Despite a massive cash advantage and the backing of many establishment Democrats, former Gov. Andrew Cuomo conceded a stunning defeat at the hands of a left-wing newcomer.

Born in Kampala, raised in Cape Town in post-apartheid South Africa and politically awakened in New York’s Queens, Zohran Kwame Mamdani’s journey to becoming the Democratic contender for mayor of the US’ largest city reads like a map of the modern diaspora.

In a stunning victory, Indian-American lawmaker Zohran Kwame Mamdani defeated former governor Andrew Cuomo in the Democratic primary race for New York City mayor. Mamdani, son of renowned Indian filmmaker Mira Nair and Mahmood Mamdani, a Ugandan author of Indian ancestry, was declared victorious in the Democratic mayoral primary Tuesday night.