Originally Published: 01 JAN 26 00:03 ET

New York (CNN) — Zohran Mamdani, the democratic socialist who campaigned on a promise to tackle the affordability crisis in one of America’s most expensive cities, vowed to govern “expansively and audaciously” as he was sworn in as New York City’s 112th mayor Thursday.

Mamdani’s inauguration was a celebration of the progressive agenda he’s bringing to City Hall, attended by some of the biggest names in the progressive movement, including independent Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, who swore in Mamdani.

Mamdani, a 34-year-old immigrant from Uganda, makes history as the city’s first Muslim mayor, first South Asian mayor and the youngest mayor to hold the high-profile office in more than a century.

“My fellow New Yorkers, today begins a new era,” Mamdani said after his swearing-in.

In his speech Thursday, Mamdani spoke glowingly of the city he now leads, promising to be a mayor to all New Yorkers as he recalled taking the subway and bus as a teenager to his high school in the Bronx and his first date with his wife, Rama Duwaji, in Brooklyn’s McCarren Park.

“I know there are some who view this administration with distrust or disdain, or who see politics as permanently broken, and while only action can change minds, I promise you this: If you are a New Yorker, I am your mayor,” Mamdani said.

At the same time, Mamdani rejected any suggestions he would temper the ambitious agenda he set out in his campaign, pledging to bring down costs for everyday New Yorkers.

“Beginning today, we will govern expansively and audaciously. We may not always succeed, but never will we be accused of lacking the courage to try,” Mamdani said. “I was elected as a democratic socialist and I will govern as a democratic socialist. I will not abandon my principles for fear of being deemed radical.”

The former state assemblyman from Queens captured the world’s attention and stunned the political establishment with his win in the Democratic primary last summer, running a campaign focused on affordability: He promised to create a universal childcare program, freeze the rent for roughly two million rent-stabilized tenants and make city buses “fast and free.”

Progressive stars turn out for mayor

Among the thousands who attended Thursday’s ceremony were high-profile leaders of the progressive movement buoyed by Mamdani’s win, including Sanders and Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

Before swearing in the new mayor, Sanders thanked the tens of thousands of volunteers for his campaign who took on the Democratic and Republican establishments and “defeated them in the biggest political upset in modern American history.”

“Demanding that the wealthy and large corporations start paying their fair share of taxes is not radical, it is exactly the right thing to do,” Sanders said, as the crowd loudly chanted “tax the rich!”

Ocasio-Cortez, who won her own upset primary for Congress in New York in 2018, touted Mamdani as a mayor “relentlessly dedicated to making life not just possible, but aspirational for working people.”

“Zohran will be the first Muslim mayor of our great city. He will be our first immigrant mayor in over a century. And he will be the youngest mayor of New York City in generations,” she continued. “But most importantly, Zohran will be a mayor for all of us.”

The speakers who participated in Mamdani’s inauguration echoed many of the themes from his campaign and the larger progressive movement.

Cornelius Eady read a poem for Mamdani that he dedicated “to my trans, queer, foreign students of color at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville,” where he said he had recently retired, “so they can see this is possible.”

New York Public Advocate Jumaane Williams was sworn in by people impacted by immigration enforcement, including Senegalese immigrant Amadou Ly, whose speech introducing Williams drew a strong reaction from the inauguration crowd.

Other familiar faces present included former Mayor Bill de Blasio, who Mamdani has described as the best mayor in recent history. Outgoing Mayor Eric Adams was seated alongside de Blasio, with the crowd outside City Hall booing when Adams was shown on screen.

On Thursday, Mamdani signed several executive orders, including one that revoked all executive orders by his predecessor on or after September 26, 2024, when Adams was federally indicted on public corruption charges.

The Justice Department under President Donald Trump directed prosecutors to drop the charges against Adams earlier this year, and Adams has maintained he did nothing wrong.

A block party celebrating the new mayor

Inside City Hall Plaza, the crowd began to gather early Thursday morning, bundled up in the freezing temperatures. A DJ attempted to keep the crowd warmed up as they waited for the ceremony to start.

