LOOKING a bit shell-shocked, Andrew Cuomo, New York’s former governor, conceded to Zohran Mamdani in New York City’s Democratic mayoral primary on June 24th. Until recently, even the most enthusiastic Mamdani supporter could not have imagined that the 33-year-old Democratic Socialist, who until a few months ago was little known outside the neighbourhood in Queens that he represents as a legislator in Albany, would topple one of the biggest names in New York politics. Confirmation of the result will come once all ranked-choices votes have been counted, which will take until mid-July. The debate over what the result means, for the city and the Democratic Party, won’t wait.
