Who is Zohran Mamdani? The Democrat socialist who could become New York City's next mayor

Self-described Democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani could become New York City's mayor after voting in the mayoral election closes on Tuesday.

The 34-year-old candidate's win in the Democratic mayoral primary against then-favourite Andrew Cuomo - a former New York governor making a political comeback from a sexual harassment scandal - shocked the nation.

But polls now have him as the firm favourite to take over from outgoing mayor Eric Adams.

He's still up against Mr Cuomo, who is now running as an independent, along with Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa.

If New Yorkers vote him in, Mr Mamdani will be the city's first Muslim and Indian American mayor. He will also be the youngest and most liberal New York City leader in generations.

But how did he get here, what does he stand for, and why has he proved a divisive figure?

From rapper to mayoral candidate

Mr Mamdani, a state lawmaker, was relatively unknown when he announced his run in October last year.

He was elected to the State Assembly in 2020, representing a district in Queens, becoming the first South Asian man to serve in the NYS Assembly, as well as the first Ugandan and third Muslim to ever be a member of the body.

Before that he was on the city's rapping scene, going by Young Cardamom and later as Mr Cardamom.

He made a song called #1 Spice with the artist HAB for the 2016 Disney film Queen of Katwe, which was directed by his mother Mira Nair, an award-winning filmmaker, while another song, Nani - a tribute to his grandmother - was released in 2019.

How did Mamdani become the favourite for mayor?

His energetic campaign, with cost-of-living concerns at its heart, has made Mr Mamdani popular among working-class voters.

He has used social media to engage with a younger demographic, with slickly-produced videos earning him nearly 5 million followers on Instagram and 1.6 million on TikTok.

He has set out his vision of free buses, free childcare, new apartments and a higher minimum wage - paid for by new taxes on the rich.

Likewise, he has also shared plans to hire thousands of new teachers, renegotiate city contracts and freeze rent increases for the city's one million rent-regulated apartments.

Mr Mamdani's campaign has also been helped by controversies plaguing his competitors.

Mr Cuomo has been trying to make a political comeback from a sexual harassment scandal that saw him resign as governor of New York state in 2021.

His resignation came after a report from the state attorney general concluded that he had sexually harassed at least 11 women. Mr Cuomo has said he did not intentionally mistreat the women but had run afoul of what was considered appropriate workplace conduct.

The 67-year-old refused to back down after losing the Democratic primary to Mr Mamdani, and has become a more likely winner as an independent than Republican candidate Mr Sliwa, owing to New York's largely Democratic-leaning population.

But the other candidates have continued to use the allegations against Mr Cuomo as fuel during their campaigns, including Mr Mamdani, who, in the final mayoral debate, said one of his alleged victims was in the crowd and asked him: "What do you say to the 13 women that you sexually harassed?"

Adding to Mr Mamdani's chances is the fact that the current mayor, Eric Adams, decided to drop out of the race for re-election in September.

Mr Adams, a Democrat and former senior police officer in the NYPD, enjoyed strong ratings from New Yorkers early in his term, but his reputation took a hit after he was charged with taking bribes and illegal campaign contributions from foreign nationals last year. The charges have since been dropped.

When he dropped out of the race, Mr Mamdani framed Mr Adams' mayoralty as a failed "promise to working-class New Yorkers".

"He raised their rents, slowed their buses and cut funding for their schools, libraries and childcare," he said of Mr Adams.

He went on to declare "a new day is coming" because he will "deliver a government every New Yorker could be proud of".

Why Mamdani is a divisive figure on the left

Progressives have rallied behind Mr 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 Mr 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.

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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.

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

Mr Cuomo has tried to position himself as the safe choice for Democrats' endorsement despite running independently.

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

Mr Jeffries, a moderate New York Democrat, said he had disagreements with Mr Mamdani but supported him as the nominee, adding that the party should unify against Republicans and Donald Trump.

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

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

How does Trump feel about Mamdani?

Mr Trump, unsurprisingly, has been critical of Mr 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 Mr Sliwa should drop out to give Mr 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 Mr 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.

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"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, Mr 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 Mr Cuomo as mayor, Mr Mamdani sarcastically congratulated the former governor, saying "I know how hard you worked for this".

Born in Uganda, raised in New York

Mr Mamdani was born in Kampala, Uganda, and was raised there and briefly in South Africa until he was seven years old, when his family moved to New York.

He was raised by filmmaker mother Mira Nair, best known for 2001 comedy/drama Monsoon Wedding, and his father Mahmood Mamdani, an anthropology professor at Columbia University.

He went to a public school and attended the Bronx High School of Science, before receiving a degree in Africana Studies from Bowdoin College, where he co-started the school's first Students for Justice in Palestine chapter.

He became naturalised as an American citizen in 2018, and worked as a foreclosure prevention housing counsellor.

The politician says that the job, which saw him help low-income homeowners of colour across Queens fight off eviction and stay in their homes, inspired him to run for office.

Mr Trump has alleged without evidence that Mr Mamdani is in the US "illegally," and some Republicans have called for his deportation.

Mr Mamdani married Rama Duwaji, a Syrian American artist whom he met on the dating app Hinge, earlier this year.