A block party hosted by Mamdani’s transition team — dubbed the “Inauguration of a New Era” — was held on Broadway, just outside the gates of city hall. The new mayor’s supporters lined the street behind barricades, many decked out in Zohran merchandise from his campaign and buttons that read, “NYC Inauguration 2026,” bearing the signature branding and color palette of Mamdani’s campaign.

Jen Shoemaker, a New Orleans native who moved to New York 14 years ago and volunteered for Mamdani’s campaign, was decked out in a colorful headpiece with flowers and a “Zohran” paperfan.

“Everybody’s so energetic. We’re so ready for Zohran,” said Shoemaker, who arrived more than two hours before the inauguration began. “We need Democrats with backbones and Zohran has one.”

Fernando Restrepo, a lifelong New Yorker, was watching from the crowd with his partner and two young sons, one of them in a stroller. He said he’d never attended a mayoral inauguration in the city before but was inspired to come out because of the message of hope and unity he felt Mamdani’s election represented.

“I think that we are looking at the possibility of a lot of progressive policies being put into place, and I think that means a safer society for all,” he said.

Simone Swartz, a veteran, was there with her friends Dev Mehra and Bilal Mohammed, holding a pink teddy bear they had given her that was outfitted in a Mamdani T-shirt. Mamdani, she said, was the first political candidate she felt excited to vote for.

“Mamdani has been the first politician this has actually supported actual American values: treating everybody with respect, freedom and access to public services,” she said.

The block party also drew some attendees who weren’t Mamdani supporters. Sharon Jones, who described herself as a conservative Republican, said she was there as part of her “civic duty as a New Yorker.”

“Even though my political views are different, as a New Yorker, it’s all about community,” she said. “My neighbor is my neighbor regardless of what political affiliations they may have.”

Public ceremony follows private swearing-in

Mamdani was officially sworn in just after midnight during a private ceremony alongside his wife. His parents, filmmaker Mira Nair and Mahmood Mamdani, a professor at Columbia University, were also in attendance.

For the ceremony, Mamdani chose a Quran from the New York Public Library that was once part of Afro-Latino historian Arturo Schomburg’s personal library.

In a statement prior to the ceremony, the library said Mamdani’s selection of Islam’s holy book “marks a significant moment in our city’s history.”

It’s a choice steeped in meaning for Mamdani and the hundreds of thousands of Muslims who call New York City home. It’s the first time a Quran has been used in a mayoral inauguration.

In addition to the NYPL’s book, Mamdani also used a Quran that belonged to his grandfather during the midnight ceremony, according to his transition team.

New York State Attorney General Letitia James, who Mamdani has described as a “political inspiration,” administered the oath of office as Mamdani placed his left hand on the two books.

The setting was symbolic. Mamdani was sworn in on the platform of the old City Hall subway station underneath City Hall Park in Manhattan – an architectural marvel where tiled, arched ceilings, colored glass skylights and brass chandeliers have laid dormant since the station was shuttered in 1945.

The location, which is closed to the public except for the occasional guided tour, is one of New York’s 28 original subway stations that opened in 1904, ushering in a new dawn of innovation and growth in New York City.

Following his midnight swearing-in, Mamdani spoke about the significance of the setting, calling it “a testament to the importance of public transit to the vitality, the health and the legacy of our city.”

Mamdani’s ambitious agenda has drawn some skepticism. He has proposed taxing the wealthy to pay for his proposals, something he can only do with the support of the state legislature and the governor. And while Mamdani is taking office at a time of general economic strength in the city, the high cost of living is squeezing working-class New Yorkers.

The dawn of Mamdani’s administration also comes as the national Democratic Party is wrestling with its identity and struggling to energize a divided base. Mamdani’s win has fueled debate about whether the party should move further to the left and focus on affordability as its primary issue in the upcoming midterm elections.

This story has been updated with additional information.

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