Zohran Mamdani, A New Political Era for NYC

On 4 November, Zohran Mamdani won the election to be Mayor of New York City at the age of just 34. Although a Democrat following two Democrats may not seem revolutionary, Mamdani, who describes himself as a Socialist, is far from the current line of the party. His youth delighted the many grassroots supporters who came out to campaign for him. But critics point to his lack of political experience. He will take over running the city and its $115 billion budget on 1 January.

Mamdani's victory represents a lot of firsts: the first Muslim and person of South Asian descent to hold the office, the first born on the African continent and the youngest in over a century. He was born in Uganda to parents born in India. They moved to New York when he was seven. His mother, Mira Nair, is an Oscar-nominated filmmaker. His father, Mahmood Mamdani, is an anthropology professor at Columbia. Zohran, who championed the working class throughout his campaign, had a relatively privileged upbringing.

After a degree in African studies, Mamdani worked as a housing counsellor, helping low-income families avoid eviction. In 2020, he stood as a Democrat for the New York State Assembly, defeating the incumbent to get the nomination.

In October 2024, Mamdani announced his bid to become NYC Mayor. Both of his Democratic rivals, incumbent Eric Adams and former New York governor Andrew Cuomo, were mired in scandals. Mamdani quickly became popular, skillfully building his profile with videos on Instagram and TikTok. He walked the length of the city meeting voters, plunged into the harbour in support of his policy of rent freezes.

He appealed to a young and working-class electorate with promises to control rents, provide free buses and childcare as well as a chain of city-owned grocery stores to provide affordable food. He said he would raise taxes on big corporations and the wealthiest 1% of New Yorkers to pay for these measures.

On 4 November, Mamdani triumphed over Andrew Cuomo (who ran as an independent) and Republican Curtis Sliwa. There was the largest voter turnout in 50 years, with young voters estimated to account for a large part of the increase. That was perhaps helped by the hundred thousand often young volunteers Mamdani's campaign mobilised, as well as hundreds of thousands of small financial donors, echoing Barack Obama's presidential campaigns. Exit polls suggested that Mamdani had received 78% of the votes of 18-29-year-old voters. His overall score for all ages was 50.4%.

Mamdani has certainly built support for a Democratic party that had been floundering. It remains to be seen whether those voters will see themselves in the image of the party as a whole. Significantly, while Mamdani received vocal support from left-wing figures such as Democratic Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and independent Senator Bernie Sanders, the Democratic establishment was slow to endorse him. In the opening of his victory speech he made it clear that he had been running as much against the Democratic legacy in the city as the Republican candidate: "My friends, we have toppled a political dynasty... As we turn the page on a politics that abandons the many and answers only to the few."

However he went on to reach out to the citizens of NYC, "To every New Yorker – whether you voted for me, for one of my opponents or felt too disappointed by politics to vote at all – thank you for the opportunity to prove myself worthy of your trust. I will wake each morning with a singular purpose: to make this city better for you than it was the day before."

While he waits to be inaugurated on 1 January, Mamdani will no doubt be trying to build bridges with the Democratic party establishment, as well as federal and other partners he will need in order to try to deliver on his election promises. President Donald Trump has repeatedly threatened to slash federal funding to the city in Mamdani won.

Mamdani's response in his victory speech? “Donald Trump, since I know you’re watching, I have four words for you: turn the volume up.”