M-A-M-D-A-N-I

“People thought that Mamdani did not have a chance because for a while…no one knew who he even was,” – Joveria Hasnat, a student in New York.

Zohran Kwame Mamdani is now the mayor-elect of the wealthiest city in one of the richest countries on Earth. His victory represents a political trajectory that is both atypical and deeply revealing of contemporary America. Born in an Ugandan-Indian family, raised between continents and immersed in environments rich in academic and artistic capital due to his parents’ careers: he occupies a complex place in the American social landscape. This matters, not as a critique but as context. His political language is formed by a democratic political economy and urban class analysis as much as by lived experience. You could hear it during the several live debates he participated in, in his cadence, see it in his references and definitely feel it in his policy design: it’s disciplined, detailed and unapologetically people-centered.

Unlike most politicians, Mamdani does not tiptoe around ideology. He calls himself a democratic socialist without stuttering, blinking or hiding behind the usual euphemisms such as  “progressive but pragmatic” or “left-leaning centrist.” No, he just says it. It’s alarming to some. It’s refreshing for many. 

I had the chance to talk to a young woman, Joveria Hasnat, who calls New York City (NYC) home. She told me about her vision for the city and her hopes for its future: “It’s been a while since people believed a politician could actually transform city policies instead of making empty promises.” As Joveria expresses, Mamdani’s key word is affordability, a concern that deeply resonated with NYC residents:“Politics have never been kind to my family or me. In America, the rich always win.” 

She isn’t exaggerating and housing is too often treated as a luxury rather than a right. In August 2025, about 350,000 people in New York City were homeless, including roughly 103,000 staying in shelters. Workers are expected to give up weekends and vacations just to make ends meet, compounded by mismanaged public resources that drive up the cost of basic necessities, NYC becomes a difficult place to live comfortably.

According to some media sources, Mamdani is a so-called “jihadist communist radical”. Nice word salad, right? I guess trying to work on social issues makes him a radical and a threat to national security in Donald Trump’s America. In reality, this soon-to-be new NYC government seems to simply want to be doing what it should have been doing all along: aiming to be clear about policies, purposeful in their actions and accepting accountability. Most of what Mamdani is calling for, such as stronger social safety nets or affordable rent, is not as groundbreaking in other countries. But in the US, where hyper-capitalism and individualism dominate, even these measures are treated as enough to be polarizing.

And yes, he is also the scary “M-word”–Muslim. His faith didn’t define his campaign, yet the hostility surrounding it certainly shaped the path he had to navigate. Cuomo and Sliwa, two other mayoral candidates, heavily leaned into a rhetoric that critics called out as Islamophobic, as they warned New Yorkers of  “security concerns” and tossed around words like “jihad” and “anti-semitism.” Surely nothing says “in touch with urban policy” like implying a socialist candidate is secretly plotting to implement Shariah law between community board meetings.

Opponents tried to weaponize his immigrant background, his openness about religion and his optimistic vision for a better New York City. But those same traits were exactly what made him magnetic to supporters. His rise from a relatively unknown candidate, polling at 1% to New York City mayor did not happen by accident. “If he did not gain his social media presence, it’s safe to say that Andrew Cuomo could have been back in office by now.” As Joveria noted, the campaign wasn’t just political; it became a cultural phenomenon and a shift in spirit that forced people to pay attention. His candidacy felt like a breath of fresh air in American politics, a leftist rupture in a city long dominated by incrementalism and cautious compromise. 

He made inclusion a priority, reaching communities seemingly not out of strategy but out of conviction. His videos explaining his vision in Spanish and Arabic might seem like minor details, but it is these gestures that defined his campaign. It makes people feel seen, affirming that he is advocating for all New Yorkers, not just the ones politics usually cater to. People feel represented by him on all sorts of fronts. Whether strictly on the political aspect or like Joveria, on more than that:“There is a major diaspora of South Asians and Muslims in New York, and the last time we saw representation in U.S. politics was never. It’s one of the most significant symbols for us that Mamdani was elected mayor. People like my family and people of similar backgrounds feel a little more empowered, a bit more safe in these foreign lands.” 

His focus on the working class, the people that actually keep the city going, further grounded his message in lived reality. They staff the transit system, schools, construction sites and hospitals that make daily life in NYC possible. Mamdani noticed it. He knew his audience, met them where they were and used the same transportation they did, which made his campaign “that much more authentic.” That very sense of proximity showed up in his participation in the ordinary rituals of city life, the small, shared experiences that quietly define who a city is actually for.

And among those, food becomes central in understanding Mamdani’s New York. He’ll recommend an egg and cheese on a roll with jalapeños from a corner bodega on your way to the subway. He hypes the places that keep the city fed: the Yemeni-run delis, the Dominican lunch counters, the Pakistani spots, the Mexican taquerias where a $4 taco can change your whole life. Food isn’t just food, it’s community. It’s the fact that you can walk three blocks and get the best ramen outside of Japan and then turn the corner for a shawarma wrap that tastes like it came straight out of Beirut. And the way he champions them, the way he centers small food businesses instead of corporate chains, tells you everything about his politics. Again, community is the heart of his campaign and in New York, community tastes like something.

