The blistering rise of New York City's new mayor, Zohran Mamdani, has captured global attention.
The self-described democratic socialist ran on promises of rent controls and taxing the rich, striking a chord with voters beyond the city.
That has translated into a surge in Australians asking search engines about the new mayor and US politics.
So what's going on and what does his win say about the American political climate?
First, catch me up
If you've not yet read past the headlines, here's a quick catch-up on Zohran Mamdani.
The 34-year-old, who was born in Uganda to Indian parents, was elected mayor of New York City on Tuesday, local time.
Before he began campaigning for the job, Mr Mamdani had worked as a state politician, and before that, a foreclosure prevention counsellor.
During the mayoral race, he built name recognition and appealed to voters through campaign videos that went viral on social media and a massive grassroots campaign.
He has promised to raise taxes on corporations and the wealthy to pay for policies such as rent freezes, free child care and free city buses.
Mr Mamdani ran as a Democrat and won roughly 50 per cent of the votes.
That's considered a thumping win.
[LINK: Mayoral race results]His nearest competitor, former New York governor Andrew Cuomo, who ran as an independent after losing the Democratic nomination to Mr Mamdani earlier this year, lagged by about 8 per cent.
In third was the Republican Party candidate, Curtis Silwa, who won just 7 per cent of the vote.
Opponents, including Mr Cuomo, have portrayed Mr Mamdani as a radical leftist or, in some cases, a communist.
How has the world reacted?
Mr Mamdani's win is seen as big deal for several reasons — he is the first Muslim mayor of New York City, and the youngest mayor in more than a century.
But his rise has also offered encouragement to politicians and voters around the world who are looking to turn the tide against a rise of right-wing politics.
In Europe, parties like The Left in Germany and the Greens in Britain are hoping to gain a boost from his win.
They have signalled they won't water down their policies to appeal to more centrist voters.
Zack Polanski, who this year became the first Jewish and openly gay leader of the Green Party of England and Wales, told Reuters that Mamdani's victory shows "hope has triumphed over hate".
"This is important — not just because it's important for New York but actually I think this resonates throughout the world," he said.
"But this is about improving people's lives, recognising the inequality that lies both at the heart of New York, but frankly, around much of the world.
"And this is about saying: let's lower people's bills and tax multimillionaires and billionaires."
Asked what lessons left-wing parties should draw from Mr Mamdani's victory, Mr Polanski said the cost of living mattered above all else and progressive parties must offer real solutions to it.
Germany's Left party had a similar takeaway.
Party head Jan van Aken told Reuters the problems faced by New Yorkers are similar to those in Germany.
"Rents are unaffordable, and prices for food, electricity, heating, and public transport are rising faster than wages," he said.
"We are in close contact with Zohran Mamdani and his team and are learning from each other.
"His campaign is like a blueprint for next year's elections in Berlin. Zohran Mamdani's victory gives us momentum."
What does Mamdani's win say about the US political climate?
The New York City mayoral race wasn't the only major election to occur on Tuesday.
In Virginia and New Jersey, residents went to the polls to decide their next governor — and in both states, they voted blue.
Together, the trio of wins offer Democrats a fresh momentum.
Even while US President Donald Trump's approval rating was dipping to its lowest point so far this term, opinion polls had suggested the Democratic Party was still unpopular from former president Joe Biden's time in the White House.
The outcomes of the governorship races were somewhat expected, given both states typically vote blue.
But similarly to New York City's race, they were won on broad margins.
In both states, the Democratic Party gained larger shares of the votes than it did during the presidential election last year.
[LINK: Election donuts]Pundits have interpreted that as evidence of support for Mr Trump and Republicans weakening.
That analysis is supported by exit polls.
An AP Voter Poll found 36 per cent of Virginia voters said opposing Mr Trump was a factor in who they supported.
In New Jersey, that figure rose to 39 per cent.
Still, the midterms (where a new US House of Representatives and a third of senators will be elected) are a year away — a very long time in politics.
Democratic strategist Antjuan Seawright said the results can't be used as a total picture of how those elections will take shape.
"So I think we have to make sure we continue to motivate, educate and galvanise the constituencies that came out tonight to make sure we keep them in the Democratic column," he said.
What's the difference between a mayor, governor and president?
They are the highest-ranking titles of each level of government in the US.
In very simple terms, they are the equivalent of mayors, state premiers and prime ministers respectively in Australia.
Here's a brief look at what each position looks after:
- Mayors: Oversee their city's main departments and general function, and lead local government
- Governors: Serve as the leader of their state or territory, implementing state laws and appointing department heads
- Presidents: Leads the federal government and armed forces
What are the Republican and Democratic parties?
There are two major political parties in the US: the Democrats and the Republicans.
The Republicans, which Mr Trump belongs to, are the conservative party and are represented by the colour red.
You might have also heard them referred to as the GOP.
That stands for Grand Old Party and is a bit like a nickname for the Republicans.
On the other hand, the Democrats are the liberal party and use the colour blue.
Republicans currently hold the presidency, and majorities in the House of Representatives and the Senate.
A key difference from Australian politics is US political parties don't have single leaders.
It means there's no such position as an opposition leader to sit opposite a president.
They do, however, elect leaders for both levels of Congress (the overarching name given to the Senate and the House of Representatives).
The leader for the party in power gets the title 'majority leader', while the leader for the other is called the 'minority leader'.
Here's who holds each position for the current term:
- Senate majority leader: John Thune
- House majority leader: Steve Scalise
- Senate minority leader: Chuck Schumer
- House minority leader: Hakeem Jeffries
Mr Trump outranks all these positions.
What do left and right mean in politics?
Think of a scale with two ends.
The left side represents progressive thinking, and the right represents conservative policies.
Political parties are given positions on the scale as a way of describing how they think we should solve big issues in society.
So if a party pushes for more conservative policies, like the Republicans do, you'll find it somewhere to the right of the centre.
And a party that has more progressive policies, like the Democrats, can be found on the left.
What is a democratic socialist?
Zohran Mamdani has described himself as a democratic socialist.
Let's break that term into two parts, starting with the socialist side.
Socialism is a kind of political and economic system that aims to distribute wealth more evenly across the population.
It advocates for the government owning and controlling more resources and property.
Those who argue in favour of this kind of system say capitalism creates inequalities in wealth and power.
A democratic socialist is someone who believes the system should be achieved and run through democratic processes like electing leaders.
While democratic socialists may vary in how they think a socialist economy should operate, they all agree that capitalism should be abolished, rather than improved through regulation.
ABC/Reuters
