Zohran Mamdani, a 33-year-old Muslim Democratic Socialist, upended New York City’s (the country’s?) political order when he defeated disgraced but powerful establishment creature and former New York governor Andrew Cuomo last week.
The Queens Assembly member’s success is prompting questions about how someone with such long-shot odds could succeed in the most improbable of ways. After all, Cuomo was backed by numerous establishment instutions, a $25 million PAC and boosted by superior name recognition.
Ultimately, however, it didn’t matter. In the final tally, Mamdani won by a whopping 12 points. So decisive was his win that it set off a chain reaction of panic among both the Democratic party firmament as well as President Trump. In fact, this interview was recorded just before publication of a New York Times report suggesting Mamdani was dishonest about his background in his college applications, as immaterial and unpersuasive as a hit piece gets. As transparent as the attempted smear is, it underscores the lengths political opponents are going to undercut as fast a rising genuine left-wing star as there’s been since the ascendancy of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
So, just how did he do it?
Nomiki Konst - a New Yorker, progressive activist, journalist and host of The Nomiki Show - explains in this interview that a confluence of factors in place long before Mamdani even decided to run helped pave the path for his success. Specifically, she cites the changes made to electoral funding and ranked-choice voting in NYC as critical to elevating Mamdani’s chances. More crucially, however, she notes Mamdani’s laser focus on kitchen tables issues energized the youth vote while still winning over voters disaffected with Democratic politicians and promises.
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