State assembly member representing Astoria, Queens, Zohran Mamdani, announced his run for mayor of New York City in October 2024, and has since taken the city’s political sphere by storm. The 33-year-old Democratic socialist is running on perhaps the most progressive platform in the mayoral race, promising to democratize the MTA’s bus fare, freeze rent, establish a $30 minimum wage by 2030, create a network of city-owned grocery stores, and much more.Â
Mamdani announced on March 24 that he has reached capacity on campaign donations, garnering $8 million with projected matching funds from over 18,000 individual donors, faster than any NYC political campaign ever. He is now only preceded by former Gov. Andrew Cuomo in terms of campaign funds. Winning the election would make him the first Muslim and first South Asian to hold office.
Mamdani is one of 10 Democrats to challenge incumbent mayor Eric Adams in this year’s mayoral election. Adams’ federal indictment has landed his reelection campaign in hot water, with four of his top aides having stepped down from their positions since the investigation began. Mamdani, along with several other lawmakers, has called on Mayor Adams to resign, and has stated in a previous interview that the city has been failed, not only by its current leadership, but also by, “big donors, real estate developers, and a right-wing media that championed [Adams] as the leader to save our city.”
Born in Uganda to Indian parents, Mamdani moved to Queens at seven years old. He graduated from high school in the Bronx, and four years after receiving his bachelor’s degree in Africana Studies from Bowdoin College, Mamdani became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 2018. Prior to being a public servant, he had several jobs, including being a foreclosure prevention counselor and rapping in NYC subway stations. Mamdani won his bid for New York State Assembly in 2020, running on similar promises of rent-control, fare-free public transit, ending mass incarceration, and fighting for universal healthcare. His mayoral campaign has received endorsements from the New York City branch of Democratic Socialists of America (of which he is a member), Jewish Voice for Peace, United Auto Workers union, CAAAV Voice, and several other progressive organizations. Â
A New Yorker of Islamic faith, Mamdani is well aware of the tensions between New York’s 1.5 million Muslim population and the history of the city’s mass surveillance of the community, especially after 9/11. He said he represents Steinway Street, “The very street where Michael Bloomberg deployed the Demographics Unit.” He noted that merely 7% of New York Muslims registered as Democrats have turned out in past elections, and attributes that to the policies in place which have, “erased [Muslims] from the civic and cultural fabric of this city.” However, Mamdani hopes that his running for mayor allows for the community to see themselves represented in the city’s political process and establish a pathway for recognition, respect, and equality.
The Queens native made waves on social media earlier this month after a video of him confronting Trump’s appointed border czar, Tom Homan, during Homan’s visit to Albany on March 12 made rounds on X, formerly known as Twitter. The confrontation comes on the heels of the Department of Homeland Security’s unlawful detention of Columbia University student and Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil. Homan was in the State Capitol to attend a meeting with Republican state legislators to discuss immigration. In the video, as Mamdani is being blocked by security personnel, he can be heard yelling, “Do you believe in the First Amendment?” in reference to Khalil being detained on account of being a vocal advocate for Palestine.
Mamdani then took to X to explain his reasons behind approaching Homan, and stated that the official came to, “push for mass deportations, carry out the assault on working class New Yorkers, and justify the unjustifiable detention of…Mahmoud Khalil.” The assembly member, alongside Senator Jabari Brisport, introduced the Not on Our Dime Act in 2023, with the intention of reducing financial support for illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank. Though the bill gained support from prominent NYC congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the bill did not pass.Â
Along with being a fierce critic of Israel, Mamdani’s populist ideas offer a necessary perspective on the issues plaguing the city. “I think there’s a fundamental misreading of what New Yorkers are hungry for,” Mamdani said in an interview for The Nation. The focus of the assembly member’s campaign is on the cost of living, and he argues that it’s the single most important issue city dwellers are facing. “If you couldn’t afford your rent or your childcare or your groceries or your MetroCard, you couldn’t afford to worry about anything in City Hall,” said Mamdani.Â
Mamdani’s platform is a breath of fresh air and his words ring true to so many across the city. With a whopping 25% of New Yorkers living under the poverty line, the city is in desperate need of someone who can fight for the people, not large corporations and lobbyist groups. He possesses the conviction and straightforwardness the Democratic Party currently lacks, not an establishment politician using big fancy words to distract from being out of touch with constituents’ needs— just a New Yorker for New York. The mayoral primary is scheduled for June 24, 2025, and I sincerely hope voters give Mamdani a fighting chance.