New York state Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani won the New York City mayoral election Tuesday, cementing his rise to stardom in the Democratic Party after his upset primary victory in June.
A democratic socialist, Mamdani defeated disgraced former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, who ran as an independent after losing to Mamdani in the Democratic primary, and Republican outsider Curtis Sliwa to become the Big Apple’s next mayor.
Mamdani’s knack for viral short-form videos and his robust grassroots campaign operation fueled his upset victory over Cuomo and sitting Mayor Eric Adams in this year’s Democratic primary.
The victory turned the seemingly omnipresent Mamdani into a national phenomenon and a reason for hope for leftists, whose worsening political fortunes and unpopular agenda made them into a nuisance for the Democratic Party last election cycle.
Adams’s political fortunes were marred by a federal corruption case, which President Trump had the Justice Department throw out, and corruption cases against several of his top political aides. Not to be outdone, Cuomo remained hobbled by the sexual harassment allegations and nursing home Covid deaths scandals that led to the end of his gubernatorial tenure in 2021.
While Adams eventually dropped out and backed Cuomo, Sliwa refused to leave the race after the primary to consolidate the anti-Mamdani opposition. Sliwa argued that Cuomo’s history and failure to appeal to Republican voters justified his staying in the race.
Before the election, President Trump urged Republicans to vote for Cuomo instead of Sliwa in order to stop Mamdani.
“We must also remember this — A vote for Curtis Sliwa (who looks much better without the beret!) is a vote for Mamdani. Whether you personally like Andrew Cuomo or not, you really have no choice. You must vote for him, and hope he does a fantastic job. He is capable of it, Mamdani is not!” Trump said.
Throughout the campaign, Mamdani addressed New Yorkers’ concerns about cost of living and housing with a wish list of leftist economic policies including raising taxes, freezing rents on certain apartments, making buses free, and launching government-run grocery stores. Critics have argued that Mamdani’s economic agenda would drive wealthy taxpayers out of the area and reduce the quality of public services without lowering prices.
Another issue in which Mamdani’s approach to governance might have a major impact is education. Mamdani has floated decentralizing power over the education system away from the mayor’s office, a plan that could lead to chaos and dysfunction for New York’s 1 million public school students. He has also proposed removing kindergarten through second grade from the city’s gifted and talented program, an accelerated learning pathway for elementary school kids.
Beyond that, Mamdani took heat during the campaign for his virulently anti-Israel and anti-police viewpoints. He has proposed a $1 billion government department to allow social workers to respond to situations where mentally disturbed individuals are suffering from severe episodes. As a state assemblyman, he voted against increasing mandatory minimum sentences for those who assault transit workers.
Mamdani previously advocated defunding the NYPD, a position he has taken pains to distance himself from in order to mitigate attacks from Cuomo and Adams. Now, Mamdani is promising to retain well-respected Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch and keep police staffing levels the same.
Mamdani’s mayoralty has the potential to impact New York City’s approach to Israel on a multitude of fronts. He could use his power to shape the NYPD’s response to anti-Israel demonstrations and antisemitic hate crimes. Under Mamdani, New York’s $300 billion employee pension funds could boycott and divest from companies doing business in Israel.
Additionally, Mamdani has said he will order the police to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if he comes to the city, potentially creating a diplomatic and legal crisis. Anti-Israel progressives have routinely accused Netanyahu of violating international law by perpetrating war crimes against Gazan civilians during Israel’s war against Hamas.
More broadly, Mamdani’s political ascension would impact the New York gubernatorial race and other competitive races next year. To fully execute his economic agenda, Mamdani will need cooperation from Democratic Governor Kathy Hochul and state lawmakers in Albany.
Hochul endorsed Mamdani in September after months of deliberation and sidestepping. She subsequently appeared at a Mamdani rally, where she mispronounced his name and awkwardly responded to “tax the rich” chants. Republicans are expected to hammer Hochul for affiliating herself with Mamdani despite branding herself as an upstate moderate.
Mamdani’s political mandate will likely embolden progressive primary challenges to Democratic congressional lawmakers with districts within the Big Apple’s city limits. Those fights would encapsulate the Democratic Party’s struggle to respond to its base’s anger at the second Trump administration and tackle the public perception of them as out of touch and overly concerned about social issues.
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