Upstart socialist stuns political veteran in NYC mayoral primary

New York Democrats were choosing June 24 between an upstart 33-year-old Muslim socialist and a political veteran vying to come back from a sex harassment scandal as mayoral candidate to lead the left-leaning city. [AFP]

New York City Democrats chose 33-year-old Muslim socialist Zohran Mamdani as their mayoral candidate in Tuesday's elections, stunning his opponent, former New York governor Andrew Cuomo.

In what appears to be the left-leaning city's rebuke of the Democratic Party's veteran moderates -- and New York's rarely claimed native son, Republican US President Donald Trump -- Mamdani led with 43 per cent of the vote with 95 per cent of ballots counted, city officials reported.