Muslim Donors Surge Behind Mamdani's Historic NYC Mayoral Campaign

National Network of Muslim Americans Mobilises Financial Support as Democratic Socialist Positions for the General Election

Muslim Americans across the country have opened their wallets to support Zohran Mamdani's groundbreaking New York City mayoral campaign, with national donors contributing significant funds to the 33-year-old Democratic socialist who shocked the political establishment by defeating former Governor Andrew Cuomo in the June 2025 Democratic primary, creating what experts describe as the first unified national Muslim political fundraising effort with potentially transformative implications for American politics.

The surge in Muslim financial support began six days before the June 24 primary, when a group of Muslim Americans nationwide began mobilizing after former Mayor Michael Bloomberg injected an additional $5 million into Cuomo's super PAC. What started as a small effort to provide "a final push" for Mamdani has evolved into what political observers are calling a watershed moment for Muslim American political engagement, with donors telling ABC News they believe their contributions could forecast the rise of a larger network of Muslim Americans fundraising in national politics.

The financial backing comes as Mamdani prepares for November's general election, where he will face Republican Curtis Sliwa and embattled incumbent Mayor Eric Adams, who is running as an independent after bypassing the Democratic primary amid corruption scandals.

Historic Victory Built on Grassroots Momentum

Mamdani's stunning upset victory over Cuomo represents one of the most significant political upsets in New York City history. The Queens assemblyman secured 43.5% of first-place votes compared to Cuomo's 36.3%, according to the New York City Board of Elections. His victory came despite facing a $25 million super PAC campaign supporting Cuomo, demonstrating the power of grassroots organizing in contemporary politics.

The campaign's success was built on an unprecedented fundraising operation that broke multiple records. Mamdani raised $642,339 from 6,502 unique donors in his first 80 days, making it the most money raised by any candidate in a single filing period for the 2025 New York City mayoral election. The campaign eventually raised more than $8 million, with projected matching funds from approximately 18,000 donors citywide, reaching the public financing cap faster than any campaign in the city's history.

"It means that I don't have to spend the hours that I have sitting at a table calling through our supporters and asking them for their money," Mamdani told Gothamist. "It means that instead, I'm now asking New Yorkers for their time as we seek to build the single largest volunteer operation we've ever seen in the New York City's mayor's race."

National Muslim Mobilization Reaches New Heights

The financial support from Muslim Americans extends far beyond New York City's borders, representing what longtime Muslim donors describe as their first prominent, unified national effort. On election night, leaders for Mamdani's super PAC, "New Yorkers for Lower Costs," released a memo thanking donors for their role in his upset win, writing: "In particular, the generosity of Arab and Muslim Americans … has been truly incredible”

PAC chair Regina Monge told ABC News that many of their biggest donors were Arab or Muslim Americans. The Council on American–Islamic Relations' political arm, the Unity & Justice Fund, made a total contribution of $100,000, while Muslims in tech made major donations, and Muslim pop culture figures inspired engagement.

Democratic bundler Asif Mahmood, who helped raise millions for Hillary Clinton and Vice President Kamala Harris, described Mamdani's candidacy as transformative.

"[Mamdani] was able to move Muslim support across the board," Mahmood told ABC News, noting that Mamdani was unique in coalescing donors who were "Arab and South Asian, secular and devout, local and nationwide".

Cross-Sectarian Unity Defies Expectations

Mamdani's candidacy has created a rare moment of intra-Muslim unity that transcends traditional sectarian divisions. As a Twelver Shia Muslim, Mamdani represents a minority within a minority in American Islam, yet he has drawn support from Muslims across sectarian lines.

Prominent Sunni leader Khalid Latif, the chaplain of New York University and director of its Islamic center, has publicly supported and voted for Mamdani. This cross-sectarian solidarity stands as a powerful rebuttal to narratives about Muslim communities being inherently divided or incapable of unified political engagement.

