New York mayor latest: 'Trump's worst nightmare' wins mayoral election - as president reacts during victory speech

Progressives have rallied behind Zohran Mamdani throughout his campaign, with his economic populism and youthful charisma raising his popularity beyond New York.

He has had heavy support from popular US Senator Bernie Sanders and Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, from before he won the primary in June.

For much of his campaign, Democratic leaders in Washington and moderate Democrats were seen actively distancing themselves from Mamdani, with some considering his socialist views too radical.

He has been an outspoken critic of Israel, calling its military campaign in Gaza a "genocide" and saying Palestine should exist as "a state with equal rights," while demanding hefty tax increases on the wealthy to make life more affordable for everyday New Yorkers.

His views have posed a challenge for the leftist leaders, who want to appeal to voters not just in Democratic strongholds like New York but also in swing states or places that lean toward Republicans, such as Senate contests next year in North Carolina and Ohio.

Eric Adams endorsed Andrew Cuomo instead of Mamdani when he dropped out of the race, describing the latter as "a snake-oil salesman" and a "liar".

Party leaders like governor Kathy Hochul and House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries eventually endorsed Mamdani months after he won the nomination.

And while he has not openly endorsed the 34-year-old, The New York Times reported that former US president Barack Obama has called Mamdani and offered to be a "sounding board".

Cuomo has, in turn, attacked the Democratic nominee for calling Obama "evil" and "a liar" in old social media posts.

On the latest episode of the Trump 100 podcast, US correspondents James Matthews and Mark Stone discuss the latest sweep of election wins for Democrats, including Zohran Mamdani's New York City mayor victory.

There were also strong performances in the governor races for the Democrats in New Jersey and Virginia, while the Prop 50 bill passed in California. 

Matthews and Stone ask: Is the national dial shifting away from Donald Trump?

By James Matthews, US correspondent 

It was not the show Donald Trump wanted to see.

America's off-season 'election special' starred Zohran Mamdani, and the supporting cast counted Democrats who won electoral contests across the country.

It was a 'blue wave', of sorts - small but potentially significant.

Mamdani's victory places him as the first Muslim to hold the office of New York mayor. He's the history boy who would style himself as the future of the Democratic Party.

His victory feels big - for him and his political movement. His left-wing politics and promises on affordability chimed with a body of people who feel disenfranchised from politics, whatever the party.

Mamdani hit on the formula that worked for Trump, albeit at the other end of the political spectrum.

He focused, relentlessly, on the cost of living, affordability in unaffordable New York, and it delivered populist appeal. He's a big beast in the party now - too big for the old guard to ignore, as much as they might like.

Andrew Cuomo thanked his supporters in his concession speech, acknowledging his loss but promising to hold the eventual Zohran Mamdani administration accountable.

"I am blessed to have the people in this room," Cuomo said, calling his supporters "a phenomenal team" and "New York patriots."

Cuomo did not mention Mamdani by name until the end of his speech, when he received boos from the crowd for congratulating the mayor-elect.

But earlier in the speech, Cuomo blasted his opponent for making promises "that we know cannot be met."

“Almost half of New Yorkers did not vote to support a government agenda that makes promises that we know cannot be met," Cuomo said, adding that his campaign as an independent after losing the Democratic primary was "necessary to make that point - a caution flag that we are heading down a dangerous, dangerous road."

"Well, we made that point, and they heard us, and we will hold them to it," he said.

Donald Trump, unsurprisingly, has been critical of Zohran Mamdani, calling him a "communist" who "doesn't know a thing" and "probably never worked a day in his life".

He even suggested Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa should drop out to give Andrew Cuomo a bigger share of votes, and on the day before the last day of voting, explicitly endorsed the independent candidate on Truth Social.

After warning that a win for Mamdani would mean "it is highly unlikely that I will be contributing Federal Funds, other than the very minimum as required, to my beloved first home," the US president said: "I would much rather see a Democrat, who has had a Record of Success, WIN, than a Communist with no experience and a Record of COMPLETE AND TOTAL FAILURE.

"Whether you personally like Andrew Cuomo or not, you really have no choice. You must vote for him, and hope he does a fantastic job. He is capable of it, Mamdani is not!"

Throughout his campaign to be mayor, Mamdani has equally been critical of the Trump administration - in particular about the immigration raids seen in cities like Chicago and Los Angeles, vowing to hire more lawyers for the city to challenge any National Guard or ICE deployment.

In August, he said a New York with him as mayor would be "Donald Trump's worst nightmare".

And after the US president said he would prefer Cuomo as mayor, Mamdani sarcastically congratulated the former governor.

A former White House communications director says Zohran Mamdani won his New York mayor race as - like US President Donald Trump during the 2024 presidential elections - he campaigned on a single issue.

Anthony Scaramucci tells Mornings with Ridge and Frost that Trump's non-stop messaging on immigration sent him back to the White House, while Mamdani's promises to make New York more affordable for its residents hit home. 

But there were other means of communication from Mamdani that Scaramucci says helped him win the election.

"He's charismatic. He had a great social media team. He's an improvisational person, which is very, very important for today."

By comparison, Scaramucci says Mamdani's main rival, 67-year-old former New York governor Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat running as an independent, relaunched his campaign "staring at the camera and talking like a robot", which didn't endear him to young voters.

That's the question put to our US correspondent James Matthews. 

Speaking on Mornings with Ridge and Frost, he said Zohran Mamdani's victory in the mayoral election in New York "feels like one man" - but also "feels like something bigger than just the winning of a big job in City Hall".

"The Democratic movement at large have to address his success," he said.

"This is an individual who has injected hope into the democratic movement. I witnessed it tonight at a watch party in Queens. There's real enthusiasm for what has happened."

But the big challenges lie ahead, as Matthews outlines in the clip below...

With almost all the ballots counted, Zohran Mamdani received more votes - at least 1.03 million - than all the other candidates combined in the New York mayor election.

The contest featured three leading candidates: Mamdani, a Democrat; former New York governor Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat running as an independent; and Curtis Sliwa, a Republican.

Incumbent mayor Eric Adams was also running as a third-party hopeful but dropped out of the race this autumn, though his name still appeared on ballots.

Some 90.5% of the votes are expected to have been counted already, with an estimated 215,000 ballots remaining.

New York has followed London in choosing hope over fear by electing Zohran Mamdani as its new mayor, his London counterpart Sir Sadiq Khan says.

Sir Sadiq congratulated Mamdani on what he called an "historic campaign" and took a jab at the Trump administration by suggesting New Yorkers had rejected "fear".

Donald Trump has previously described Sir Sadiq as "among the worst mayors in the world", admitting he asked for him not to be invited to his state banquet hosted by the King at Windsor Castle in September.

With Donald Trump's self-styled "worst nightmare" winning the race for the New York mayoralty, politics in the US has shifted - again.

For a quick breakdown on what happened and what this means, our Breakfast team has you covered with the Cheat Sheet, which you may listen to below...

👉Listen to Cheat Sheet on your podcast app👈