Zohran Mamdani, a 34-year-old democratic socialist, was officially sworn in as the mayor of New York City shortly after midnight on New Year’s Day. The private ceremony took place in the abandoned, Beaux-Arts style City Hall subway station, a location chosen to highlight the new administration’s focus on public infrastructure and the working class.
New York Attorney General Letitia James administered the oath of office. To honor his faith and the city’s history, Mamdani took the oath using two copies of the Qur’an: one belonging to his grandfather and another once owned by the legendary Black historian Arturo Schomburg, on loan from the New York Public Library. He is the first mayor in the city’s history to be sworn in using Islam’s holiest book.
The intimate event included Mamdani’s wife, Rama Duwaji, and his parents, renowned filmmaker Mira Nair and Columbia University professor Mahmood Mamdani. Outgoing mayor Eric Adams also attended, stating his presence was a gesture to ensure a “smooth, peaceful transition of power.”
During the ceremony, Mamdani announced Mike Flynn, a veteran city planner, as the new transportation commissioner. The mayor declared his intention to make New York’s transit network “the envy of the world,” noting that holding the ceremony in a historic subway station served as a testament to the importance of public transit to the city’s vitality and legacy.
Mamdani’s rise to City Hall marks a significant political shift in the United States’ most populous city. A former state assemblyman, his campaign gained momentum on social media and through a massive grassroots effort involving over 100,000 volunteers. He successfully energized voters by focusing on a platform of affordability, including proposals for rent freezes, free public transport, and city-run grocery stores.
The political newcomer faced a difficult path to victory. In early 2024, he trailed former governor Andrew Cuomo by nearly 30 percentage points in the polls. However, his focus on the post-pandemic cost-of-living crisis resonated with New Yorkers, eventually allowing him to defeat both Cuomo and Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa with 50.78% of the vote in November.
The midnight swearing-in is the first of several celebratory events. A larger public ceremony is scheduled for 1:00 p.m., where Mamdani will be introduced by Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and sworn in a second time by Senator Bernie Sanders. The day will conclude with a massive block party outside City Hall, celebrating what political analysts describe as the emergence of a more diverse and left-wing political era for the city.
