↩ Accueil

Vue lecture

The Guardian view on Zohran Mamdani’s victory in New York: the Democrats can build on an uplifting night | Editorial

A historic campaign that focused on the theme of affordability can offer wider lessons to a re-energised opposition

Since the re-election of Donald Trump last November, a demoralised Democratic party has struggled to reverse a palpable sense of downward momentum. At a grassroots level, amid plunging poll ratings, there has been a yearning for renewal and a more punchy, combative approach in opposition. Against that bleak backdrop, the remarkable election of Zohran Mamdani to the New York City mayoralty is a moment for progressives to savour.

Mr Mamdani entered the mayoral race last October as a socialist outsider with almost zero name recognition. He won it with more than 50% of the vote after the highest turnout in more than half a century, and despite the best efforts of billionaires to bankroll his chief rival, the former New York governor Andrew Cuomo, to victory. That achievement makes him the youngest mayor of the US’s largest city for more than 100 years and the first Muslim to occupy the role.

Continue reading...

© Photograph: Derek French/UPI/Shutterstock

© Photograph: Derek French/UPI/Shutterstock

© Photograph: Derek French/UPI/Shutterstock

  •  

Jack DeJohnette obituary

Thrilling American jazz drummer, pianist and composer who played with some of the genre’s greatest stars

In improvisational music, ungoverned by conductors or sacrosanct scores, and given to abrupt shifts of direction on the whims of performers, drummers are often the intuitive navigators. One of the most creative and viscerally thrilling exponents of that pivotal jazz art was Jack DeJohnette, the percussionist, pianist, composer and bandleader, who has died aged 83.

DeJohnette’s CV glitters with the names of the biggest jazz stars of the second half of the 20th century, and with good reason. In his youth, he played genres from R&B to free-jazz in his hometown, Chicago (alongside some of the innovative founders of Chicago’s Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians – AACM – and occasionally playing in Sun Ra’s Arkestra), before joining the most widely celebrated of early jazz-rock fusion groups, led by the saxophonist Charles Lloyd and including a then-unknown young pianist called Keith Jarrett.

Continue reading...

© Photograph: Heritage Image Partnership Ltd/Alamy

© Photograph: Heritage Image Partnership Ltd/Alamy

© Photograph: Heritage Image Partnership Ltd/Alamy

  •  

London mayor sees parallels in Zohran Mamdani’s victory: ‘Hope won’

Sadiq Khan, the city’s first Muslim mayor, says: ‘We are united by something far more fundamental, our belief in the power of politics to change people’s lives for the better’

While the soon-to-be first Muslim mayor of New York, Zohran Mamdani, was in the final throes of his mayoral campaign on a brisk day in New York, Sadiq Khan, the first Muslim of mayor of London, was wrapping up a two-day climate summit in a steamy if overcast Rio de Janeiro.

“Hope is not gone,” Khan told the 300 city mayors gathered in the Brazilian city’s museum of modern art.

Continue reading...

© Composite: The Guardian, Reuters

© Composite: The Guardian, Reuters

© Composite: The Guardian, Reuters

  •  

Zohran Mamdani announces all-female transition team as he prepares for New York mayoralty

Team includes Lina Khan, the FTC commissioner under Biden, and other Democratic former city officials

Zohran Mamdani’s incoming administration began taking shape on Wednesday as the New York City mayor-elect announced a transition team to help enact what he called the city’s most ambitious policy platform in a generation, vowing to get right to work when he takes office on 1 January.

Speaking at a morning press conference in Queens, the 34-year-old democratic socialist revealed an all-female transition team led by Elana Leopold as executive director. It also includes co-chairs Maria Torres-Springer, the former first deputy mayor; Lina Khan, the former federal trade commission chair; the United Way’s president and CEO, Grace Bonilla; and the former deputy mayor for health and human services Melanie Hartzog.

Continue reading...

