New York — Fresh Winning the New York City mayoral electionZahran Mamdani said Wednesday he would immediately begin preparing to implement his affordability agenda, while also seeking to convince skeptical New Yorkers that “no matter what your policies are, we’re all facing the same issues.”
“We owe it to this city to be ready on January 1 to start the handover,” Mamdani said in his first television interview since declaring victory on Tuesday night. “We have 57 days, 57 days to start getting ready for January 1st to get to work.”
“I look forward to introducing a city where New Yorkers can expect more from their leaders,” he added.
With his victory over former Governor Andrew Cuomo and Republican Curtis Sliwa, The 34-year-old democratic socialist He will soon become the city’s first Muslim mayor, the first mayor of South Asian descent, the first born in Africa, and the youngest mayor in more than a century.
He now faces the daunting task of following through on his ambitious promises while navigating the bureaucratic challenges faced by the City Council and City Council. Hostile Trump administration.
“I am confident that the same policies we followed over the past year will be implemented,” he said.
Mamdani also said he had not heard from former Gov. Andrew Cuomo or outgoing Mayor Eric Adams. He spoke with Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa.
Cuomo spokesman Rich Azzopardi said he would “let their speeches be the measure of grace and leave it at that.”
In his victory speech to his supporters, Mamdani wished Cuomo the best in his private life, before adding: “Let tonight be the last time I speak his name, as we turn the page on a policy that abandons the many and responds only to the few.”
Asked about the comments on Wednesday, Mamdani said he was “very disappointed by the nature of intolerance and racism that we have witnessed in recent weeks.” He pointed to the millions of dollars in attack ads spent against him, some of which… Played into Islamophobia tropes.
More than 2 million New Yorkers cast ballots in the contest, the largest turnout in a mayoral race in more than 50 years, according to the city’s Board of Elections. With nearly 90% of the votes counted, Mamdani had a nearly 9 percentage point lead over Cuomo.
Mamdani, who has been criticized throughout the campaign for his thin resume, will now have to start staffing his next administration and planning how to achieve the ambitious but polarizing agenda that propelled him to victory.
“The direction here should be to make sure that excellence sets the tone for the people I surround myself with, whether in hires to the team or in the overall expectations that are set on city council,” Mamdani said.
Among the campaign promises are free child care, free city bus service, city-run grocery stores and a new Department of Community Safety that would send mental health care workers to handle certain emergency calls instead of police officers. It is unclear how Mamdani will finance the costs of such initiatives, given Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul’s consistent opposition to his calls to raise taxes on the wealthy.
On Wednesday, he described his support from Hochul and other state leaders as “an endorsement of the affordability agenda.”
His decisions about leading the New York Police Department will also be closely watched. Mamdani was a fierce critic of the administration in 2020, calling for defunding “this rogue agency” and criticizing it as “racist and homophobic.” & A major threat to public safety.” Since he apologized For these comments he said he would ask the current NYPD commissioner to remain in his position.
Mamdani has already faced scrutiny from national Republicans, including the president Donald Trumpwho eagerly viewed him as a threat and the face of a more extreme Democratic Party out of step with mainstream America. Trump has repeatedly threatened to cut off federal funding to the city — and So grab it -If Mamdani wins.
“…And so it begins!” President Trump posted on his Truth Social website Tuesday evening.
___
Associated Press writer Jake Aufenhartz contributed to this report.