Kayla Epstein
Reporting from New York

As Mamdani builds up the momentum of his speech, he repeats the word “hope” several times.

“Today we have spoken in a clear voice: hope is alive,” Mamdani tells supporters.

“Hope” of course, is famously associated with Barack Obama, another young Democrat that conquered the political world by running a campaign based on a promise of change.

Mamdani cultivated a similar energy from his base, which is now being expressed in deafening cheers from thousands of supporters here.

“This will be an age where New Yorkers will expect of their leaders a bold vision,” Mamdani says.

Image source, Reuters

Mamdani says today's win is for the more than 100,000 volunteers "who built this campaign into an unstoppable force".

"Because of you," he says to those volunteers, "we will make this city one that working people can love and live in again.

"New York City, breathe this moment in.

"We have held our breath for longer than we know. We have held it in anticipation of defeat. Held it because the air has been knocked out of our lungs too many times to count. Held it because we cannot afford to exhale, thanks to all of those who sacrifice so much.

"We are breathing in the air of a city that has been reborn."

Sakshi Venkatraman
Reporting from New York

The Manhattan watch party where I’ve been reporting tonight just erupted in screams, cheers and chants of “Mamdani! Mamdani!”

People in the bar scream “Mashallah habibi”, an Arabic phrase that means “god has willed it”.

People also go crazy at Mamdani's mentions of toppling Cuomo.

Mamdani continues his speech with an emotional tribute to his parents and wife.

He says to his parents: "You have made me into the man I am today. I am so proud to be your son."

To his wife Rama, he says, there is "no one I would rather have by my side in this moment and in every moment".

Mamdani is speaking over loud cheers at his campaign party.

"My friends, we have toppled a political dynasty," he tells the crowd.

He tells his opponent Andrew Cuomo: "I wish Andrew Cuomo only the best in private life...

"But let tonight be the final time that I utter his name."

Mamdani goes on to talk about his platform, saying voters have delivered a "mandate for change" and a "mandate for a city we can afford".

Mamdani begins to highlight the diverse New York voting groups who helped power his campaign, including "Yemeni bodega owners" and "Senagelese taxi drivers", Uzbek nurses and Ethopian "aunties".

Kayla Epstein
Reporting from Brookyln

As Mamdani strides out on stage, the crowd roars.

From my spot right at the front, it feels like a wall of sound coming at me.

Behind us is a sea of phones and Mamdani signs.

People are packed in, beaming. This is a huge moment for the young and progressive voters who backed his campaign.

Image source, Reuters

Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani has emerged on stage waving and smiling as the crowd roars with cheers and chants of "Zohran!"

Mamdani says today marks the dawn of a better day for humanity.

"For as long as we can remember, the working people of New York have been told by the wealthy and the well-connected that power does not belong in their hands," Mamdani says.

"And yet, over the last 12 months, you have dared to reach for something greater. Tonight, against all odds, we have grasped it."

"The future is in our hands," he says, as the crowd cheers.

Image source, Getty Images

Zohran Mamdani is giving his victory speech at his campaign’s celebration in Brooklyn.

Click Watch live above.

Senator Bernie Sanders, an independent from Vermont who grew up in Brooklyn, is rejoicing in Mamdani's win.

After starting at 1% in the polls, Mamdani "pulled off one of the great political upsets in modern American history", Sanders, who endorsed the Democratic socialist in June, writes on X.

"We CAN create a government that represents working people and not the 1%. I look forward to working with Zohran as he builds a city that works for all."

Image source, EPA/Shutterstock

The BBC's US partner CBS News projects that California's Prop 50 redistricting plan has passed.

Californians were asked to weigh in on a proposal championed by Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom to redraw their US House district maps in a rare mid-decade redistricting, as Democrats try to counter Republicans' efforts in states such as Texas to give their party an advantage in next year's midterm elections.

More follows...

It is 23:00 on the East Coast, which means it is 20:00 in California, and polls have now closed after a day of voters having their say on Prop 50’s redistricting proposal.

Stay tuned…

Image source, Reuters

Cuomo is delivering his concession speech, cheering on the 42% of voters who cast their ballots for him.

He is sticking to many of his campaign points, arguing that Mamdani has promised too many policies he cannot deliver on.

He focuses on public safety, and an economy of "jobs and opportunities".

"We will not make the NYPD the enemy," he adds.

He congratulates Mamdani, sparking boos from the crowd.

"That is not right," the former New York governor says in response to the boos. He pledges to help the city government "in any way that we can".

Image source, Reuters

If Curtis Sliwa had dropped out of the race, as some urged him to do, it may have given Cuomo more of an edge, an exit poll from CBS News, the BBC's US partner, shows.

If the race had only been between Mamdani and Cuomo, 54% of Sliwa voters say they would have voted for Cuomo, while 41% say they wouldn't have voted at all, the exit poll shows. Only 4% of Sliwa voters say they would have voted for Mamdani, according to the poll.

In the same situation - if it was only Mamdani versus Cuomo - 47% of all voters polled say they would have voted for Mamdani and 44% say they would have voted for Cuomo, CBS's exit poll shows.

That means if Sliwa was taken out of the equation, the race would have likley been much closer between Cuomo and Mamdani, with Mamdani still holding a small advantage.

Sakshi Venkatraman
Reporting from New York

One woman told me Mamdani’s win is a sigh of relief for people who are thinking about having children in the city.

“It’s pretty exciting. It feels like a giant rebuke to the entire Trump administration,” Carmen Surana, 35, says.

Surana, a resident of Manhattan’s Harlem neighborhood, says she loves Mamdani’s plans for affordable childcare and lowering the cost of living.

“I don’t have any kids right now but it’s something I do consider in the future,” she says.

