Tooba MasoodSix months ago, Zohran Mamdani was a relatively unknown in New York politics. Not anymore.
In a crowded, fractious election season, eleven Democrats are vying to replace New York City Mayor Eric Adams. Early voting for the Democratic primary began this past weekend. One name that has started to echo a little louder in the five boroughs: Zohran Kwame Mamdani.
At thirty-three, Mamdani is a state assemblyman from Queens, a Democratic socialist, and the first Muslim and South Asian mayoral candidate the city has ever had. If elected on June 24th, he would also be the youngest to hold the office in nearly a century.
Mamdani has surged to the front of the mayoral race by centring his campaign on the city’s affordability crisis. He has unveiled a slate of populist proposals, including fare-free buses and a rent freeze for rent-stabilised apartments.
In an interview with The New York Times, Mamdani said: “I’m committed to building a city that works for every New Yorker, not just the privileged few it serves today. I believe I’m the best candidate for this role because I understand the central crisis we face: affordability.”
Mamdani has gained traction not by cosying up to donors or power brokers, but through a fluent and fervent social media campaign that has resonated with young voters, tenants, and subway riders alike. His momentum was further fuelled by major endorsements from Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC), and the Working Families Party.
Mamdani surges in the new poll, leading Andrew Cuomo (former New York governor), for the first time in the New York mayor’s race, according to Politico. In another survey, conducted by Public Policy Polling, Mamdani was ahead of Cuomo. In that poll, Mamdani edged out the former governor, 35 percent to 31— a narrow lead. The latter, now a comeback candidate, has pitched himself as the experienced hand.
At a recent mayoral debate, the two men clashed over campaign finance and legacy. “The difference between myself and Andrew Cuomo,” Mamdani said, “is that my campaign is not funded by the very billionaires who put Donald Trump in DC.” He called himself “Donald Trump’s worst nightmare.”
There were moments of personal jibes, too. When Cuomo repeatedly mispronounced Mamdani’s name during the debate, Zohran corrected him. “The name is M-A-M-D-A-N-I,” he said.
Whether that wave breaks on Election Day remains to be seen. For now, Zohran Mamdani, a name more people are learning to pronounce, is no longer the long shot he was.
“I really like him and his agenda”
Born in Kampala, Uganda, in 1991, Mamdani is the son of Oscar-nominated Indian filmmaker Mira Nair and political theorist Mahmood Mamdani, a professor at Columbia University. Zohran moved to the United States at the age of seven. He attended the Bronx High School of Science and later earned a degree in African Studies from Bowdoin College.
Before entering politics, Mamdani worked as a foreclosure prevention counsellor in Queens, helping low-income families avoid eviction. His firsthand experience with housing insecurity propelled him into political activism.
In 2020, he was elected to the New York State Assembly representing the 36th District, becoming one of the first South Asians and Muslims to hold this position.
New Yorkers have mobilised around his campaign, fundraising, canvassing, and donating.
“Honestly, I think it’s incredible that he’s gotten this far,” says a Harlem resident named Husna. “The gap looked impossible earlier in the year. I really like him and his agenda. The issue remains whether he will be successful against the old guard that runs New York,” she tells TRT World.
One of Mamdani’s important contributions last year was a piloted a fare-free bus program where they removed fares from five bus lines in the city.
“There was one right by my house that I used regularly when I was a grad student. Everyone on it was always in a good mood. It really proved that his platform of making transport accessible has a tangible impact on the community,” Husna says.
According to her, a vast majority of residents are renters dealing with a growing cost of living crisis and there is serious mistrust of landlords and law enforcement.
“People are relieved to see someone running who is neither,” she says
Mamdani introduced the “Fix the MTA” package, aiming to make bus services free and improve public transit infrastructure.
Progressive platform, grassroots support
As an Assembly member, Mamdani has championed affordable housing, transportation equity, and workers’ rights.
He has proposed raising the minimum wage to $30 per hour by 2030 and supports the establishment of city-owned grocery stores to combat food insecurity. Demonstrating significant grassroots support, his campaign raised over $642,000 from more than 6,500 donors within the first 80 days.
Mamdani’s political work is complemented by his cultural engagement. Performing under the stage name Mr Cardamom, he released a rap single, Nani, featuring actress and acclaimed culinary author Madhur Jaffrey, a tribute to his South Asian heritage.
Husna sees Mamdani as part of a new generation of young politicians of colour who grew up in the city “trying to address actual problems 99 percent of New Yorkers face, rather than the interests of the Manhattan elite, or worse, people who don’t even live here.”
Hira, 35, from Brooklyn, tells TRT World that she has been actively sharing Mamdani’s posts on Instagram.
“I love that Mamdani brings authentic, relatable leadership as an immigrant who’s proven he’ll fight for working families with real solutions, building a true grassroots movement instead of being bankrolled by billionaires with vested interests,” she says.
Policies over identity
Brad Lander, the current city comptroller, remains a favourite among older voters who prefer a more seasoned candidate.
“If I’m being serious about it, the state of public infrastructure and housing is a joke right now and needs immediate attention,” Husna says. “Even Brad Lander hesitated to take on landlords and said he would only freeze the rents if the numbers make sense. As a numbers guy he already knew it made sense, and he did eventually come out in favour of a rent freeze.”
She adds, “Regardless of how people feel about the Democratic candidates, ranked voting should capture it all, so it is important to know your priorities and rank on the ballot accordingly.”
A New Yorker from Queens, requesting anonymity, says: “I hate every politician right now because of how much they aren’t doing for Gaza.”
She adds that she had researched Mamdani’s campaign and believed that “maybe he’s someone that isn’t controlled by money and Zionists.” While cautiously optimistic about his polling lead over Cuomo, she says, “They’re never going to be perfect. We’re talking about the US here. They all make promises then fall back when it’s time.”
Zara, a long-time Bernie Sanders supporter, tells TRT World she joined Mamdani’s campaign largely in opposition to the current mayor.
“After the debacle of both elections where the DNC made sure to push a weaker centrist establishment status quo candidate over Bernie, I got very disillusioned with politics.”
She says she got involved in this mayoral cycle because of Eric Adams: “He keeps raising the rent on us, and I literally will have to move if we don’t get a mayor more sympathetic to tenants.”
Zara’s support for Mamdani grew from his track record.
“I realised he really is a radical politician that is willing to stick by his views. I am hoping against hope he is someone like Bernie who will stick by his morals and political views even 40 years from now, but time will tell and I am a little jaded,” she adds.
She added that Mamdani’s background was secondary to her. “For me it matters more what his policies and positions are, regardless of his background or identity. If I am being honest, I think identity politics and the culture wars hold too much weight in US politics and often they are used as a distraction from the class war.”
While cautiously hopeful, Zara remained wary. “Either Zohran will win and turn out to be like any other politician, or the establishment will figure out a way to finagle Cuomo into power regardless of what the people want.”
“But hey, we gotta try, so let’s see,” she says. “I just want to let myself believe in something good without getting my heart crushed again.”
