Zohran Mamdani says his victory is part of a ‘larger referendum’ on the future of the Democratic Party

New York Democratic mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani said Wednesday that the victory achieved Tuesday night in the primary is nothing more than a "larger referendum" on the direction of the Democratic Party. In an interview on MSNBC, the far-left politician talked about his win over former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and how the party is moving in a different direction. "I think it is part of a larger referendum on where our party goes. And I think one of the hopes that we had from the very beginning of this campaign was to move our political instinct from lecturing to listening," the Muslim-born socialist told host Jen Psaki.

When asked if he wanted to receive the endorsement o from the highest-profile Democratic leaders in the country, such as House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries or Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, he told Psaki that he would certainly accept.  "I want their support, and I want the support of any leader across this city and this state and this country, because ultimately, what we are looking to show New Yorkers is the fact that this is an ever-expanding coalition," he said.

Historic decline

Cuomo, who many believed was the favorite to beat Mamdani, conceded victory to the Muslim-born politician, on a night that will go down in New York’s history both for electing such a radical figure and for the historic decline of one who has been considered by many Democrats as one of the most important politicians the city has ever had. After all, several supported Cuomo, despite his scandals, just as many Democratic leaders and even openly progressive media outlets like the New York Times highlighted the danger posed by the victory of a socialist like Mamdani.

While the former governor did not rule out a possible independent candidacy in November, it seems unlikely that he would win.