“Everything is getting more expensive, so to have a mayor that is actively fighting against higher costs is something I really care about.”

She says criticism of his age and experience is unfounded.

“I think that happens to every young person who is trying to make a difference or challenge the status quo.”

Kayla Epstein
Reporting from Brooklyn

Now that Mamdani is projected as the winner of the New York City mayoral race, the VIPs - both political and famous - are showing up.

New York attorney general Letitia James is here, as is Congresswoman Nydia Velasquez. And Cynthia Nixon, the Sex and the City actor who once ran for governor against Cuomo, is here too.

Sakshi Venkatraman
Reporting from New York

Image source, Reuters

We now know that the next mayor of New York will be 34-year-old state assemblyman and self-identified democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani.

Largely unknown before winning the the Democratic primary over the summer with a dynamic, social-media focused campaign, supporters hail him as representing a new wave of progressive politics, whereas others, like Trump, lambaste him as a "communist".

Born in Kampala, Uganda, Mamdani moved to New York with his family aged seven. He attended the Bronx High School of Science and later earned a degree in Africana Studies from Bowdoin College, where he co-founded the campus chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine.

Mamdani would be the city's first Muslim and South Asian mayor, and has referenced his identity as a way to build support across the diverse city, posting campaign videos of himself speaking Urdu and Spanish.

He promises affordable housing, free public buses, rent freezes and universal childcare for kids under 5 years old.

"This is a city where one in four of its people are living in poverty, a city where 500,000 kids go to sleep hungry every night," he told the BBC at a recent event. "And ultimately, it's a city that is in danger of losing that which it makes it so special."

Morgan Gisholt Minard
Reporting from New York

Despite attempts by the White House and the Republican party to stick Democrats with the sole responsibility and blame for the government shutdown - which tomorrow will become the longest in history, President Trump appears to be pointing to it as one of the reasons his party took a beating tonight.

The president recently posted on social media and suggested that the shutdown, and himself not being on the ballot, were the reasons for tonight's losses.

Shutdowns are never popular, but conventional wisdom and public opinion polling shows that the incumbent party - in this case President Trump’s Republican party - usually takes a hit.

We’ll await more conclusive results about the impact of the shutdown on these elections, but according to the president, these elections have come at a bad time for any on-the-fence voters who think Republicans should shoulder this blame, and may have brought that into the ballot box today.

Image source, Reuters

In her victory speech just now, New Jersey's governor-elect Mikie Sherrill also thanks those who joined her what she called the "fight for a better future".

"I know these are tough times. I know not everyone voted for me, but I'm working for everyone. Every. Single. One. Of. You. When we all do better, we all do better," she says.

She also brings in imagery of the Statue of Liberty and the reminder of her promise: "Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free."

"She declares that her lamp lights the path to the golden door. That golden door is New Jersey. It always has been, and that expectation is well deserved, especially after this election where we chose we're going to follow Lady Liberty speaking," she says.

"We're not going to give in to our darker impulses here in New Jersey, we know that this nation has not ever been, nor will it ever be, ruled by kings. We take oaths to a constitution, not a king."

Again citing New Jersey's state motto, she notes that the electorate has chosen liberty, calling it "the very foundation of democracy" and prosperity, which is "necessary to create opportunity for all".

Sherill also quotes New Jersey native Bruce Springsteen in her speech.

"So New Jersey, to quote the Boss, the future is now. Roll up your sleeves. Let your passion flow. The country we carry in our hearts is waiting."

Sakshi Venkatraman
Reporting from Manhattan

Image source, Sakshi Venkatraman / BBC

Mamdani supporters from all walks of life tell me they’ve been waiting for this moment.

Zack George, a 27-year-old financial analyst who lives on the Upper East Side, said Mamdani brought back his excitement for politics.

“Like a lot of American, I’ve lost faith in politics,” he said.

He likened Mamdani’s campaign to Obama’s 2008 presidential campaign, saying, “It’s about hope, it’s about change.”

Chevez Sanchez, 25, was born and raised in Brooklyn. He hopes Mamdani being elected mayor means more families like his aren’t pushed out of the city by rising costs.

“They keep saying that all the rich people are gonna leave, but throughout my life, the only people I know that leave are working class people,” he says.

He calls Mamdani a “working class hero” and said he’s feeling great about his win tonight.

New York rents are among the highest in the world and Mamdani says that is one area of affordability he wants to tackle.

What does Mamdani's win mean for the future of the Democratic Party?published at 03:19 GMT 5 November 2025

03:19 GMT 5 November 2025

Nada Tawfik
Reporting from New York

Zohran Mamdani’s stunning rise has forced Democrats into a necessary debate about the future of party, one year out from the midterm elections.

His campaign exposed generational and ideological divides within the base, with very different visions on how to take on President Donald Trump in his norm shattering second term.

Is it best to lean towards moderation? Or is the same anti-establishment, populist message that propelled Trump to victory, only in the left’s image, the antidote to fight back?

In New York at least, the democratic socialist showed voters are hungry for the latter. But what about the rest of the country?

Brad Lander, the NYC comptroller who is an ally of Mamdani’s, told me there isn’t a one size fits all solution.

But he said Democratic leadership must acknowledge different things will work in different parts of the country and let the primary process play out.

Meanwhile, Andres Bernal, a former policy advisor to another progressive superstar, NY Representative Alexandria Ocasio Cortez, says Democrats can learn from Mamdani’s ability to connect with people’s concerns in a way that feels authentic.

"Today’s Republicans shape public discourse and they try to shape political consciousness in this country," Bernal argues, "While Democrats kind of just assume that people have fixed believes and they look at polls and say, okay, how do we match what we say to what we think people believe?"