Concluding a mayoral race that generated widespread public discourse and drew international attention, Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani was elected as the mayor of New York City, defeating former New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo and Republican Curtis Sliwa. On Vassar College’s campus, many students celebrated the results of the election, expressing excitement about Mamdani’s proposed policies and vision for New York City.
Mamdani, a state assemblyman for New York’s 36th district in Astoria, Queens, surprised Democrats when he beat Cuomo by 12 points in the Democratic primary, securing the party’s nomination. His victory in the general election follows an extensive grassroots campaign, which included over 100,000 volunteers and an expansive social media presence. Mamdani’s campaign energized city residents as well as people around the world. He secured over 1 million votes in the general election, which had the city’s highest voter turnout in a mayoral election since 2001.
Mamdani collected endorsements from numerous federal, state and local officials. Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders and New York Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez endorsed Mamdani in June, ahead of the primary election. New York Governor Kathy Hochul followed in September. On the other hand, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries endorsed Mamdani only in late October. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer never endorsed him. While Schumer did endorse Eric Adams ahead of the 2021 mayoral election, his announcement came only days before the election.
Several Vassar students from New York City expressed overwhelming support for Mamdani in conversations with The Miscellany News. Many students emphasized that their vote for Mamdani was unique because it was not just a party line vote. “I voted for Zohran Mamdani, finally, not because he was the only viable candidate, [but] because I actually was excited about his progressive views for New York City,” said Avery Epstein ’28, a Brooklyn Heights native who canvassed for Mamdani over the summer. Marley Correll ’28, who lives in the East Village and also canvassed for Mamdani, commented, “I was excited to vote for him, not just as ‘Don’t vote for Cuomo,’ which was an incredibly new experience. I’ve never been that excited to vote for someone.” Atia Guzman Briones ’27, a Jamaica, Queens resident who voted for Mamdani, expressed her appreciation for the mayor-elect’s perspective on politics: “We need more young people in politics, they’re more open-minded and dare to try or even just suggest new things that might just work and pull us out of these very dark times.”
Many students described a positive environment throughout the city in the lead-up to the election. “The community I live in is mostly Muslim and Brown and Arab,” said Ahnaf Ahmed ’28, from Jamaica, Queens. “It’s a no-brainer. And if you go to every mosque or every Friday prayer, you’ll always see someone talking about Zohran. It was pretty hyped up, but I didn’t see people talking about policies and stuff.”
“The vibe was so joyful. It was kind of amazing,” Epstein recalled. “People wanted to engage in these long conversations and say how excited they were. Honestly, the whole energy of the city in the summer was amazing. People at the beach were excited about Zohran and talking to each other.”
Mamdani’s platform was primarily focused on affordability. On housing, he proposes freezing the rent of New York City’s two million rent-stabilized apartments, as well as building 200,000 housing units in the next decade. This proposal would fast-track 100 percent affordable developments. He also plans to create a network of city-owned grocery stores, designed to keep prices low; make all city buses free; raise the corporate tax rate to 11.5 percent, matching New Jersey’s and tax those making over $1 million annually at two percent. He pledges to make childcare free for children six weeks to five years old and provide all new parents with a free “baby basket” of essentials like diapers, baby wipes and post-partum pads. Mamdani also plans to create a Department of Community Safety to address mental health problems and crisis responses such as putting outreach workers in 100 subway stations.
“These days, the police are not trusted in NYC; they’ve gained a reputation for not only failing to do their jobs but also for doing more harm than good,” wrote Guzman Briones. “The idea of a new department meant to deal with mental health crises specifically gives me a sense of safety, knowing that the people who are causing trouble due to possible mental health crises aren’t just going to be getting yelled at or beaten around, but actually getting the help that they need.”
