Zohran Mamdani’s Victory in New York
Zohran Mamdani has just defeated disgraced ex-governor Andrew Cuomo in the New York City Democratic mayoral primary, in a stunning upset. Mamdani’s victory is a major blow to the Democratic old guard. If he wins in November, he’ll be NYC’s first Muslim mayor.
Zohran Mamdani’s NYC mayoral platform was unapologetic: rent freeze, fare-free buses, $30/hr min wage, universal childcare, public grocery stores and massive affordable housing, all funded by taxing the rich. He became the face of “communism/socialism” and a target for MAGA. But Zohran Mamdani didn’t just win, he wiped the floor with them (partly by mobilising the absentee youth vote with messaging like this. ) This video has 3.2 million on Tik Tok alone.
This is, no doubt a major victory for the Left of the Democratic Party and a major defeat for MAGA. But also, in a gerontocracy, it is a significant victory for a generation ruled by old men.
He supports the BDS movement against Israel, saying in 2021: ‘The struggle for Palestine is the struggle for dignity’, and has stood up against Trump’s “border czar” Tom Homan, publicly berating him. All of the Republican and Israel lobby’s power could not stop his convincing victory. Efforts to portray him as anti-semitic, to ‘red scare’ him or to smear him as a radical Muslim all failed. His is a text-book case in fighting the right: create a genuine alternative platform and resist appeasement.
Novara Media has analysis here:
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Its going to be important to watch this closely not least for the tactics the opposition are likely to be using. Bearing in mind that NY is a very particular case, I wonder whether Mamdanis’ success with a laudible and down to earth programme is another straw in the wind indicating confidence in politicians who arent smooth careerists. Directness and trustworthiness are a route through the disillusionment with careerists our own political activists will be wise to follow.
Yes it is true that non-conformist politicians can cut through – this isn’t unique to the right!
It’ll be equally interesting to see who emerges as “the opposition”. I’m not referring to the Republicans, but the possibility (or even probability) that mainstream Democrats put their weight behind an “independent”, but thoroughly neoliberal candidate.