When the first burst of vote results from New York City was announced just after the polls closed Tuesday night, what was expected for months had suddenly happened: 34-year-old socialist Zohran Mamdani will lead the largest city in America.
It has an annual budget of $120 billion, a workforce of 302,000, and a population of 8.5 million. About two million ballots were cast for mayor, with Mamdani receiving slightly more than half of the votes counted, while independent candidate Andrew Cuomo had about 42 percent and Republican Curtis Sliwa had 7 percent.
Mamdani’s slick campaign was built on promises that were catchy and endlessly repeated: Freeze the rent! Fare-free buses! Tax the rich!
But how much of what Mamdani has promised will he actually be able to accomplish as mayor?
That question is answered in part by how much the governor and city hall let Mamdani do.
