Zohran Mamdani was elected as the 111th mayor of New York City after an intense campaign came to an end on Tuesday. When he takes office from Mayor Eric Adams on Jan. 1, he will become the city’s youngest mayor since 1892, as well as the city’s first Indian-American and Muslim mayor. While his victory comes with many historic firsts, his campaign promises and controversial policies have made him the topic of debate, not just in New York, but across the nation.

“This feels a lot more important than just an election. It’s going to be really interesting to see how New York City will be run by someone so new to the political scene,” junior Warren Harilal said.

This year’s mayoral election in New York City has been one of the most closely followed in a long time. Mamdani, a self-proclaimed Democratic Socialist, represents a shift away from the traditional democratic establishment. In America’s largest city, his victory-especially over former Gov. Andrew Cuomo-signals a potential shift in the political climate, especially in a place with as much nationwide influence as New York.

Mamdani ran a campaign focused on making New York City more affordable through sharply progressive means. His plans include freezing rent, universal child care, city owned grocery stores, and free buses. Many of these policies appealed to the younger generations of voters, especially through his online campaign, which made use of social media and pop culture to sway political support. Although his policies are clearly popular amongst voters, winning the election by a nearly 9% margin, they have also stirred controversy. Many doubt not only the sincerity of his promises but his ability to deliver on them. He has also drawn controversy for his stances on foreign policy, especially his statements on the war between Israel and Hamas, which has drawn criticism due to his reluctance to condemn certain rhetoric which many consider antisemitic. This criticism is especially strong in New York, a city with one of the largest Jewish populations in the world.

Mamdani has also become a divisive figure due to many of his beliefs setting him apart from mainstream, establishment democrats. In a historically liberal city, it may seem unsurprising for a more progressive candidate to succeed, but against former New York governor and longtime democratic mainstay Andrew Cuomo, the victory of a younger, more progressive candidate shows that New York voters- and perhaps democratic voters across the country- want a new generation to take charge. He has also openly spoken out against the Trump administration, which both endorsed Cuomo and threatened to cut federal funding if Mamdani won.

“Many young people believe they’ll be better represented with younger politicians. It’s going to be a big change,” junior Atharv Malpani said.

Mamdani’s term, once he takes the mayoral position, will be focused on fulfilling his promises of making the city affordable for all. In addition to his vows of freezing rent for stabilized tenants, he has also committed to the construction of over 200,000 new rent-stabilized homes in the city over the next 10 years. Perhaps his biggest challenge, however, is implementing fare-free bus service, which has already faced skeptcism by New York Gov. Kathy Hochul. As he takes office, it will be up to him and his team to deliver these promises to New York.

“As far away as Great Neck may seem from New York City life and politics, it’s impossible to think it doesn’t affect us. As someone who spends much of my free time in the city I know that policies such as those pertaining to public transportation affect me too,” junior Elizabeth Sheydina said.

While he hasn’t taken office just yet, Mamdani’s standout victory in New York will bring big changes to the Big Apple.