“We must chart a new path”: Mamdani makes history in NYC

Image - Bingjiefu He

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Zohran Mamdani will be the next mayor of New York City after the Democratic nominee comfortably defeated independent Andrew Cuomo and Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa in yesterday’s general election. 

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Mamdani, who describes himself as a democratic socialist, will be the first Muslim mayor of the city and the youngest mayor in over a century.

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“The future is in our hands,” he told supporters in a fiery victory speech at his base in Long Island City.

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“New York, tonight you have delivered a mandate for change… a mandate for a city we can afford.”

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More than 2 million New Yorkers headed to the polls yesterday – almost double the turnout of the last election in 2021. The result is not an upset, but for a candidate that was polling at 1% this time last year, Mamdani’s victory sends a powerful message to both President Trump, and the increasingly unpopular Democratic Party establishment. 

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Despite winning the Democratic nomination back in June, senior Democrats such as Chuck Schumer, Gavin Newsom and Kamala Harris were reluctant to endorse Mamdani’s more radical agenda.

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The mayor-elect did confirm that he had the informal support of a man whom he now has stark political similarities with - former President Barack Obama. Obama reportedly offered to be an unofficial sounding board for Mamdani and praised his campaign. 

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Mamdani’s priority is improving affordability, the top issue in America’s most expensive city. His promises of rent freezes, free and faster buses, and a corporate tax increase on those earning more than $1 million won over more than a million New Yorkers.

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The campaign turned ugly in its final weeks. On a radio show with Sid Rosenberg, Cuomo suggested that Mamdani, who is a Muslim, would celebrate if another 9/11 were to happen during his tenure. Mamdani has also accused both Cuomo and Sliwa of Islamophobia for intentionally mispronouncing his surname. 

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More generally, Mamdani targeted Cuomo over his poor response to COVID-19 as governor of New York, as well as the allegations of sexual harassment against him from 13 different women during his time as governor.

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Cuomo’s responses often centred on Mamdani’s lack of governmental experience. But his efforts were in vain.

Mamdani dominated four of the five boroughs and fared better in Black and Hispanic neighbourhoods than he did in the primaries. He managed to form a diverse coalition, the scale of which dwarfed Cuomo’s domination in majority white Staten Island. New Yorkers chose youth and energy over the experience of Cuomo and Sliwa.

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It is indisputable that Mamdani is one of the best communicators in politics. He, with a talented team that matched his vision, overcame every hurdle in his path. He remained focused on his agenda, maintaining his appeal amidst a tirade of anti-Muslim dog-whistling.

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There were tears and jubilant celebration at the watch party for the New York City DSA (Democratic Socialists of America). Wesley Parnell reported for the NYT that with each demographic Mamdani mentioned in his speech – a different part of the diverse crowd would cheer.

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Not all arequite as optimistic. President Trump, who endorsed Cuomo, ramped up his insults the day before the election, accusing Mamdani of being a “Jew hater.”

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As the results in New York were becoming apparent, the President posted on Truth Social: “AND SO IT BEGINS!”  

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Mamdani then challenged Trump in his victory speech, which was received with raucous cheers. “So, Donald Trump, since I know you’re watching. I have four words for you.”

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“Turn the volume up.”

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The relationship between President Trump and Mayor-elect Mamdani could prove to be intriguing in the years to come. The prospect of their current war of words escalating further was made more likely yesterday by Trump, who threatened to pull federal funding for the city if Mamdani won.

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As mouthwatering as Mamdani’s pledges are, they have naturally raised eyebrows. Whilst many Republicans currently see him as a harbinger of apocalypse on a mission to create a communist hellscape, Mamdani will also need to win over the hesitant Democratic leaders in the following years. He’ll be held to a standard not seen in the city since the days of Fiorello La Guardia, widely considered to be New York’s most successful mayor.

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Can this young man turn the page on years of rising costs, increasingly unsafe streets and snail-paced public transport?

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The world will now be watching Zohran Mamdani as he attempts to steer America’s biggest city out of the gloom.