The 34-year-old Democratic Socialist’s team includes some familiar faces to New Yorkers. He must now navigate New York’s notorious local politics.
Zoran Mamdani’s New York Major Race
Mamdani, 34, will be New York City’s first Muslim and South Asian mayor.
NEW YORK – In his first hours as New York City’s next mayor, Zoran Mamdani said he intends to reassure a nervous political community by bringing an experienced business executive to his administration.
On the morning of Nov. 5, the 34-year-old Democratic Socialist announced a progressive but mainstream transition team to implement his affordability-focused policies.
“The poetry of campaigning may have ended at 9 o’clock last night, but the beautiful prose of governing has only just begun,” Mamdani, a state representative from Queens, told reporters in front of the Unisphere, a towering steel globe built for the 1964 World’s Fair.
This sentence itself could be interpreted as an olive branch. It was a reference to former Governor Mario Cuomo’s famous observation that politicians “campaign in poetry” but “govern in prose.” Mamdani just defeated Cuomo’s son, fellow former governor Andrew, in the mayoral race.
“The hard work to improve the lives of New Yorkers begins now,” Mamdani added.
experienced team
Mamdani, who won the mayoral election less than 24 hours later, will take over City Hall on New Year’s Day. His transition team includes some familiar faces to New Yorkers.
Elana Leopold, a political strategist who held several senior positions under former Mayor Bill de Blasio, will lead the team as executive director.
The four transition co-chairs include Lina Khan, the Biden administration’s Federal Trade Commission chair; Maria Torres Springer, former First Deputy Mayor under current Mayor Eric Adams; Grace Bonilla, president and CEO of United Way of New York City and a former de Blasio administration appointee. and Melanie Hartzog, de Blasio’s deputy mayor for health and human services and previously director of the Office of Management and Budget.
Mr. de Blasio supported Mr. Mamdani, while Mr. Adams supported Mr. Cuomo.
Even before Mamdani won the mayoral race, he faced threats from the Trump administration to strip the city of even more federal funding. On election night, Mamdani called President Donald Trump directly and said that as mayor, he would protect New Yorkers. Mamdani said he would work with Trump to reduce the cost of living.
“Despite the headwinds we face as a city and as a country, our next mayor has reignited something that is truly very powerful: our shared faith in New York’s ability to do big things and dream boldly,” said Torres Springer.
Earlier this year, Torres Springer and other city leaders resigned from the current Adams administration. President Trump’s Justice Department dropped federal corruption charges in exchange for cooperation with the administration’s immigration crackdown, which Adams denied in return. The scandal rocked Adams’ City Hall and contributed to his ouster as one-term mayor.
During the campaign, Mr. Mamdani sought to reassure voters that he could manage the city’s $116 billion budget, which serves 8.5 million New Yorkers, even though he is young and has little experience in the state Legislature. He will also oversee a police department larger than many countries’ entire militaries.
Notably, he said he would keep current Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch in charge of the NYPD. Tisch’s ultra-wealthy father, James, was a major donor to former Republican mayoral candidates, including Rudy Giuliani. Her cousin Laurie Tisch has donated $150,000 to the effort to defeat Mamdani.
Mamdani is also being advised by Patrick Gaspard, a former aide to Barack Obama who previously headed the liberal think tank Center for American Progress.
During the Democratic primary in June, Mamdani announced a mutual endorsement with City Comptroller Brad Lander, a Brooklyn Democrat seen as an experienced city politician. Lander’s support proved key to Mamdani’s general election victory over former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who had a scandalous record.
On November 4, Mamdani defeated Cuomo, who is running as an independent, for the second time. Billionaires poured millions of dollars against Mamdani’s candidacy.
“What we saw last night was New Yorkers not just electing a new mayor, but clearly rejecting politics that is too dominated by big corporate power and money,” said Khan, an antitrust lawyer who resigned from the FTC when Trump took office.
On Nov. 6, Mamdani flew to Puerto Rico and continued on his way to City Hall, his spokeswoman Dora Pequec said. It may sound like a vacation after a grueling campaign, but he is Mr. Somos, the New York Democratic Party’s unofficial annual power-brokering summit.
Eduardo Cuevas is based in New York City. Contact us via email (emcuevas1@usatoday.com) or Signal (emcuevas.01).