© Photograph: Heather Khalifa/AP

© Photograph: Heather Khalifa/AP

© Photograph: Heather Khalifa/AP

  •  

The Zohran Mamdani method can work beyond New York. Take the fight to the right | Aditya Chakrabortty

For too long, the centre has been adopting the language of the right but deploying it with greater civility – to disastrous ends

Zohran Mamdani was forged in the era of Donald Trump. He came to socialism through watching Bernie Sanders run for the US presidency in 2016, in the contest that ultimately gave us Trump I. Last November, a few days after the election of Trump II, he asked voters why they’d backed that guy. The conversations prepared Mamdani in his battle for New York, and the film of them reveals so much about the politics of this era that it repays watching.

Those of us schooled in the tactics of Bill Clinton and Tony Blair might roll our eyes at yet another “listening exercise”, starring a powerbroker and his retinue in some beautifully lit hall, but this is no such thing. Here stands an unknown on a street corner in the Bronx, waving a placard as doughtily as a Seventh-Day Adventist. Rather than read off a Rolodex of platitudes, this politician sees his public – some of whom look a little like him, yet whose faces and bodies are etched with the strains of the city. Never having spoken to power, even a lowly state assemblyman such as Mamdani, they talk of lives made smaller and shorter in an economy where the daily basics are too costly. Politics has failed them, so they consider politicians to be failures.

Aditya Chakrabortty is a Guardian columnist

Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here.

Continue reading...

© Illustration: Ben Jennings/The Guardian

© Illustration: Ben Jennings/The Guardian

© Illustration: Ben Jennings/The Guardian

  •  

‘Tariffs are taxes’: US supreme court hears challenge to Trump levies as justices appear doubtful of White House reasoning – live

Both conservative and liberal US supreme court justices have voiced skepticism over the Trump administration’s justification for tariffs

Here’s a look at some of the pictures from New York, as Zohran Mamdani was elected the next mayor of the city.

In a short while, we’ll hear from Donald Trump when he hosts a breakfast with Republican senators at the White House. As we noted earlier, the president had choice words about Mamdani’s victory in New York, and other Democratic wins across the country – including the gubernatorial races in Virginia and New Jersey.

Continue reading...

© Photograph: Aaron Schwartz/EPA

© Photograph: Aaron Schwartz/EPA

© Photograph: Aaron Schwartz/EPA

  •  

Mamdani refused to compromise on his values – and was rewarded for it | Moustafa Bayoumi

His win is a huge victory for all New Yorkers, but it is also meaningful far beyond the five boroughs of this city

The people of New York have spoken. Despite all the odds, a 34-year-old Muslim Democratic socialist has been elected to lead the largest city in the United States. Zohran Mamdani’s win is a huge victory for all New Yorkers, but it is also meaningful far beyond the five boroughs of this city.

Just as amazing was that this election wasn’t even close. Mamdani’s main opponent, former New York governor Andrew Cuomo, ran a campaign that was as devoid of imagination as it was of hope and even personality. Having dramatically lost the democratic primary this past summer, Cuomo was forced to run as an independent, an almost comical political affiliation for a man whose campaign was utterly dependent on donations from the billionaire class.

Moustafa Bayoumi is Guardian US coolumnist

Continue reading...

© Photograph: Shannon Stapleton/Reuters

© Photograph: Shannon Stapleton/Reuters

© Photograph: Shannon Stapleton/Reuters

  •  

Zohran Mamdani elected mayor of New York on winning night for Democrats

Democratic socialist, 34, becomes city’s first Muslim mayor as Democrats triumph in several other key races

Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani was elected on Tuesday as the 111th mayor of New York City, defeating the former governor Andrew Cuomo and Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa and making history as the city’s first Muslim mayor.

The 34-year-old democratic socialist and state assembly member from Queens, secured victory with more than 50% of the vote. Cuomo, 67, finished second with just over 40%, while Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa received just over 7% of the vote.

Continue reading...

© Photograph: Julius Constantine Motal/The Guardian

© Photograph: Julius Constantine Motal/The Guardian

© Photograph: Julius Constantine Motal/The Guardian

  •  

Live NYC mayoral election results: Zohran Mamdani defeats Andrew Cuomo

Check here for results as they come in, as leftwing Democrat wins race to become city’s next mayor

Continue reading...

