(This story has been updated with new details.) Zohran Mamdani, a 33-year-old state lawmaker, declared victory in New York City's Democratic mayoral primary following a stunning upset over former Gov. Andrew Cuomo in first-choice ballots on Tuesday night. Mamdani currently leads Cuomo with 43.5% of first-place votescompared to Cuomo's 36.4%, with 96% of ballots counted. Although the final outcome won't be official until mid-July, NYC's Board of Elections is expected to have unofficial results of ranked-choice voting byJuly 1. Cuomo, 67, and Mamdani represented ideological poles in the 11-candidate field, with ex-governor − a centrist who appointed many Republicans to his administration − on its right, and Democratic Socialists of America member Mamdani on its left. The presumptive Democratic nominee, who would be the city's first Muslim mayor and its first Asian American mayor, will begin the general election as the favorite in the overwhelmingly Democratic city. Mamdani described himself on hiscampaign websiteas a democratic socialist. He's made a fight against the establishment of the Democratic party a cornerstone of his primary campaign. The website lists the following as his platform planks: An immediate rent freeze for all rent-stabilized tenants The elimination of fares on city buses Creating a Department of Community Safety and investments in citywide mental health programs and crisis response A 2% tax on residents earning above $1 million annually Raising the corporate tax rate to 11.5% Overhauling the Mayor's Office to Protect Tenants so as to toughen code enforcement on landlords Fast-tracking affordable housing development Establishing city-owned grocery stores Mamdani'stentpole endorsementsin the race came from left-wing Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders and progressive Democratic RepresentativeAlexandria Ocasio-Cortez, whose district includes parts of the Bronx and Queens. He has also beencross-endorsedby fellow candidates New York City ComptrollerBrad Landerand former Assemblymember Eric Blake. Other notable political endorsements include New York Attorney General Letitia James, former Representative Jamaal Bowman and former Labor Secretary Robert Reich. Mamdani is 33 years old. He was born in Uganda but raised in New York City after his family moved there when he was 7 years old,according to his assembly biography. Mamdani is currently the three-term representative for Assembly District 36, located in Queens, in the New York State Assembly. He is the first South Asian man and Ugandan to serve in the assembly and the third Muslim person to do so. He worked as a foreclosure-prevention housing counselor prior to serving in the assembly, according to his biography. He is the son of Mahmood Mamdani, a professor at Columbia University, and Mira Nair, an Indian filmmaker,according to CNN. The marquee mayoral race could provide a bellwether for the larger Democratic party. The coalition seeking to repel Cuomo has framed the choice facing New Yorkers as one between an older, moderate political establishment and ayouthful, progressive vision for the party. AnEmerson College Polling/PIX11/The Hill surveyreleased on June 23 found Mamdani beating Cuomo by a few percentage points in the final round of a ranked-choice voting situation.Most previous pollshave shown Cuomo with a larger lead, around 10 percentage points, on average. Unofficial results of first-choice votes will be available shortly after polls close at 9 p.m. on election night. According to thecity's Board of Elections, these will include votes made in early voting, Election Day voting at polling sites, as well as any valid mail ballots canvassed, but not affidavit ballots. If a candidate does not win over 50% of first-round votes in New York City'sranked choice voting system, tallies for the next rounds will take longer as candidates get eliminated. The elections board said an unofficial result will be released on July 1.Official results will likely come out on July 14. Contributing: Ben Adler, Eduardo Cuevas, Anna Kaufman, Sudiksha Kochi and Gabe Hauari, USA TODAY This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Who is Zohran Mamdani? Democratic socialist in NYC mayor race
