New York mayoral election results: Zohran Mamdani wins
Democrats also scored big victories in elections elsewhere in the US on Tuesday; moderate candidates Abigail Spanberger claimed victory as governor of Virginia, while Mikie Sherrill won the governor’s race in New Jersey.
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Mamdani campaigned primarily on solving the affordability problems of New York, especially working-class New Yorkers. It plans to build social housing, freeze rents on rent-stabilised flats, make buses free and introduce universal free childcare for all children under five.
Mamdani promised to follow through on his promises by charging a 2 percent city income tax on anyone earning more than $1 million ($1.5 million) a year, collecting an estimated $4 billion a year, and raising the top corporate tax rate from 7.5 percent to 11.5 percent, as in neighboring New Jersey.
His critics have noted his past support for the “defund the police” movement and questioned his commitment to keeping the city safe. They also noted his remarks about Israel and his refusal to condemn the phrase “globalize the intifada.”
Mamdani backed away from those positions in the campaign and said he intends to keep the city’s hard-line police commissioner, Jessica Tisch.
More to come
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