New York City – Zohran Mamdani has won the race to lead the largest city in the United States, the Associated Press projected late on Tuesday, soon after polls closed in a heated contest that grabbed the world’s attention.

The victory on Sunday beckons in history for the city of more than 8.4 million people, an economic and cultural powerhouse with international significance.

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Mamdani is the first Muslim, the first person of South Asian descent and the first person born in Africa to lead the city.

The 34-year-old state assemblyman was set to address an exuberant watch party held at the Brooklyn Paramount theatre later on Tuesday, following a day of historic voter turnout.

On Monday, he thanked supporters who “brought us to this point of making history in this city”.

While voters across the vastly diverse metropolis have hailed the progress of Mamdani’s historic win, most of his ardent base has been clear: It is not about his religion or ethnic identity; it is about his laser-focused message of affordability.

But the race has also taken on a dimension as a bellwether for the future of Democratic politics, with former Governor Andrew Cuomo representing, to many, the wealthy donor-dominated establishment of the past, and Mamdani, an avowed democratic socialist, representing a possible way forward for the party.

Cuomo did not mince words on Tuesday as he cast his ballot, calling it a “civil war in the Democratic Party that has been brewing for a while”.

“You have an extreme radical left that is run by the socialists that is challenging, quote unquote, moderate Democrats,” said Cuomo, who ran as an independent after losing the Democratic primary in June to Mamdani.

“And that contest is what you’re seeing here.”

‘He’s new and he’s fresh’

For Joshua Wilson, a social worker who cast a ballot for Mamdani in the Mott Haven neighbourhood of the Bronx, Cuomo was right on the mark.

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“During Donald Trump’s second presidency, all eyes are on New York and all eyes are on the United States. Everything is politicised, and it’s so much more vitriolic,” Wilson said.

“There’s also this big push against younger voices coming in. People are really scared and want to, like, be conservative. They want to keep things the way that they are,” the 33-year-old said.

Lucy Cordero, a 68-year-old from the neighbourhood, echoed the sentiment.

“We’ve seen Cuomo, we know who he is, and he hasn’t been a great person,” she said. “I picked Mamdani because he’s new and he’s fresh. Maybe he can make a change and fix what’s messed up now”.

In the Crown Heights neighbourhood in Brooklyn, Megan Marks, 52, a freelancer, said Mamdani skews farther left than she does.

Still, she saw his bold platform as a counterpoint to federal politics, dominated by Republicans and US President Donald Trump.

“I feel like we have nothing to lose. He’s idealistic and a little young,” Marks said.

“We might as well balance what is happening in the country by having someone from a very different perspective, so I’ve decided to get behind him [Mamdani],” she said.

Trump endorsed Cuomo in the final hours of the race, a move meant to galvanise conservative voters, which may have backfired.

Even former Cuomo supporters were not immune to the buzz surrounding Mamdani’s campaign.

“In the primary, I did not vote for [Mamdani], but I changed my vote to him after some reflection,” Alex Lawerance, a 55-year-old lawyer from Crown Heights, told Al Jazeera.

“I’m not as progressive as [Mamdani], but he has a positive message, he has integrity, and I think he will do a fine job. I want to give the guy a chance.”

Iftikar Khan, 60, a driver originally from Bangladesh, pointed to the massive coalition of Muslim and South Asian voters that Mamdani has mobilised in the race.

Many see his victory as emblematic of a new political renaissance for Muslims in the city, who faced a fever-pitch of discrimination in the wake of the September 11, 2001, attacks.

Mamdani’s staunch support for Palestinian rights – a departure from both mainstream Democrats and former New York City mayors – has also galvanised support.

“My family convinced me. They really love Mamdani,” Khan, a registered Republican and Trump supporter, who voted for Mamdani on Tuesday, told Al Jazeera.

“My family really wanted Mamdani, so I said ‘OK’,” he said.

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‘We’re going to hold him accountable’

Several questions remain over how Mamdani will enact his ambitious vision.

On his affordability mission, he has pledged free buses, universal childcare and rent freezes on stabilised units.

His plan envisions paying for some of these programmes through increased taxes on corporations and wealthy residents. That would require building a coalition of support not just in New York City, but in the state legislature.

When he takes office, he will also face a balancing act as he courts support from moderates while not alienating his progressive base, including the Democratic Socialists of America, an organisation that has helped raise a volunteer army numbering more than 100,000 people.

Nationally, some top Democrats, including Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, have continued to withhold support for Mamdani, even as he faces threats from Trump over federal funding and the deployment of the National Guard.

In the Bronx, 33-year-old Andre Augustine held no illusions about the challenges ahead for Mamdani.

“I’m not gonna say that it’s gonna be easy, but I think having a vision is very important,” he said.

“I feel like it’s going to be hard, but I also think we’re going to put a lot of pressure on him. We’re going to hold him accountable,” he said.

“But I feel cautiously optimistic.”