He positions himself in open opposition to the oligarchic tendencies that have come to define both national and city politics. Governance is shaped less by public need and more by donor interests and insider networks. So when connections substitute for competence, and when calling $2,000 a month “poor-person rent” somehow passes as normal political discourse, his message sticks and rings.

Moreover, Mamdani’s willingness to confront the president only amplified his appeal. Threats from Trump to withhold federal services or cut funding didn’t intimidate him but clarified his resolve. Even the classic critique of “inexperience” fell flat. As Mamdani himself put it, “What I don’t have in experience I make up for in integrity. And what Andrew Cuomo lacks in integrity, he could never make up for in experience.” This sentence alone is probably one of the things that most rallied people behind him, from New York to around the world.

I asked Joveria what the city actually felt like during the campaign. I wondered if the excitement I kept seeing on my feed was real, or just another case of social-media-inflated enthusiasm? She didn’t hesitate: “People actually felt hopeful. There were volunteers passionately speaking in neighborhoods, which brought about the community-feel again. The vibe felt progressive and people were actively fighting to make Mamdani more seen for the city’s population. It was for everyone’s good.” 

Joveria commutes every day since she lives in Nassau County on Long Island, the next closest county. Since she is not technically a New York City resident, she couldn’t cast a ballot. Yet she describes being deeply involved in spreading the campaign anyway: “There was constant conversation regarding the mayor of NYC even on social media platforms. His outreach worked and us New Yorkers helped”.

Yes, his victory was in many ways a collective one: claimed not just by under-represented groups, but by an entire political ecosystem that had long been told to lower its expectations. His rise is often framed as a personal triumph. It is, of course. But it is also the clearest proof that America’s political machinery can still be disrupted from below.

A huge part of Mamdani’s political identity is visual. The iconic posters, the bold color palettes, the slightly unruly graphics that felt more like protest art than campaign branding: you can trace that DNA mainly to Aneesh Bhoopathy, an artist who got inspired by the city itself. It might sound anecdotal, but it matters. When your political opponents are calling you an extremist, having your campaign look like a community art project rather than a corporate brochure is not just a stylistic choice; it’s a statement about who you think deserves to be seen.

And it worked, people felt seen.

He won on a night when Democrats nationwide were stacking significant victories.

But the morning after the celebration, the actual work of preparation must commence.

New York is not an easy city to govern. Joveria beautifully described it: “I love New York’s art and expression culture, but most of all, its diversity. New York is not known for its classical art nor the super elegant music culture but it’s not meant to be. If you walk through the streets [...] the first thing you’ll notice is all the noise. But if you keep a keen ear out as you stroll through, you’ll start to notice that you hear English less than other languages from all over the world. [....] New York’s much more than Times Square.” 

Precisely, this place is a mosaic of overlapping identities, interests and languages, a place where diversity is woven in everything the city does. Managing that city requires skill: representing it requires something closer to moral coherence. Mamdani arrived with the latter. The rest is now his homework.

Hence the following question: is he who New Yorkers need him to be?

Probably. That’s the honest answer. He feels like an espresso shot to political fatigue, which is one of the main reason he gained so much traction. 

Joveria put it best: “Regardless of if he actually achieves freezing rent, creating city-governed grocery stores, or eliminating bus fares, his policies are incredibly progressive. I haven’t felt  genuine relief in the political field ever since Trump’s first presidential term ended. The only way is up for NYC with Mamdani as mayor.” 

It’s hard not to feel something when you see a Muslim democratic socialist with an all-women transition team stepping into the leadership of one of the most influential cities in the world. Representation alone doesn’t fix housing or transit, but it certainly redefines what the political imagination considers possible.

And the weeks after his election only confirm it. His administration has already begun the unglamorous but essential work of reorganizing departments, reopening budget discussions and setting priorities that reflect his campaign promises. His transition team — yes, entirely made up of women — with impressively qualified people such as Lina Khan, a chair of the Federal Trade Commission, or Grace Bonilla, a leading urban policy expert, makes it easier for people to try and entrust Mamdani’s office with what is next. His administration is also opening thousands of new public-sector jobs, positions built with a “by the people, for the people” logic in mind. More than 70,000 applicants have already rushed in, about 400 people hired to 17 transition committees and 33 amongst them are now members of a transition committee on transportation, climate and infrastructure.

Is he everything his supporters dream of?

According to Joveria, very close. A politician who knows what it wants, can explain why and doesn’t panic when challenged. He now needs to be held accountable and continue to prove he is the politician New Yorkers voted for. And this is, in itself, a form of trust: not starry-eyed, but strategic. Not naive, but necessary.

When asking her if she thinks what he proposes is actually feasible, Joveria responded: “Some of his policies are a little ambitious, even a bit risky. Realistically, eliminating bus fares would take hundreds of million dollars.” I agree, but maybe unrealistic is what people need and therefore should strive for.

It takes courage to try, and the greatest gift this new mayor provided might just be hope. So let’s hope. Let’s set standards that seem unachievable, let’s politicize everything because everything is, and let’s continue to expect rather than accept. 

The name is Mamdani, and I think people might want to remember that. So turn the volume up. At the risk of sounding too confident, this one may be worth listening to.

Photo Source: Joe Mabel, Wikimedia Commons