In an unlikely political shift, Zohran Mamdani, the 33-year-old Queens Assemblyman, is set to achieve a decisive win in the Democratic mayoral primary, toppling former Governor Andrew Cuomo.
As of June 25, Mamdani held 43.5 percent of first-round votes to Cuomo's 36.4 percent, after 93 percent of votes were counted in the primary's first round. Cuomo has already conceded the race.
If the result holds, Mamdani would make history as New York City's first Muslim, South Asian and millennial Mayor. His emergence as the city boss comes at a time when the US is facing domestic and international criticism for its entanglement in Israel's genocidal war in Gaza and attacks on Iran's nuclear facilities.
Building a Grassroots Campaign
Unlike his pro-establishment opponent Cuomo, Mamdani built his campaign from the bottom up, presenting himself as an alternative to the status quo.
In an interview on Democracy Now, Mamdani explained how he was able to build a sweeping campaign without any considerable support from the Democratic establishment.
"I now speak to you with more than 50,000 volunteers. There was a point at the beginning of this race where there were some who doubted whether we would receive even 50,000 votes.
And yet, this campaign apparatus, of which I cannot think of a precedent in our city, is one that has now knocked on 1.5 million doors, made more than 500,000 phone calls, and ultimately, is carrying a belief in politics that should require no translation, a politics that speaks directly to working- and middle-class New Yorkers' struggles," he added.
Moreover, Mamdani and fellow progressive Brad Lander cross-endorsed each other, urging voters to strategically drown Cuomo, utilising NYC's ranked choice voting system.
Adopting working-class and youth-focused policies
As the most left-oriented candidate in the race, Mamdani resonated with working-class and young voters by addressing cost-of-living pressures head-on.
He campaigned at once on raising taxes on the city's billionaires, funding initiatives like free MTA buses and freezing house rents. Mamdani was also critical of Israel, despite smear campaigns of anti-semitism against him.
His video campaign programme, targeted at different immigrant communities, has gained widespread popularity, especially among the youth.
Mamdani's key supporters include Ella Emhoff, actors Cynthia Nixon and Kal Penn, Senator Bernie Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
His popular and progressive stances can be seen as an extension of Bernie Sanders' Fighting Oligarchy Tour.
What's Next?
After the results came out, Senator Sanders posted on X, highlighting a yearning for a meaningful change in the USA's entire political landscape:
"Congratulations to Zohran Mamdani and his thousands of grassroots supporters for their extraordinary campaign. You took on the political, economic and media Establishment- and you beat them. Now it's on to victory in the general election."
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