Extract from ABC News
Analysis
The official Democratic Socialists of America watch party hit capacity at the incongruous choice of a Bavarian beer hall well before polls had even closed.
The venue was packed with volunteers and Mamdani supporters who wanted to be well-located if he managed to pull off what, a year ago, would have been seen as an almost impossible victory.
Ever since senator Bernie Sanders took on — and almost beat — Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential primary contest, the progressive wing of the Democratic Party has been attempting to prove that it can both energise the base and win elections.
When Zohran Mamdani was announced victorious, the crowd erupted with cheers. A chant of "Tax the rich" rang out in triumph.
Supporters at an election night watch party for Zohran Mamdani. (Reuters)
The fringe group has now seized one of America's major electoral prizes: control of the biggest and richest city in the country.
The home of Wall Street and the financial capital of the world is now ruled by a self-declared Democratic socialist.
Mamdani campaigned on what amounts to a program of major wealth redistribution. He has promised to increase taxes on the rich to spread the money across New York City's five boroughs and fund a range of public programs, including free buses, free childcare and getting government into the business of groceries.
In a year, Mamdani has gone from a little-known state assemblyman to one of the most recognisable national public figures.
Although it was fellow Democrat Andrew Cuomo — who ran as an independent — whom Mamdani beat, it was Donald Trump whom he perhaps most effectively campaigned against.
The US president took an active interest in the campaign. He was born and raised in the borough of Queens and seemed to be personally affronted that a socialist would potentially soon run the city he used to call home.
Trump threatened to cut federal funding to the city if it elected the man he referred to as a "communist".
He had tried a similar tactic with Argentina, and he may have decided it helped his friend President Javier Milei gain an advantage.
But it is likely Trump's threats went down badly in the Big Apple, a place where he has for a long time been political poison.
His endorsement of Cuomo may have helped with the people choosing between him and the actual Republican candidate in the race, Curtis Sliwa, but it does not appear to have shifted many Democrats' minds.
Despite declining popularity, Trump's MAGA base stays strong
Recent polling suggests Trump is becoming increasingly unpopular, and the prolonged government shutdown is biting politically.
But the US president's control over his MAGA base remains intact, and he retains some major political strengths.
Despite the brutality of his immigration crackdown campaign, polling suggests many Americans support the dramatic changes he has made to border security.
As we head into the crucial midterms next year, you can be sure that Republicans will be forcing their Democratic competitors to declare where they stand on the issue of migration.
While Mamdani's pro-immigration position might work in Manhattan, it is likely to be far less popular in border states or the Midwest.
Trump reportedly thought his campaigning on the border helped him win in 2016, and doubled down on the immigration issue last year, too.
Now he potentially sees law and order as another big electoral boon.
This is why we are likely to see increasing use of the US military on American streets over the coming year, if the courts allow it. He will want immigration and law and order to be front of minds the next time voters take to the polls, not the cost of living.
As the polls opened in NYC, Americas editor John Lyons spoke to Mamdani's supporters. (John Lyons)
Mamdani to Trump: 'Turn the volume up'
Trump knows his political legacy and potentially his own liberty will be at stake next November when Americans decide which party should control the two houses of Congress. If Democrats take back control, you would confidently bet that once again, impeachment proceedings will be on the agenda.
Trump came into office with multiple criminal matters still pending against him. They have been shelved for now while he holds office, but he knows there is a high risk that a future Democratic administration could see them kickstarted.
He would be hoping that his successor is a friendly Republican, potentially his vice-president, JD Vance, or Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and might be inclined to give him a full pardon on his way out to minimise the chance of future legal battles.
He will be doing everything he can to ensure that Republicans are well placed in both 2026 and 2028.
Zohran Mamdani campaigning in New York City the day before the election. (ABC News: Cameron Schwarz)
Mamdani ran an extraordinarily effective campaign by positioning himself as a political outsider willing to take on the establishment, in that way closely following part of the Trump political playbook.
For that, he probably has Trump's begrudging respect. As well as his attention.
As Mamdani said in his victory speech: "Donald Trump, since I know you're watching, I've got four words for you: Turn the volume up."
While Mamdani prepares for the task of instituting his wide-ranging and radical policy platform, Trump will be trying to figure out just what the Mamdani victory means for his own political future.
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