© Illustration: Guardian Design

© Illustration: Guardian Design

© Illustration: Guardian Design

  •  

Democrats have racked up election wins across America – but they would do well not to misread the results

Zohran Mamdani’s victory in New York and gubernatorial wins in Virginia and New Jersey have given Democrats a night better than they dared hope for

America gave Donald Trump a bloody nose.

On the first big election night since Trump swept back into power, the results were better than Democrats could have dared hope.

Continue reading...

© Photograph: Bonnie Cash/UPI/Shutterstock

© Photograph: Bonnie Cash/UPI/Shutterstock

© Photograph: Bonnie Cash/UPI/Shutterstock

  •  

‘Turn the volume up’: Mamdani invokes Trump in fiery speech that laid out plan of action

As New York City’s mayor-elect reiterated his policies, the president posted ‘And so it begins!’ on his social media

Zohran Mamdani, the newly elected mayor of New York City, issued a direct call to Donald Trump in his victory speech on Tuesday night, saying he would enter City Hall with a firm plan to counter the politics of division and cronyism that helped elevate him to the White House.

Mamdani, speaking to supporters in Brooklyn after a decisive victory over Andrew Cuomo, the former governor, said New York had shown it would be the “light” in a “moment of political darkness”.

Continue reading...

© Photograph: Jeenah Moon/Reuters

© Photograph: Jeenah Moon/Reuters

© Photograph: Jeenah Moon/Reuters

  •  

Mamdani’s victory is a rebuke to the failed strategies of the Democratic party | Moira Donegan

The Democratic party appears listless and unprincipled, unwilling to fight because they do not believe in anything. Zohran Mamdani is the opposite of this

Reports of the death of the Democratic party seem to have been greatly exaggerated. On Tuesday night, Zohran Mamdani, the 34-year-old political novice who won New Yorkers over with an affable demeanor that seemed to take infectious joy in the people of the city and a relentlessly focused message of affordability, swept to the mayoralty of the US’s largest city with a commanding lead.

In so doing, Mamdani defeated what has been, since 2010’s Citizen’s United decision unleashing unlimited money into American political campaigns, one of the most indefatigable forces in electoral politics: the preferences of billionaires. And it wasn’t close – Mamdani trounced his billionaire-backed opponent by nearly nine points.

Moira Donegan is a Guardian US columnist

Continue reading...

© Photograph: Yuki Iwamura/AP

© Photograph: Yuki Iwamura/AP

© Photograph: Yuki Iwamura/AP

  •  

‘A historic victory’: our panel reacts to Zohran Mamdani’s triumph | Panel

Our panelists discuss what Zohran Mamdani’s victory in the mayoral race means for New York and beyond

Set aside for a moment the interminable back and forth over whether Zohran Mamdani represents the future of the Democratic party. This much is beyond dispute: Mamdani represents the immediate future of New York City, America’s largest town and the financial capital of the world.

Osita Nwanevu is a columnist at Guardian US and the author of The Right of the People: Democracy and the Case for a New American Founding

Judith Levine is Brooklyn-based journalist, essayist and author of five books. Her Substack is Today in Fascism

Malaika Jabali is a columnist at Guardian US

Bhaskar Sunkara is the president of the Nation, the founding editor of Jacobin, and the author of The Socialist Manifesto: The Case for Radical Politics in An Era of Extreme Inequalities

Continue reading...

© Photograph: Jeenah Moon/Reuters

© Photograph: Jeenah Moon/Reuters

© Photograph: Jeenah Moon/Reuters

  •  

Zohran Mamdani: meteoric rise of New York’s visionary new mayor

Charismatic and relatable, the 34-year old energized voters – and provided a blueprint for other progressives to follow

A year ago, Zohran Mamdani was a political unknown. Now, the 34-year-old democratic socialist will be New York’s first Muslim mayor with a profile that stretches far beyond the city, across America and indeed the world.

The one-time underdog turned main character has had a meteoric rise. With a savvy social media presence and grassroots campaign that garnered international attention and galvanized thousands of first-time voters - many of whom are young or people of color, or both - Mamdani has provided a blueprint for canvassing to progressives online.

