Zohran Mamdani vowed Tuesday night during his victory address to «turn the page» on old-guard New York City Democrats. But within less than 24 hours, the mayor-elect of New York City announced a transition team comprised of folks with ties to the administrations of Bill de Blasio, Eric Adams, Michael Bloomberg and Joe Biden. 

«Let tonight be the final time I utter [Andrew Cuomo’s] name as we turn the page on a politics that abandons the many and answers only to the few,» Mamdani said Tuesday evening as he touted a new political order for New York City at his victory address at the Brooklyn Paramount theater. The next morning, Mamdani named an all-female transition team comprised of four co-chairs and an executive director. 

The co-chairs are Maria Torres-Springer, a former top aide under former mayors de Blasio and Michael Bloomberg and soon-to-be former Mayor Adams; Lina Khan, the Biden administration’s Federal Trade Commission chair; Melanie Hartzog, a former New York City budget director who served as the deputy mayor for Health and Human Services under de Blasio; and Grace Bonilla, a former Bloomberg and de Blasio aide appointed to lead the former’s task force on racial equity and Inclusion. Elana Leopold, a former senior aide to de Blasio, was tapped to be the transition team’s executive director.

WILL ELECTION DAY 2025 BE REMEMBERED AS THE RISE OF THE SOCIALISTS? 

Fox News Digital reached out to Mamdani for comment but did not get a response in time for publication.  

«The polls have barely closed, and already the incoming mayor is breaking one of his core promises to shake up the status quo and usher in a new day. New York City started a downward spiral under the de Blasio administration, and now some of its main players are returning to the halls of power,» said Republican strategist Colin Reed. 

«And former FTC Chair Lina Khan became synonymous with her hostility toward businesses large and small during the Biden administration and one of the ringleaders of Bidenomics.»

Khan, in particular, has been accused of sidelining career staff in favor of fresh blood from a cadre of dark money nonprofits, which coincided with a forceful antitrust strategy that mirrored the organizations’ goals. The FTC, under Khan’s leadership, credited individuals brought up from these nonprofits for help in crafting policy and messaging in posts on its website and in a report to Congress in 2022.

FLASHBACK: WILDEST MOMENTS MAMDANI OVERCAME ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL TO BECOME NYC’S NEXT MAYOR 

Zohran Mamdani, mayor-elect of New York, center, joined by members of his transition team, from left, Elana Leopold, transition executive director; Melanie Hartzog, transition co-chair; Maria Torres-Springer, transition co-chair; Grace Bonilla, transition co-chair; and Lina Khan, transition co-chair, speaks to members of the media at Flushing Meadows Corona Park in the Queens borough of New York Wednesday, Nov. 5, 2025. (Adam Gray/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Mamdani, a New York state assemblymember who ran as the Democratic candidate for New York City mayor, defeated former Empire State Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa in the Big Apple’s mayoral contest.

«My friends, we have toppled a political dynasty,» Mamdani said in his victory speech Tuesday night. «Tonight you have delivered a mandate for change. ​​A mandate for a new kind of politics. A mandate for a city we can afford. And a mandate for a government that delivers exactly that.»

During Mamdani’s victory speech Tuesday night, the mayor-elect also slammed corporate interests, telling his supporters New Yorkers have been betrayed by those elected officials who care more about their own enrichment. 

«We refuse to let them dictate the rules of the game anymore,» he said. «They can play by the same rules as the rest of us.»

Mamdani’s election victory was being cheered by Alex Soros, the son of billionaire philanthropist George Soros, who has helped fund left-wing campaigns stretching from district attorneys to federal elections. In 2022, the younger Soros succeeded his father as chair of the board of directors of the massive $25 billion Open Society Foundations he runs his activism through. 

Alex Soros, son of billionaire megadonor George Soros, congratulates Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani on his New York City election victory. (X/@AlexSoros)

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Alex Soros’ support of Mamdani is not a surprise, with the Open Society Foundations reportedly donating $37 million in the last decade to left-wing groups that promoted Mamdani’s nomination this year, such as the Working Families Party, the New York Post reported in July.

Fox News Digital’s Greg Norman and Emma Colton contributed to this report.

