How Zohran Mamdani's Win Came With Support From Asian, Black, Voters

Queens assemblyman Zohran Mamdani's surprise win over former Governor Andrew Cuomo in New York City's Democratic mayoral primary came courtesy of support from progressive bastions in Brooklyn. The 33-year-old also made inroads into the Black, Hispanic, and Asian demographics that Mr Cuomo was expected to dominate.

Early ranked-choice voting data show Mr Mamdani ran up his numbers in Brooklyn's "crunchy granola" districts, winning more than 20,000 votes in Fort Greene, Clinton Hill, Bed-Stuy, and Crown Heights, compared to Mr Cuomo's 5,500.

In Brooklyn Heights, Boerum Hill, and Carroll Gardens, Mr Mamdani again led decisively, with 19,000 votes to Cuomo's 6,900, The NY Post reported.

"Mamdani developed a much broader coalition than you might have expected from the fact he was a [Democratic Socialists of America] candidate," said John Mollenkopf, director of the Center for Urban Research at CUNY (City University of New York).

Mr Mamdani convinced communities that typically leaned towards moderate Democrats. He outperformed expectations in majority Black and Hispanic areas, chipping away at Mr Cuomo's presumed base of middle-of-the-road voters.

Zohran Mamdani also carried parts of Kensington, home to a large Orthodox Jewish population, with more than 70 per cent of the vote, despite being a vocal critic of "genocidal" Israel and facing repeated accusations of antisemitism throughout the campaign.

He also won College Point in Queens, a district represented by Republican Councilwoman Vickie Paladino, who had called to "deport" him during the race.

"The ignorance of people never ceases to amaze me," Ms Paladino said Wednesday. "He motivated a base that was non-existent, OK? He got all these super, super young people. Got some older folks. But for the most part, it was a new brand of people and that's what he did."

According to CUNY's data, 45 per cent of Mr Mamdani's support came from predominantly white neighbourhoods with a high concentration of New York City natives.

He won big in Asian communities, too. In Woodside, Queens, Mr Mamdani took more than 65 per cent of the vote. He also carried Manhattan's Chinatown.

"Zohran's come-from-behind victory was bolstered by a surge of Asian support who were encouraged by his ability to connect to people," said State Senator John Liu (D-Queens), a Mamdani supporter. "Not by talking at them, but by listening to them, and communicating new ideas about how to improve our city for everyone."

If elected in November, Zohran Mamdani would become New York City's first mayor of South Asian descent.