Democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani has won the New York mayoral election to become the city\u2019s first Muslim mayor, polls projected late on Tuesday after voting closed in the closely watched election.<\/p>\n
By the time 91 percent of votes had been counted late on Tuesday night, Mamdani, who stood as the candidate for the Democratic Party, had won more than one million votes in the mayoral race, compared with about 850,000 votes for Andrew Cuomo, standing as an independent.<\/p>\n
Democrats also won gubernatorial races in New Jersey and Virginia on the same day, and Californians voted to allow the state\u2019s Democratic lawmakers to redraw the congressional map.<\/p>\n
Here are some key takeaways from the local United States elections:<\/p>\n
Test of Trump\u2019s popularity<\/h2>\n
The votes took place in states considered strongholds for Democrats, who indeed have won the elections.<\/p>\n
Voting in different US states marked the first round of elections since President Donald Trump\u2019s second term began in January this year.<\/p>\n
Off-year elections, which take place during years when there is no presidential election, are usually viewed as an early litmus test of popular opinion on how an administration is performing and which parties voters are aligning themselves with.<\/p>\n
According to NBC\u2019s exit poll on Tuesday, 55 percent of voters in New Jersey, 56 percent of voters in Virginia, 69 percent of voters in New York City, and 63 percent of voters in California said they disapproved of Trump.<\/p>\n
Off-year elections can also serve as an early indicator of how midterm elections \u2013 due next year \u2013 might go. Historically, support has started to turn away from the party in the White House by the time of the midterms.<\/p>\n
Trump appeared cautious ahead of the elections. He was most vocal about the mayoral race in New York, where polls forecast that Mamdani would win comfortably.<\/p>\n
Before voting began, Trump threw his support behind former Democratic governor of New York state, Andrew Cuomo, calling Mamdani a \u201ccommunist\u201d and even threatening to cut federal funding to the city if Mamdani won.<\/p>\n
That did not stop New Yorkers from voting for Mamdani, however. On Tuesday night, when 91 percent of votes had been counted, his tally of 1,036,051 votes was already the highest any New York mayoral candidate has won since 1965, when Republican John Lindsay secured 1,149,106 votes, according to the city\u2019s records.<\/p>\n
Trump endorsed but did not name the Republican lieutenant governor, Winsome Earle-Sears, who was a candidate in the gubernatorial race in Virginia. On October 20, he told reporters on Air Force One: \u201cI think the Republican candidate is very good and I think she should win because the Democrat candidate\u2019s a disaster.\u201d<\/p>\n
Late on Tuesday, he appeared to reject any notion that voters might be turning against his administration, posting on his Truth Social platform: \u201c\u2018TRUMP WASN\u2019T ON THE BALLOT, AND SHUTDOWN, WERE THE TWO REASONS THAT REPUBLICANS LOST ELECTIONS TONIGHT,\u2019 according to Pollsters.\u201d<\/p>\n
Democrats won all<\/h2>\n
Here is a closer breakdown of what the results look like for each race.<\/p>\n
New York\u2019s mayoral race<\/h3>\n
With 91 percent of the votes counted, Mamdani was well on the way to winning with 1,036,051 votes, about 50.4 percent. Cuomo had 41.6 percent, and Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa was trailing far behind with just 7.1 percent of the vote share.<\/p>\n
New Jersey\u2019s gubernatorial race<\/h3>\n
Democrat Mikie Sherrill was ahead with 1,792,760 votes, or 56.2 percent of the vote share, by the time 95 percent of the ballots had been counted. Republican Jack Ciattarelli had received 43.2 percent of the vote. Sherrill would take over from outgoing Democratic Governor Phil Murphy.<\/p>\n
Virginia\u2019s gubernatorial race<\/h3>\n
Democrat Abigail Spanberger had won 1,961,990 votes, or 57.5 percent of the vote share, by the time 97 percent of the votes had been counted. Republican Earle-Sears had received 42.3 percent of the vote.<\/p>\n
Virginia also elected Democrat Ghazala Hashmi as lieutenant governor and Democrat Jay Jones as attorney general.<\/p>\n
While some of the winning Democrats, including Mamdani, represented the party\u2019s more progressive wing, Virginia\u2019s race was won by Spanberger, a moderate.<\/p>\n
Other elections on Tuesday<\/h3>\n
Other votes included mayoral races in Cincinnati, Atlanta, Detroit and Pittsburgh, as well as for the Pennsylvania Supreme Court.<\/p>\n
In Cincinnati and Atlanta, Democratic incumbents Aftab Pureval and Andre Dickens won their races. In Detroit, Democrat Mary Sheffield won, becoming the first woman to lead the city. Democrat Corey O\u2019Connor won the race for Pittsburgh mayor.<\/p>\n
Pennsylvania voters also voted to retain liberal Supreme Court Justices David Wecht, Christine Donohue and Kevin Dougherty.<\/p>\n Mamdani\u2019s win marks several firsts for New York.<\/p>\n Aged just 34, he is the first Muslim, the first person of South Asian descent, and the first born in Africa to become mayor of the city.<\/p>\n His win was met with fanfare. \u201cTonight, against all odds, we have grasped it. The future is in our hands,\u201d he told a crowd of supporters.<\/p>\n \u201cMy friends, we have toppled a political dynasty. New York, tonight you have delivered a mandate for change, a mandate for a new kind of politics, a mandate for a city we can afford,\u201d he declared.<\/p>\n Mamdani pledged to deliver on his campaign promises, which include introducing rent freezes, free buses and universal childcare, and to serve all of the many diverse communities which make up the city. \u201cI speak of Yemeni bodega owners and Mexican abuelas, Senegalese taxi drivers and Uzbek nurses. Trinidadian line cooks and Ethiopian aunties \u2026 to every New Yorker in Kensington and Midwood and Hunts Point,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n![\"EAST](\"https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/afp_690b229f3f43-1762337439.jpg?w=770&resize=770%2C513&quality=80\")
Mamdani\u2019s night<\/h2>\n