'I Haven't Seen This Since Barack Obama Ran'

Democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani could end up being New York City's first Muslim and Indian American mayor in November, after Andrew Cuomo conceded the Democratic mayoral primary to him in the Big Apple on Tuesday night. The ranked choice voting numbers still await a final tabulation, and Mamdani would then need to take on incumbent Mayor Eric Adams (now running as an independent), Republican Curtis Sliwa, and possibly Cuomo, if he decides to run despite not being the Democratic nominee, in November's general election. In the meantime, however, some are eyeing the 33-year-old's stunning upset win and accompanying campaign as a possible blueprint for Democrats at large going forward. More here:

• 'Thunderbolt' of a primary: That's how the New York Times describes Mamdani's apparent win, thanks to an enthusiastic electorate that came out to vote for him. "It really represents the excitement that I saw on the streets all throughout the city of New York," said NY Attorney General Letitia James. "I haven't seen this since Barack Obama ran for president."
• 'Rebuke' of Dem establishment: That's Bloomberg's take, noting that just eight months ago barely anyone in the mainstream had heard of Mamdani. Some pointed to the run-up to the election itself as being key to propelling Mamdani to the top. "The surge by Mamdani is something I've never seen before in New York City politics," says JC Polanco, a political analyst at the University of Mount Saint Vincent. "It's been an incredible campaign that understood social media and marketing like no other."

• A 'new playboook': CNN also reports on the uniqueness of Mamdani's campaign, noting he "sat for interviews with people that disagreed with him," "engaged in cross-endorsements with rivals," and "campaigned aggressively, including walking the length of Manhattan" last Friday. One ex-top aide to Obama called Mamdani's win "a blaringly loud message to those in the Dem establishment" to make some changes.
• Complications: Mamdani's stance on Israel—he has called its incursion into Gaza a genocide and been accused of being antisemitic for it—could alienate some of the city's Jewish voters. Mamdani showed up on Stephen Colbert's program this week with Lander to defend his stance and assure Jewish locals that he'll be a mayor for all New Yorkers.
• More on Mamdani: The Washington Post has further info on the candidate they say has "big charisma" but a "short résumé," while Newsweek dives more into his wife, Syrian artist Rama Duwaji, who could end up being the first lady of New York City.
• The numbers: In the first round of voting, Mamdani earned 43.5% of the votes to Cuomo's 36.4%, with 96% of the ballots counted, according to NYC Board of Elections stats cited by Bloomberg. Comptroller Brad Lander garnered 11.3%, coming in third, and his votes could be key to Mamdani's official win: Because Lander and Mamdani had cross-endorsed each other, Mamdani will almost surely receive more votes in the next round than Cuomo, which could put him over the 50% threshold needed to win the Democratic nomination. More here on how ranked choice voting works.