ICYMI: Democrats Dominate in Mayoral Races Nationwide

Washington, D.C. – Last night, Democrats won mayoral races across the country - from New York where Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani won with a mandate from voters to Cincinnati where Mayor Aftab Pureval easily bested J.D. Vance’s half-brother, Cory Bowman, in the election. 

Mayors-elect also made history – with Syracuse, Albany, and Detroit electing the first Black women to serve as Mayor of their respective cities. 

Check out the highlights below:

NPR: Mamdani wins New York City mayoral race, in a historic victory for progressives

Zohran Mamdani will be the next mayor of New York City, becoming the first Muslim and person of South Asian descent — as well as the youngest in over a century — to hold the position.

"The future is in our hands," Mamdani declared to roaring applause Tuesday night at a victory celebration in Brooklyn. "My friends, tonight we have toppled a political dynasty."

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It's a remarkable ascent for Mamdani, who was a relatively unknown state assemblymember representing a district in Queens when he entered the crowded mayoral race last year. He went on to win June's Democratic primary by 12 percentage points, quickly becoming one of the country's most popular and polarizing politicians along the way.

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"I can see the dawn of a better day for humanity," Mamdani said, promising to improve conditions for New York City's workers.

Associated Press: City Council President Mary Sheffield wins election to become Detroit’s first female mayor

City Council President Mary Sheffield will be Detroit’s newest mayor and the first woman to lead the city.

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Sheffield thanked voters in her victory speech Tuesday night, addressing those who voted for her and those who didn’t.

“I am here to listen to you, to fight for you and to serve you,” she said. “Because, at the end of the day, we all want the same thing, a Detroit that works for everyone.”

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Sheffield has said that focusing on educating Detroit’s children, and continuing to improve public safety and life in the neighborhoods will be among her priorities if elected mayor.

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Miami Herald: Democrat takes top spot in race for Miami mayor

In the crowded race for Miami mayor, Democrat Eileen Higgins was the top vote-getter Tuesday night and is headed for a runoff. The Miami-Dade County commissioner will head to a Dec. 9 runoff against former Miami City Manager Emilio González, a Republican. 

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With all precincts reporting, Higgins had captured nearly 36% of the vote, with González coming in second at more than 19%. Higgins got nearly double the votes as González. 

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Syracuse.com: Sharon Owens wins, makes history as Syracuse’s first Black mayor

Syracuse, N.Y. — Sharon Owens — whose career in public service launched more than 40 years ago with a college internship at a neighborhood community center — has now made Syracuse history.

Voters elected Owens the first Black mayor of Syracuse on Tuesday. She will be the 55th mayor in the city’s 177-year history. Owens is also the second woman to win the job.

“To the elders of this community, you who for decades looked to the future of a time when there would be a mayor that looks like you, that comes from your experience, that understands the struggle, that gets the hopes and the aspiration of generations of Syracusans ... I’m going to work hard to make you proud,” Owens told more than 300 supporters at her campaign’s election night party.

Owens, a Democrat, led with more than 73% of the vote with about one-third of precincts reporting. Her lead became insurmountable early on.

She beat Republican Thomas Babilon and independents Alfonso Davis and Tim Rudd according to unofficial results Tuesday night from the Onondaga County Board of Elections.

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WXVU: Cincinnati Mayor Aftab Pureval cruises to an easy win over Cory Bowman

Mayor Aftab Pureval won a second four-year term as Cincinnati’s mayor in what likely will be the most lop-sided election since the city began direct election of the mayor 24 years ago.

With all of the city's 190 precincts reporting, Pureval led with 78% of the unofficial vote, compared to nearly 22% for Bowman.

Based on the early voting results alone, Pureval, a Democrat, led Republican Cory Bowman with 82% of the vote. That was enough for The Associated Press to call the race for the incumbent Democrat not even a full hour after polls closed.

The vote was almost identical to the May primary election, where Bowman — the half-brother of Vice President JD Vance — won the right to be on the November ballot with only 13% of the vote.

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The Times-Union: Albany elects Dorcey Applyrs, city's first Black mayor

Dorcey Applyrs took the stage at 9:45 p.m. Tuesday at Greenhouse Social Club at La Serre as the first Black candidate to be elected mayor in the more than three centuries since New York’s capital city was chartered.

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Applyrs' victory in the Democratic stronghold was overwhelming: She led with 11,784 votes to Republican Rocco Pezzulo’s 1,922 votes.

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In Tuesday’s victory speech, Applyrs thanked those who had come before her to pave the way for her victory. She noted many of those people were no longer around to see their work result in her victory.

“It’s my turn to do the same — to make sure every young person in this city knows that they belong, that they have a seat at the table, and that they can build a future right here in our city,” she said. “You don’t have to go anywhere.”

WVIA: Scranton Mayor Paige Cognetti scores dominant win in third run, says 'an honor' to serve as mayor

Scranton Mayor Paige Cognetti cruised to re-election over three challengers in the election Tuesday, despite already announcing she will run for Congress next year.

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“I stood here six years ago, my now almost six-year-old was still in my belly when we first won our first campaign,” Cognetti said. “It is an honor every single moment to be mayor of Scranton, but tonight, it is especially overwhelming to have earned and kept your trust for six years to go on to this next phase where we will continue to make Scranton the city that it always should have been and now is.”

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Cognetti, who wants to unseat Republican U.S. Rep. Rob Bresnahan next year, said she will work hard as mayor for as long as she has the job.

“As we go into the Congressional year, I'll continue to be mayor every single day. I'll continue to work at City Hall, as we do, and continue to do great things there, continue to be a mom to my two kids, and we'll also be running for Congress,” she said.

Cognetti won her third municipal election in a row by a large margin. She won a 2019 special election to become the city's first female mayor, then won re-election in 2023.

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WOIO: Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb wins reelection in landslide

Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb easily won reelection over candidate Laverne Gore on Tuesday.

Bibb’s second term begins Jan. 1, 2026

“I want to thank the voters, the voters of this great city, because tonight they gave us another mandate to move our city forward with urgency,” Bibb said during his victory speech. “The results tonight are not about me. The results are an endorsement of the progress we made.”

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