Why young people, newcomers to NYC voted for Mamdani

1 week ago 14

ARTICLE AD BOX

After New York City chose Zohran Mamdani to go the city's 111th mayor, exit polls revealed that the mayor-elect captured the bulk of votes from some the younger colonisation and newcomers to the city.

Some experts said Mamdani's occurrence with these voters resulted from his campaign's messaging astir challenging the presumption quo.

"He awakened thing successful them. That goes for the caller voters and young voters, wherever they thought that they had to judge the presumption quo of authorities arsenic accustomed and things that are coming retired of Washington, D.C., and the corruption that we've had, and they recognize that they really don't person to look that way," Christina Greer, an subordinate governmental subject prof astatine Fordham University, told ABC News.

Mamdani, the 34-year-old antiauthoritarian socialist, captured 78% of voters nether 30 and 66% of those voters 30 to 44 successful Tuesday's election, according to ABC News exit polls, conducted by SSRS. Among voters 45 to 64, erstwhile Gov. Andrew Cuomo edged retired Mamdani, 53% to 47%. A bulk of voters 65 and older (55%) voted for Cuomo portion 36% voted for Mamdani. Additionally, newcomers to the metropolis were immoderate of the astir apt voters successful the authorities to ballot for Mamdani, with 81% of those who person lived successful New York City little than 10 years supporting him, the exit polls found.

Along with his electoral occurrence among younger and newer New Yorkers, Mamdani besides earned enactment from 55% of voters who lived successful the metropolis for implicit 10 years, but were not calved successful the city. More of those who were calved successful New York City voted for Cuomo (49%) than Mamdani (38%), according to the exit polls.

More first-time New York City mayoral voters besides voted for Mamdani than those who person antecedently voted for politician successful the city, 66% versus 47%, the exit polls found.

Greer said this accomplishment successful gathering the bulk of the youth's ballot was done Mamdani's engagement successful societal media, on with the campaign's wide connection astir moving arsenic a community.

"This campaign, which was incredibly run, was wide and accordant that it's not conscionable astir beating idiosyncratic other -- meaning the Republican Party oregon Donald Trump oregon Andrew Cuomo -- it was astir an additive benignant of politics, wherever if we enactment together, we tin collectively get more. I deliberation that connection resonated with a batch of people," Greer said.

Additionally, Mamdani's absorption connected the affordability of New Yorkers -- specifically his plans to frost rent for rent-stabilized apartments and supply cosmopolitan kid attraction and escaped buses -- "resonated" with younger generations, according to Jessica Siles, the elder manager of communications for advocacy enactment Voters of Tomorrow.

"I deliberation New York has immoderate circumstantial affordability issues that possibly aren't everyplace successful the country. When you are moving to New York, determination are definite fiscal hurdles successful immoderate ways that marque things difficult. So caller faces perfectly are looking for immoderate alleviation and enactment that is capable to astatine slightest person them consciousness similar they're amended equipped to navigate them," Siles told ABC News.

Supporters be the predetermination ticker enactment for New York City Democratic mayoral campaigner Zohran Mamdani, November 4, 2025 successful the Brooklyn borough of New York City.

Asked to remark connected Mamdani securing the votes of younger radical and newcomers to the city, a spokesperson for Cuomo's run said, "it's much than that."

"This needs to beryllium a metropolis for everyone and the information that astir fractional of New Yorkers from crossed the spectrum agreed against what the antiauthoritarian nominee successful an overwhelmingly antiauthoritarian metropolis campaigned connected shouldn't beryllium overlooked," Rich Azzopardi, a spokesperson for Cuomo, said successful a connection to ABC News. "We're arrogant of the run Andrew Cuomo ran successful the general, a grounds 42% connected an autarkic ballot enactment buried connected the ballot."

Cuomo, 67, who had attempted a governmental comeback aft resigning arsenic politician successful 2021 amid intersexual harassment and inappropriate behaviour allegations, which helium denied, was capable to framework himself arsenic a mean who could pat into his erstwhile acquisition successful politics.

Greer said Cuomo's sanction designation resonated with autochthonal New Yorkers and longtime residents, which is wherefore they would ballot for him contempt his "foibles and woes."

“He’s a trusted person successful immoderate ways due to the fact that helium had a 40-year caput commencement implicit Mamdani. His begetter was a politician successful the 90s. Older New Yorkers and New Yorkers who person been successful the metropolis for respective decades oregon generations cognize that Cuomo is simply a known Democratic quantity," Greer said.

Despite Cuomo's favorability with autochthonal New Yorkers, Mamdani's quality to conscionable with voters crossed the metropolis -- whether they are waiting successful a taxi cab enactment oregon connected the subway -- allowed for everyone successful the city, including those who are caller to the area, to rapidly go acquainted with his vision, Greer said.

"Whether it's a religion oregon a club, helium was there. He's connected the subway. If you accidental you privation to beryllium politician of New York, he's really successful tons of antithetic places wherever radical are," Greer said. "It's reminiscent of Obama days -- astatine a definite constituent successful time, it's not astir the candidate, it's astir the movement."

Regardless of wherever Mamdani was engaging with New Yorkers, Siles said helium was amended capable to physique a assemblage and "coalition of enactment of each ages," creating avenues for radical -- including caller faces successful the metropolis -- to connect.

"I deliberation that a batch of young radical who possibly person moved present reasonably precocious were capable to truly meaningfully link with their neighbors and their peers and their assemblage successful a mode that possibly hasn't been provided to them before, successful a truly meaningful mode that is striving to amended the city," Siles added.

While Greer said Mamdani indispensable travel done connected the promises helium has made during his run to support the enactment of each demographics, his voters mightiness springiness him grace owed to his ambition arsenic a leader.

“If New Yorkers spot that helium is moving for them, they are much apt to springiness him immoderate benignant of grace arsenic helium tries to present connected behalf of the people. They privation to spot radical warring for them. Some of that volition beryllium conscionable the sheer ambition of not conscionable the agenda, but the aggression of the caller politician successful trying to present connected behalf of millions of New Yorkers," Greer told ABC News.

Mamdani's run did not instantly respond to ABC News' petition for comment.

ABC News' Emily Guskin, Brittany Shepherd and Oren Oppenheim contributed to this report.

Read Entire Article