Zohran Mamdani made history on Election Day by becoming the first Muslim elected New York City Mayor. Of the more than 2 million ballots cast, 1,036,051 (50.4%) voted for Mamdani with 97.98% of scanners reported at the end of the night. Former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, who ran an independent campaign after losing to Mamdani in the Democratic Primary, came in second place with 854,995 votes (41.59%) and Republican Curtis Sliwa came in a distant third with 146,137 votes (7.1%).
In his victory speech, Mamdani, who identifies as a Democratic Socialist, declared his win a “mandate for change,” and said his campaign had “toppled a political dynasty” by defeating Cuomo. He also reiterated his goal to make New York City affordable through the various proposals he laid out in his campaign, including freezing rents in rent-controlled apartments, making the city’s buses free, creating city-owned grocery stores, and increasing taxes for wealthy residents.
Mamdani will be sworn in at 12:01 A.M. on January 1, 2026, which will leave his Assembly seat vacant. As of now, three members of the Democratic Socialists of America have said they intend to run to succeed Mamdani – Diana Moreno, Mary Jobaida, and Rana Abdelhamid.
While the New York City Mayoral Race was the most watched, there were several other notable elections, including local races that will open three other seats in the state Legislature, and a special election to fill a North Country Assembly district. Those elections include:
NYC Council District 2
Assemblymember Harvey Epstein won his race for City Council by 62 points, meaning his Assembly seat will be vacant at the beginning of the next Legislative Session.
Manhattan Borough President
Democratic Senator Brad Hoylman-Sigal, who chairs the Senate Judiciary Committee, will leave his seat come January after winning his election for Manhattan Borough President with 81% of the vote.
Buffalo Mayor
Another Senate seat will be vacant in January after Democratic Senator Sean Ryan was elected Buffalo’s next Mayor. Ryan, who is the Chair of the Senate Commerce, Economic Development and Small Business Committee, had a commanding win, defeating Republican James Gardner with 71.6% of the vote.
Assembly District 115 Special Election
In a hotly contested special election for Assembly District 115, which was vacated by Democrat Billy Jones in August, Republicans failed to flip the seat. Democrat Michael Cashman won the seat, beating out Republican Brent Davison 51.5% to 47.2%
As of now, Governor Hochul has not indicated when she will call special elections for the Assembly and Senate seats that will be vacated in January.