Correll added, “I think that his campaign is really hopeful, very inspiring in a time when we have horrible political things going on. And I also think that his campaign is the most person [and] need-centered campaign that we’ve had in a really long time.” Charlotte Sand ’26 expressed similar sentiments, writing, “I have always really liked his platform and the way that he plans to prioritize working class New Yorkers as opposed to catering to billionaires and corporate interests. I think that his approach represents a break from establishment [D]emocrats in the politics of NYC and the country.”
Not every student agreed with all of Mamdani’s policies. Epstein criticized Mamdani’s plan to freeze the rent of rent-stabilized apartments, because such apartments are often held in families for generations. “You end up with a lot of people occupying rent-stabilized apartments who no longer need it, and a lot of people who could really use a rent-stabilized apartment, who will never get one because they’re a finite supply,” Epstein explained. “So I think that that is not the best way to address the housing crisis in New City.” Epstein added that she supports Mamdani’s plan to build more housing units and fast-track affordable housing.
Some students emphasized that Mamdani may not live up to the high expectations placed on him. “The thing is, even though he’s promising all this stuff, as fast as he went up, we can bring him down that fast too, if he doesn’t deliver on his promises, and if he’s not the person that we thought he was to be,” noted Aqib Shajahan ’28, from East New York, Brooklyn. “I voted for him. But in the end, I still think he’s a politician.”
Correll expressed a similar sentiment. “I would hope that we all stay involved and keep him accountable for whatever he’s doing, which I think we will do,” she said. “And also, I do have a certain hope in his mayorship, but I think I would rather think that he’s gonna do something good and be excited about visions of something better than settle for something that feels more attainable, that’s not actually good.”
Mamdani’s victory concludes a highly contentious mayoral race which featured widespread attacks on the state assemblyman’s character, religion, policies and lack of political experience.
Some noted their concerns with Mamdani’s level of experience. “The two biggest things I value are candidate experience and personal character… Mamdami has no managerial experience and would struggle to lead a team that could smoothly administrate, but has a personal character that is much closer to what a leader should have,” wrote Nat Zucker ’27, a Brooklyn native.
Students expressed their concerns over Cuomo’s 2021 resignation from the Governor’s Office, which followed the publication of a report by the state Attorney General’s office which determined that Cuomo sexually harassed at least 13 female employees. “It’s ultimately very important that people who do have a long history of sexual assault claims against them are not president or mayor of New York,” wrote Lucy Gaffneyboro ’27, a Brooklyn resident. “[When] Andrew Cuomo was governor, he did his COVID reports and that was nice, but then he stopped being governor and we need to think about why that is.”
Others critiqued Cuomo’s mayoral campaign. “Cuomo has blatantly shown that he does not care for the people of New York City, especially people who rely on food stamps and government subsidies who are the most vulnerable to the rising price of living,” wrote Gloria Strettell ’28, a Manhattan native.
Some felt Mamdani’s win was primarily an expression of New Yorkers’ dislike of Cuomo. “I think it was more not liking Cuomo,” said Ahmed. “People did like Zohran, though, people obviously liked him, but I feel like they were just looking at it based off how much they hated Cuomo and how much better Mamdani is as a speaker and a politician.”
Mamdani’s victory represents one of many Democratic victories in state and local elections across the country. In New Jersey and Virginia, Democratic candidates Mikie Sherrill and Abigail Spanberger won their respective gubernatorial elections. On the West Coast, California constituents voted to pass the state Democratic party’s Proposition 50, which mandates the redrawing of the state’s congressional maps ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. The proposal is a response to the Texas legislature’s approval of a redrawn congressional map.
In Dutchess County, Democratic and Working Families candidates beat Republicans in multiple races. Kara Gerry beat incumbent Ned McLoughlin to become County Court judge, a 10-year position. Dan Aymar-Blair beat Republican Will Truitt in the comptroller race. Furthermore, Democrats flipped the county legislature from red to blue for the first time since 2008. In Poughkeepsie, Democrat Rebecca Edwards, Vassar Professor of History on the Eloise Ellery Chair who is on leave, won re-election as Town Supervisor. Democrats also hold a super-majority on the town board, with five of six seats.