Continue reading...

© Photograph: Mike Segar/Reuters

© Photograph: Mike Segar/Reuters

© Photograph: Mike Segar/Reuters

  •  

New York mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani challenges Donald Trump in victory speech as Democrats win key US election races – live

Mamdani condemns ‘oligarchy and authoritarianism’ in speech directly talking to Trump as Democrats win California redistricting vote and New Jersey and Virginia gubernatorial elections

at the Ziegfeld Ballroom in midtown Manhattan

There’s a couple of hundred Cuomo supporters at his watch party now. I just saw a man down a bottle of Stella Artois. No sign of Cuomo yet. Among the attenders is Suzanne Miller, a realtor who volunteered for the Cuomo campaign. She said she is “50-50” about his chances of winning. Miller said she was nervous because of Zohran Mamdani’s energetic closing few days of the campaign.

Continue reading...

© Photograph: Jeenah Moon/Reuters

© Photograph: Jeenah Moon/Reuters

© Photograph: Jeenah Moon/Reuters

  •  

Mamdani‑Cuomo race draws Trump into New York City politics amid high‑stakes elections across US – live

Trump throws support to former New York governor as Democratic socialist hopes to become city’s first Muslim mayor

The former US vice-president, Dick Cheney, has died aged 84, according to a family statement.

“Richard B. Cheney, the 46th Vice President of the United States, died last night, November 3, 2025. He was 84 years old,” Cheney’s family said in a statement quoted by The Hill and other media outlets.

Continue reading...

© Photograph: Erik Pendzich/Shutterstock

© Photograph: Erik Pendzich/Shutterstock

© Photograph: Erik Pendzich/Shutterstock

  •  

Democrats fight to rebuild in key state races on election day

With polls showing signs of recovery after a popularity slump, Tuesday’s results will test whether the party can regain voters’ trust

One year after Donald Trump won his way back into the White House, voters are going back to the ballot box in a test of the president’s popularity and whether Democrats are able to rebound from their catastrophic losses of 2024.

With governor’s mansions, mayoral offices, statehouses and mid-cycle redistricting on the line in closely watched contests from Trenton, New Jersey and Richmond, Virginia to New York City and beyond, the party is pinning its hopes on locally rooted campaigns aiming to blunt a national conservative message that has surged in recent years.

Continue reading...

© Photograph: Andrea Renault/ZUMA Press Wire/Shutterstock

© Photograph: Andrea Renault/ZUMA Press Wire/Shutterstock

© Photograph: Andrea Renault/ZUMA Press Wire/Shutterstock

  •  

How Zohran Mamdani charmed New York – podcast

Guardian US writer Adam Gabbatt and columnist Mehdi Hasan explore how Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani came from nowhere to the brink of becoming mayor of New York City

A year ago, Zohran Mamdani was a political nobody. On Tuesday, as New Yorkers head to the polls, he is the overwhelming favourite to become the city’s next mayor.

Guardian US writer Adam Gabbatt charts his rise from his radical campaign promises to his savvy social media videos, and explores how this most unlikely of candidates – a self-proclaimed Democratic socialist, Muslim, born outside the US – has propelled himself to the summit of the city’s politics.

Continue reading...

© Photograph: Brendan McDermid/Reuters

© Photograph: Brendan McDermid/Reuters

© Photograph: Brendan McDermid/Reuters

  •  

Trump threatens to cut funds if ‘communist’ Mamdani wins mayoral election

President backs Cuomo in election eve Truth Social post as Mamdani hits back at Trump’s ‘threat – it is not the law’

On the eve of New York’s well-watched mayoral election, President Donald Trump issued a threat to its voters: stop Zohran Mamdani or pay.

“If Communist Candidate Zohran Mamdani wins the Election for Mayor of New York City, it is highly unlikely that I will be contributing Federal Funds, other than the very minimum as required, to my beloved first home,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social. “I don’t want to send, as President, good money after bad.”

Continue reading...

© Photograph: Shannon Stapleton/Reuters

© Photograph: Shannon Stapleton/Reuters

© Photograph: Shannon Stapleton/Reuters

  •