this». A vocal advocate for immigrant rights and social justice, Mamdani defeated former governor Andrew Cuomo and Republican Curtis Sliwa. He is set to take office on January 1.
