If you have been paying attention to American politics, then you may know that many people’s eyes have been geared towards the mayoral race in New York City. While NYC is very important not only for the United States but for the world, most mayoral elections tend to come and go in the city, with some level of attention from national Democrats. But this race in particular has gained national recognition for one candidate in particular: Zohran Mamdani. Mamdani is an assemblyman for Astoria, Queens since 2020 and a self-identified Democratic Socialist who has been working closely with the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) as an organizer for a long time. The other candidates in this race at the current moment are former Governor Andrew Cuomo, who resigned from his position in disgrace after multiple scandals, and Curtis Sliwa, founder of the Guardian Angels. Mamdani, though, has been simultaneously getting large swaths of support and large swaths of scrutiny. He has gotten criticism from something as miniscule as how he eats his food to statements he has made in the past (or statements that were assigned to him preemptively).
Another aspect that makes this election unique is the fact that this is probably the first local election in American history to have the president interfering and collaborating with candidates; for example, Cuomo gave a phone call to President Donald Trump for support. In addition, the Trump administration offered candidate and current Mayor Eric Adams a position in the cabinet in Housing and Urban Development if he dropped out of the race. At the time, Adams said he would stay in the race, before dropping out a few weeks later due to fundraising issues.
The reason why this race is so significant, however, is that this race is emblematic of what the future of politics in America can look like, and it is a litmus test for the future of the Democratic Party. I do not consider myself to be a Democrat; I am very critical of the party, and I believe that much of the party leadership does not represent me. Mamdani himself isn’t fully in step with the Democrats either. Many major Democratic figures have been hesitant to endorse him. When former Vice President Kamala Harris was asked about Mamdani’s candidacy and whether or not she endorsed him, she simply said, “I support whoever is the Democrat in the race” and tried to derail the question to speak about something else. Hakeem Jeffries endorsed him only until the very end of the race in the last few weeks, and Chuck Schumer, whenever asked about an endorsement, still only says, “I will continue speaking to him.”
Mamdani’s platform of affordability and tackling wealth inequality is one that, despite being very popular with many people, is something establishment Democrat politicians have not wanted to touch on, most likely in fear that it would upset many of the big Democratic donors. As I spoke about in another article, the Democratic party is at its lowest approval rating despite the surge in disapproval of Trump. The main reason for this is that they are out of touch and ineffective. As wealth inequality becomes greater and greater, many people feel hopeless about what the future holds. Mamdani gives people hope that life can be more affordable and comfortable for the average person, and that the people who work the hardest in the city can enjoy the fruits of their labor. If this race is won, it will be a clear sign that economic populism is a winning message, as many people have been saying for years and years.
People feel as though the government and capitalism have not been working for them, with only 33% of Americans saying that they trust the government. People do not like the establishment, both left and right, and they want change. If Mamdani wins the election to become the next mayor of New York City and is successful in improving the city and making it more affordable, that will send a message to the rest of the nation that a better system is possible, as well as send a message to the political parties about the future of America and what people want from their politicians.