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Pro-Palestine Zohran Mamdani’s historic win sparks hope online

Mamdani's NYC mayoral primary win positions him to become the first Muslim mayor of the city
New York mayoral candidate, Zohran Mamdani, speaks to supporters during election night in Long Island, New York City (AFP)
By Dalia Anis
Published date: 25 June 2025 15:23 BST | Last update: 1 week 5 days ago

History has been made in the Big Apple, as New York mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani celebrates his victory in New York City's Democratic mayoral primary, which positions him to become the first Muslim mayor of the city.

Mamdani’s win is sending shockwaves through US politics, particularly within the Democrat establishment, after he defeated the well-funded former New York governor, Andrew Cuomo.

The young Democrat galvanised voters with a campaign centred on affordability and helping the working class, describing it as “a new dawn of a new era in New York”.

But more importantly, the 33-year old socialist Democrat’s outspoken views on Palestine and Israel puts him at odds with Cuomo, and the wider party's position. Throughout his campaign, Mamdani faced repeated criticism from pro-Israel commentators over his public support for the Palestinians.

Mamdani has publicly stated that he would, as mayor, arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if he visited New York, in line with the International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrants which were issued in November 2024. 

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In sharp contrast, establishment Democrat, Andrew Cuomo, joined a coalition of lawyers defending Netanyahu and challenging the legitimacy of the arrest warrant.

New York City is home to both the largest Jewish population outside of Israel and a substantial Muslim community. For many voters, this makes the Israel-Palestine conflict a central issue, especially amid ongoing debates about the country's response to events in Gaza.

Following his victory, reactions online highlighted that the results of the election “means young, diverse, progressive people are done with genocide” and a "clear referendum on the lie that criticising Israel equals antisemitism".

Another user praises Mamdani for his “principled grassroot campaign” and makes reference to his pro-Palestine views, and specifically for not throwing “Palestine under the bus”.

Former UK Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn, says on his X account that Mamdani’s campaign “defends the humanity of Palestinians”.

However, Mamdani’s historic rise has also drawn fierce backlash from conservative circles. Prominent right-wing figures responded with Islamophobic smears and inflammatory rhetoric.

Former Republican congressional nominee, Lauren Loomer, on her X account falsely claimed: “There will be another 9/11 in NYC, and that Zohran Mamdani is to blame.” 

Conservative media personality, Charlie Kirk, similarly made a reference to 9/11, posting on X that: “24 years ago a group of Muslims killed 2,753 people on 9/11. Now a Muslim Socialist is on pace to run New York City.”

Others went further, making baseless accusations linking Mamdani to terrorism, with one user posting on X that “New York electing a Muslim Islamic Jihadist … is no joke.”

The New York mayoral election is scheduled for 4 November, with Democrats favoured to win.

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