No hay dudas. No existe analista en Chile que no afirme que habrá un balotaje presidencial. Si hace tres semanas todo parecía predecible, y apuntaba a un paso del republicano José Antonio Kast y la candidata del oficialismo, la comunista Jeannette Jara, hoy en la derecha se agitan las aguas.

Distintos sondeos han evidenciado que Kast ha perdido apoyo, el que se ha traslado al libertario Johannes Kaiser. Hoy no es tan seguro quién será el contendor de Jara, que según encuestas como Cadem, Criteria y Panel UDD, parece mantener la base de apoyo al presidente Gabriel Boric, lo que significa rondar el 30% de intención de voto.

Pero para entender esta trama, se debe realizar un breve resumen. A comienzo de año lideraba las encuestas Evelyn Matthei, la candidata de la centroderecha, heredera del Piñerismo. En Junio, las encuestas comenzaron a evidenciar un desgaste de la ex alcaldesa de Providencia y un resurgimiento de Kast, quien lideró sin contrapesos los sondes de opinión pública hasta poco menos de un mes. En ese periodo surgió el libertario Kaiser, quien fue electo diputado acompañando a Kast en 2021, pero renunció al poco andar.

“Matthei fue sobrepasada por Kast, principalmente por dos razones. Primero, el comunismo ganó la primaria de la izquierda, lo que asustó a muchos, y muchos leyeron que para enfrentar a Jara se necesita un candidato duro. El liberalismo moderado de Matthei parecía no ser suficiente. Y como segunda razón, Kast asumió un encuadre bastante pragmático, seduciendo a muchos con la idea de que el suyo será un gobierno de emergencia, sin meterse en temas valóricos o conservadores”, explica el sociólogo Roberto Munita.

Y agrega que esto mismo le ha generado su leve declive: “Lo hizo crecer por el centro, pero pierde votos por la derecha más dura. Para muchos de los que apoyaron a Kast en 2021, este candidato se fue diluyendo y perdió sus valores; Kaiser, en cambio, que es un tipo más dogmático, representa esa derecha que no está dispuesta a cambiar una coma del programa por un millón de votos. Y eso lo ha hecho irrumpir como espuma en un electorado furioso, conservador y nacionalista”, sostiene.

Si bien en Chile existe veda electoral, la ley rige sólo para el territorio chileno. Durante la veda, la encuesta Cadem sondeó la intención de votos y reveló el siguiente escenario: Jara 27%; Kast 21%; Kaiser 15%; Matthei 13%. Más atrás le siguen el independiente Franco Parisi, quien se declara opositor a Boric, con un 11% y otros tres candidatos que no superan el 3% de intención de votos.

Cadem evidencia que Kaiser ha subido 7 puntos en aproximadamente un mes, mientras otras encuestas, como la desarrollada por el Sociólogo Alberto Mayol, lo sitúan sobre Kast por menos de un 1%, mostrando también a Matthei en el mismo rango de intención de votos. Mayol ha levantado la tesis del “triple empate en la derecha”.

La disputa se vuelve importante porque ningún partido de la oposición quiso realizar primarias. La primera vuelta se transformó en el desgrane natural. Lo cierto es que, en prácticamente todos los sondeos, los votos sumados de la oposición rondan el 60%. Por eso, quien pase con Jara a la segunda vuelta podría quedar en una inmejorable ventaja para ser el próximo presidente.

En la derecha, la contienda está picante, frente a un electorado que cada vez se identifica más con este sector político, según la encuesta Criteria de Cristián Valdivieso.

Matthei busca diferenciarse de Kast, diciendo que no basta combatir la delincuencia y la inmigración, levantando otros temas como empleo y salud. Kaiser ha elevado la apuesta buscando al electorado más identitario, prometiendo incluso indultos a violadores de derechos humanos de la dictadura de Pinochet, quienes cumplen condenas en el penal Punta Peuco. Kast, por su parte, busca administrar su leve ventaja y no elevar el tono, porque necesitará apoyos para ganar y gobernar.