The demographic breakdown of Mamdani's support reveals his broad appeal across New York's diverse Muslim communities. While polling showed that his strongest support came from white and Asian voters, he also garnered 27% of Black voters and nearly one-third of Hispanic voters, contradicting the assumption that his democratic socialist message would primarily resonate with white progressives.

Progressive Coalition Provides Strategic Advantage

Mamdani's campaign benefited from a formidable progressive alliance that included endorsements from Senator Bernie Sanders and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Sanders' endorsement, delivered on June 17, 2025, marked his first-ever involvement in a New York City mayoral primary.

"At this pivotal and dangerous moment in American history, status quo politics is not good enough," Sanders declared in his endorsement statement. "We need the kind of visionary leadership that Zohran is providing in this campaign. In my view, Zohran Mamdani is the best choice for mayor of New York City".

The progressive endorsements provided crucial momentum during the final week of campaigning. Ocasio-Cortez's endorsement following the candidates' first televised debate helped propel Mamdani to his first-ever lead in polling, surpassing Cuomo 35% to 31% in a Public Policy Polling survey.

Confronting Anti-Muslim Backlash

Mamdani's candidacy has faced significant anti-Muslim attacks that have drawn condemnation from civil rights advocates. The backlash intensified after his primary victory, with critics increasingly targeting his Muslim identity rather than his policy positions.

"We should all be appalled by the wave of anti-Muslim comments following Zohran Mamdani's primary victory—some overt, others more subtle," stated U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen.

The attacks have included inflammatory social media posts and misleading campaign materials. In one notable incident, venture capitalist and former PayPal executive Keith Rabois posted on social media that Mamdani "comes from a culture that lies about everything" and described him as representing "a new strain of Islamism".

Democratic Senator Kirsten Gillibrand of New York faced criticism for incorrectly claiming that Mamdani made "references to global jihad," though her office later clarified that she had "misspoken".

Policy Platform Focuses on Economic Justice

Despite the focus on his religious identity, Mamdani's campaign has centered on economic populist policies aimed at addressing New York City's affordability crisis. His platform includes proposals for rent freezes on rent-stabilized units, free city bus service, and city-owned grocery stores, all funded by $10 billion in new taxes on corporations and the wealthy.

The housing platform calls for the construction of 200,000 new affordable housing units, addressing what Sanders described as the foundation of Mamdani's "inspirational grassroots campaign". His transportation proposals include free public buses, a policy he successfully piloted during his tenure in the state assembly through a year-long program that provided free bus routes in each of the city's five boroughs.

"When you run a disciplined, grassroots campaign relentlessly focused on an agenda to address the crises in working people's lives, these are the results," said Mamdani spokesperson Andrew Epstein.

Video of Mamdani thanking donors for donations during the campaign

Breaking Historical Barriers

If elected in November, Mamdani would become New York City's first Muslim mayor, as well as the first mayor of South Asian heritage and the first African-born mayor—historic milestones that have received limited attention from corporate media. Instead of recognition, his candidacy has faced criticism from across the political spectrum.

The conservative New York Post denounced him as "a uniquely awful menace, an utter guarantee of disaster for New York," while The New York Times, reversing its decision to refrain from endorsements in the race, declared Mamdani "uniquely unsuited to the city's challenges".

Mamdani responded to The Times' criticism with confidence, stating: "These are the opinions of only about a dozen New Yorkers. A democracy will be decided by close to a million New Yorkers.”

National Implications for Muslim Political Engagement

Political experts and Muslim donors see Mamdani's success as potentially transformative for Muslim American political engagement nationwide. The unified financial support has created a template that other Muslim candidates might follow, with Michigan's Senate hopeful Abdul El-Sayed already citing similar grassroots fundraising success.

Mahmood, who said his own congressional campaign received Muslim donor support primarily from his South Asian community, noted the broader coalition that Mamdani assembled. He announced plans to host a fundraiser for Mamdani at his California home, stating: "This is not a local race anymore. This is a national race".

The success has inspired confidence among Muslim political organizers about their potential influence in national politics. Some donors told ABC News they believe their contributions could influence "who will run, and who might win" in future elections.