Mamdani announces victory for mayor of New York

Democratic candidate Zahran Mamdani won the mayoralty of New York, and two Democratic candidates won the governorship in Virginia and New Jersey, giving the struggling party significant momentum heading into next year’s midterm congressional elections.

Mamdani announced his victory in a victory speech he gave to his supporters and declared that in early January he would be officially sworn in as mayor of New York.

He addressed his audience, amid warm applause, saying, “You have given me a mandate for change and for a new policy,” emphasizing the work to improve conditions in New York City from what they were.

In his speech, Mamdani thanked all workers of different nationalities and ethnicities in New York City.

According to the poll carried out among voters after the close of voting, Mamdani (34), the Democratic Party candidate, came first in the race, ahead of Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa and independent candidate and former governor of New York State, Andrew Cuomo.

Thus, Mamdani – a democratic socialist – will on January 1 be the first Muslim mayor of the largest city in the United States.

According to preliminary estimates, the Democratic candidate for mayor of New York obtained 50.4% of the vote, compared to 41.3% for his Republican competitor, trailing by more than 100,000 votes.

Mamdani has always been the target of attacks, due to his positions on Israeli government policies and the war in Gaza, but he has not backed down.

The Bloomberg website said New York’s mayoral election saw the highest turnout in decades.

American media reported that Democratic candidate Mickey Sherrill won the New Jersey gubernatorial election.

According to preliminary results, Sherrill received 56%, compared to 43% for his Republican competitor, Jack Chitarelli.

Democratic candidate Abigail Spanberger also won the Virginia governorship.

Spanberger, 46, a former congresswoman and former CIA officer, easily surpassed her Republican rival, Winsome Earle Sears, to become the first woman to hold the office in state history.

Spanberger obtained more than 58% of the votes, compared to 43% for his Republican competitor.

His victory in office constitutes a remarkable political milestone that carries messages that reach beyond the borders of the Republican Party-led state.

The victory in Virginia, which is one of the states where attention is drawn to early indicators of national voting trends, strengthens the position of the Democratic Party and gives it an important morale boost heading into the upcoming midterm elections.

Spanberger’s victory in the swing state is also seen as a victory for the moderate Democratic movement, at a time when the party is seeking to determine its political path ahead of next year’s congressional elections.

Trump justifies the loss

The Republican defeat in elections held yesterday Tuesday in New York, Virginia and New Jersey appears to be an important test for President Donald Trump and his party ahead of the midterm congressional elections scheduled for next year. At the same time, it also poses a test of the Democratic Party’s ability to overcome internal divisions.

In his first reaction, US President Donald Trump said – via the Truth Social platform – that the absence of his name on the ballot and the government shutdown were the reason for the Republicans’ defeat in the elections.

In other reactions, NBC cited Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer as saying the election results represent a categorical rejection of Trump’s agenda.

Schumer said the American people reject the cruelty, chaos and greed that characterize the extremism of the “Make America Great Again” movement, as he put it.

For his part, Senator Bernie Sanders said that Zahran Mamdani, by winning the New York municipal elections, had achieved one of the greatest political surprises in modern American history.