Otro factor que están usando los candidatos para persuadir a los electores es el “voto útil”. Según los mismos sondeos, tanto Kast como Matthei derrotarían fácilmente a Jara en una segunda vuelta, no así Kaiser.

La irrupción del libertario y la tesis del triple empate han generado nerviosismo y revitalizado una contienda que se había vuelto monótona y predecible. Una primera vuelta tipo primaria que, advierten los especialistas, podría dejar prácticamente definido quien sucederá a Boric en el palacio presidencial.

The body of the last U.S. citizen held by Hamas, Staff Sergeant Itay Chen, a 19-year-old dual U.S.–Israeli citizen, has been returned from Gaza for burial, the Israel Defense Forces confirmed Monday. Seven more hostages’ bodies remain in Gaza.

«Following the completion of the identification process by the National Institute of Forensic Medicine, in cooperation with the Israel Police and the Military Rabbinate, IDF representatives informed the family that Itay had been returned for burial,» the military said.

Chen served as a combat soldier in the 77th Battalion of the 7th Armored Brigade. He was killed on the morning of October 7, 2023, while fighting near Kibbutz Nahal Oz—one of the hardest-hit communities in Hamas’s brutal attack. Chen’s tank was struck during the battle, and his body was taken into Gaza. His death was officially confirmed on March 10, 2024.

BODY OF ISRAELI HOSTAGE WHO WAS HELD FOR NEARLY 700 DAYS IN GAZA IS RECOVERED

Itay was the middle of three brothers. He grew up in Netanya, a city in central Israel, studied in an advanced academic program, and was known for his warmth, humor, and dedication. He loved basketball, hiking, and rock climbing, and before joining the army worked as a camp counselor. Even after sustaining an injury at camp, he insisted on finishing the summer to set an example for the kids he led. Later he enlisted as an armored-corps soldier, driven by a deep sense of duty to protect others. He leaves behind his parents, Ruby and Hagit, and his brothers Roi and Alon.

Over the past year, his parents led an unrelenting campaign to bring their son home. They met with senior officials in Israel and Washington, including President Trump, advocating for the return of all hostages and the remains of the fallen.

Ruby Chen addressed the U.N. Security Council, calling for more action to bring the hostages home from Gaza. Ruby’s son Itay is still being held in Gaza by Hamas terrorists. (Bianca Otero)

Ruby and Hagit Chen shared in a statement: «For 760 days, our dear and beloved son Itay, a hero of Israel, was held captive by Hamas. Last night, we received the bittersweet news of his return home to Israel. Even in this difficult moment, we remember that there are still seven hostages who must be brought back: Hadar Goldin, Ran Gvili, Meny Godard, Dror Or, Lior Rudaeff, Joshua Loitu Mollel and Sudthisak Rinthalak.»

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the Chen family shortly after being notified of the identification. The prime minister offered his heartfelt condolences to the family, asked about the well-being of Roy and Alon, Itay’s brothers, and vowed to continue the fight without relenting until the last hostage is returned. The family thanked the Prime Minister for bringing Itay home for a proper burial in Israel. 

Ruby Chen told Netanyahu that Itay’s sacrifice must not be in vain, and that there could be no return to the mindset of Oct. 6. He emphasized the need to establish a commission of inquiry, noting that the people of Israel deserve answers about what happened on that terrible day — answers for the 2,000 bereaved families and tens of thousands wounded in body and spirit.

President Trump’s special envoy for Peace Missions, Steve Witkoff, also called the Chen family for an extended conversation. 

Witkoff expressed his admiration for how the family had conducted their campaign to bring Itay home, and underscored their pivotal role in highlighting the urgency of returning all remaining hostages. He added that the family helped President Trump grasp the critical importance of bringing home both the living and the deceased hostages and reinforced American determination and commitment to press forward until the last hostage is returned.

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Itay Chen, 19-year-old U.S.-Israeli citizen, was on active duty in a tank unit on Oct. 7, 2023.   (Hostage Family Forum)

The Hostages and Missing Families Forum said, «The return of Itay brings a measure of relief to a family that lived in agonizing uncertainty for more than two years. We will not rest until the last hostage is returned.»

Chen’s funeral will take place this week with full military honors.