Zohran Mamdani, a 33-year-old democratic socialist, has caused major political upset in the US as he is poised to become a Democratic candidate for the mayoral election in New York in November.
After the first round counted in the Democratic primary, Mamdani led persuasively to his rivals, including former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo.
Relative political beginners who endured strong grassroots support earned 43% of the vote, compared to Cuomo’s 36%.
The final results of the ranked selection are not known until Tuesday, but Cuomo said he would recognize Mamdani and consider running it as an independent candidate.
“Tonight is his night. He deserves it. He won,” Cuomo said of the Mamdani.
Meanwhile, Mamdani, speaking from the Queens rooftop early Wednesday morning, promised to “become mayor of all New Yorkers” if elected.
As he did through the campaign, the 33-year-old promised to support the city’s working class.
“A dignified life should not be reserved for the lucky few,” he said. “It should be something the city government guarantees for all New Yorkers.”
Mamdani also reiterated his pledge to free up the bus and freeze rent for stable tenants.
The political rise of millennial candidates was extraordinary. But who was he and how did he put himself at the pinnacle of the Democratic mayoral field?
Rapid political rise
Mamdani, born in Uganda and came to New York at the age of seven, won US citizenship in 2018. His mother is a film director and his father is a professor at Columbia University.
After earning a degree in Africana Studies from Boudin College in Maine, Mamdani worked as a housing counselor in Queens, helping low-income homeowners in the fight against eviction.
It was this job that he wanted to go to politics, he said.
The democratic socialist who made rap music under the name Cardamom was voted for the state legislature in 2020 and achieved his first political break when he represented Queens’ regions, including Astoria Heights.
In his year in the state legislature in Albany, only three of the bills Mamdani introduced have become law, leading to criticism from his detractors.
His democratic challenger, Cuomo, was one of those who targeted Mamdani’s lack of experience.
“He has never dealt with the city council. He has never dealt with the council,” said Cuomo, who resigned as New York governor in August 2021 after the sexual harassment scandal.
“He has never negotiated with the union. He has never built anything. He hasn’t dealt with a natural emergency. He has never dealt with a hurricane.
How did he become so popular?
Mamdani’s promise to help the working-class New Yorkers really hit the chord, even if critics argue it’s infeasible.
They include proposals to provide public childcare for children under the age of six, raise the minimum wage, and raise taxes for wealthy people.
After declaring his candidacy last fall, Mamdani gained great support on social media.
In one video he is seen jumping into the Atlantic in a suit before “slumping” into the details of the proposed rent freeze in New York.
Another campaign stunt was walking across the length of Manhattan last week, giving the New Yorker the opportunity to take a photo with him.
On Tuesday, the 33-year-old used a video with actress and model Emily Ratakovsky to encourage people to go out to vote for him.
Big Name Supporter
Mamdani is supported by well-known national politicians such as Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and New York Sen. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Both are democratic socialists.
After his victory, Ocasio-Cortez took him to X to bless him.
“Your dedication to New York City, affordable, welcoming and safe, affordable, where working families can take shots, has impacted people all over the city,” she writes.
Sanders also praised Mamdani and “his thousands of grassroots supporters for their extraordinary campaign.”
If Mamdani wins the November election — against challengers including incumbent mayor Eric Adams, who was hit by a scandal running as an independent candidate — he will become the youngest mayor of New York since 1917.
He also became its first Muslim mayor.
