When the results beamed onto televisions around a New York party confirming the city's new mayor, the crowd erupted.
Caitlin McNaughton leapt to her feet, her hand covering her mouth as the crowd embraced and roared: "Mam-da-ni! Mam-da-ni!"
"Things have just been so bleak," the New Yorker exclaimed.
This watch party, held in a beer garden in the borough of Queens, is about as close to Zohran Mamdani's heartland as you can get. In fact, this is his neighbourhood.
The 34-year-old self-described Democratic socialist made headlines around the world this week when he won New York City's mayoral election by a massive margin.
His far-left policy platform that includes things like taxing the rich and opening city-run grocery stores was mocked by many, including US President Donald Trump, who also grew up in the city.
But Mr Mamdani had the last laugh on Tuesday night and there is evidence to suggest women like Ms McNaughton — who is also 34 — were the driving force behind the triumph.
"I'm extremely proud to be a New Yorker but lately I've been embarrassed to be an American," she said, referring to the Trump administration's cuts to critical government programs and hard-line immigration policies.
"This is a glimmer of hope."
Mr Mamdani, the Democratic Party's candidate, has been credited with energising previously disengaged voters around the city.
The Democrats were humbled by Mr Trump's Republican Party at last year's presidential election, and have been described as ineffective and directionless in the year since.
Some hope Mr Mamdani's win in one of the nation's most progressive strongholds will help the beleaguered Democrats shake off the political paralysis they've faced since Trump's win.
While analysts point out that Mr Mamdani's policies are unlikely to gain traction around the country, some aspects of his victory could.
His consistent messaging about the sky-high cost of living in New York City is a theme many people around the country will relate to.
The way Mr Mamdani galvanised young people — particularly women — appears to have been a major factor in his success.
He won about two-thirds of voters under 45, including 84 per cent of women aged 18 to 29 and 65 per cent of women aged 30 to 45, according to an exit poll of more than 4,000 people, published by CNN.
Women make up a larger share of the American electorate than men and historically turn out to vote in higher numbers, too.
'This is monumental'
Mr Mamdani, who was born in Uganda and migrated to the US as a child, will become New York City's first Muslim mayor.
The millennial won 50.4 per cent of the vote, far ahead of independent Andrew Cuomo, who finished with just over 41 per cent.
Mr Cuomo, a former governor of the state who stepped down after multiple sexual harassment allegations, was well-known in the city. He's a Democrat, but ran as an independent after losing the primaries to Mr Mamdani.
The other major contender, Curtis Sliwa from the Republican Party, finished a very distant third.
Shanaz Chowdhury, a 38-year-old mother and first-generation Bangladeshi immigrant, celebrated with her partner and friends. For her, Mamdani's win as the first Muslim and South Asian mayor is deeply personal.
"As someone who has experienced Islamophobia since 9/11, this is monumental," she said. "I'm proud my son won't have to go through what I have."
She recalled her parents in Salwar Kameez — a type of traditional dress — having objects hurled at them, her sister facing prejudice at work for wearing her hijab, and her elderly Imam being doused in beer by a stranger on the street.
"It's this feeling of not belonging. You feel it all the time," she said.
"So this feels like an acceptance of Muslim people, finally. Of brown people, finally."
While the CNN exit poll did not provide specific details of which candidates New York's South Asian community may have skewed towards, it did reveal he was popular among some of the city's other major cultural diasporas.
Among black women, for instance, 54 per cent backed Mr Mamdani, while for Latina women, it was 51 per cent.
"The conventional wisdom would tell you that I am far from the perfect candidate," Mr Mamdani said during his victory speech on Tuesday night.
"I am young, despite my best efforts to grow older. I am Muslim. I am a Democratic socialist. And most damning of all, I refuse to apologise for any of this."
Support for Mr Mamdani did not transcend all backgrounds, though.
New York City is home to the world's largest Jewish community outside Israel, and CNN's poll revealed the vast majority of this group — 64 per cent — had backed Mr Cuomo.
Mr Mamdani has a long history of pro-Palestinian activism and has been highly critical of Israel's government and military, even pledging to arrest the country's Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu.
White women backed Mr Mamdani, too.
According to the exit poll, 47 per cent voted for the Democratic candidate, while 45 per cent backed Mr Cuomo.
In contrast, white men threw their support behind Mr Cuomo in larger numbers with 49 per cent casting a ballot for him, and 42 per cent voting for Mr Mamdani.
Fighting for a city that left her behind
Kristina Teschner was among those who believe Mr Mamdani is what the city needs. She even volunteered for his campaign.
She has spent years on the brink of being priced out of the city she loves.
At 44, the Brooklyn resident has lived most of her life pay cheque-to-pay cheque, and relies on government food and health programs to get by.
She also became homeless for a brief period after her landlord evicted her.
Then came her biggest test: a breast cancer diagnosis that required treatment and a double mastectomy, leaving her unable to work.
"If it weren't for a GoFundMe for the surgery, I wouldn't be here," said the director and political organiser.
"I couldn't look at my bank account today, but I think maybe there's a hundred dollars in there."
Despite her situation, Ms Teschner devoted months to volunteering for Mamdani's campaign, canvassing, petitioning and organising neighbours frustrated with a city that seemed to have forgotten them.
When Mr Mamdani was declared the winner, she screamed and hugged her friends.
"Just knowing this campaign existed makes me feel more taken care of," she said.
"It takes a tipping point for people to feel confident enough to stand up to these big money-burning machines and win.
"The heartbeat of New York isn't in corporate boardrooms. It's the taxi drivers, the bodega owners, the nurses, the teachers — people like me."
Mr Mamdani will be sworn in as mayor on January 1.
