Zohran Mamdani emerges frontrunner as New York City gears up for mayoral election

New York City is set to elect its next mayor on Tuesday, with 34-year-old Zohran Kwame Mamdani, an Indian-origin lawmaker and democratic socialist, emerging as the frontrunner in one of the most closely watched races in the United States.

The New York State Assembly member, born in Uganda and raised in Queens, is running on a progressive platform that promises to make life more affordable in a city he says has become “too expensive for ordinary New Yorkers.”

Mamdani, who defeated former Governor Andrew Cuomo in the Democratic primary in June, will face Cuomo – now contesting as an independent – and Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa in Tuesday’s election.