Zohran Mamdani: the Indian-origin Democrat candidate for Mayor who hopes to make New York affordable

Executing a David vs Goliath-style victory in New York, Zohran Mamdani, and his public-funded campaign surged ahead of multimillionaire Andrew Cuomo in the Democratic Primary for the city’s mayoral race on Tuesday (June 24, 2025). Mr. Cuomo conceded defeat, but with the Mayoral General Elections set for November, the former Governor could plan an independent campaign to run against Mr. Mamdani. However, for now, the 33-year-old Indian-origin Mamdani, who promises an affordable future for the Big Apple, has not only managed to stun the Republican class but has also given a wake-up call to the traditional Democrats.

New York Mayoral polls have not traditionally made waves around the globe. A city in which registered Democrats outnumber their Republican counterparts has seen mostly rich, career politicians occupy the mayoral position. Andrew Cuomo, the former Governor of New York, was poised to continue this tradition until Zohran Mamdani upset the scales in his favour. Mr. Mamdani’s win in the Democratic Primary means that he will be the Democratic candidate in the November election. With only a month-long campaign behind him, the young Assemblymember and his team managed to convert his views on social media into voters on the ground, and turned the mayoral race into a global digital event to follow.

Who is Zohran Mamdani

Mr. Mamdani’s dream of becoming New York’s Mayor, just like his political career, is young but not something that can be easily ignored. Born in Uganda to Indian parents — filmmaker Mira Nair and academic Mahmood Mamdani — Zohran Mamdani and his family moved to New York when he was only seven, and it wasn’t until 2018 that he became a naturalised U.S. citizen. Calling himself “[Donald] Trump’s worst nightmare,” the self-described “progressive, Muslim, immigrant” candidate is a three-time elected Representative for New York’s Assembly District 36. This makes him the “first South Asian man to serve in the New York State Assembly as well as the first Ugandan and only the third Muslim to ever be a member of the body.”

(L-R) New York mayoral candidate, State Rep. Zohran Mamdani (D-NY) stands with his mother Mira Nair, and father Mahmood Mamdani as they celebrate during an election night gathering at The Greats of Craft LIC on June 24, 2025 in the Long Island City neighborhood of the Queens borough in New York City. Photo: Getty Images via AFP

Prior to this, Mr. Mamdani worked as a foreclosure prevention housing counsellor, and his profile on the New York Assembly’s page states that this is what led him to run for office. He graduated from Bronx High School of Science and received a Bachelor’s Degree in Africana Studies from Bowdoin College. In college, Mr. Mamdani cofounded his college’s first ‘Students for Justice in Palestine’ chapter. His activism continued into his career when he participated in a 15-day hunger strike in 2021 for New York cab drivers awaiting a debt-relief deal.

Naturally, Mr. Mamdani’s past has followed him in this election, where up until a day before voting, he was being questioned over his lack of support for Israel. That Mr. Mamdani has managed to win the Primary election with a message of shunning Israel as a Jewish state in favour of an Israel that gives equal rights to all citizens came as a surprise to many after the 2024 Presidential elections saw the Democrats take a meek position on the Gaza conflict.

What does Zohran Mamdani promise

Mr. Mamdani’s position on Israel, though typically outside the scope of a New York City mayoral campaign, was not the only thing that ruffled feathers. Branding himself as a democratic socialist, Mr. Mamdani has stuck to a few key promises that he hopes to deliver. Freezing the rent, making buses fast and fare-free, opening city-owned grocery stores and making housing by and for New York have been some of his core tenets that he has said will serve toward making New York a more affordable city. To address this cost-of-living crisis, Mr. Mamdani plans to impose taxes on “big corporations and the wealthiest New Yorkers”.

Mr. Mamdani’s manifesto has been termed as radical by his opponents, with many looking to his past to predict his term as a potential Mayor. His win comes on the back of what appears to be compromises on some of his earlier views. Nearly five years ago, Mr. Mamdani was a vocal advocate of defunding the police; now, he has made multiple clarifications that he won’t do so, and instead will work towards a Department of Community Safety.

Why is Zohran Mamdani’s victory surprising

Zohran Mamdani, in one of his last campaign videos before the Primary election, called on voters to support him in toppling a political dynasty. The road for Mr. Mamdani’s campaign this election has been uphill. Andrew Cuomo, who was seeking a comeback following his disgraced exit in 2021 as Governor of New York after sexual misconduct allegations against him, entered the mayoral race with the backing of not only the established Democratic political class, but also capitalist heavyweights such as Michael Bloomberg who contributed upwards of $8 million to Mr. Cuomo’s campaign. In contrast, as per CNN, Mr. Mamdani managed to raise $7 million from individual public donors, and gained endorsements from prominent Democrats, including former Senator Bernie Sanders and New York Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

Mr. Mamdani’s triumph also symbolises his campaign’s success as a unifying force for a multicultural, multilingual New York. He delivered Bollywood-style dialogues in Hindi to explain New York’s rank-choice voting system using Mango Lassi, and a few weeks later filmed himself speaking in Bangla. Campaign posters promising a rent freeze in Yiddish dotted the city, while he visited Halal Carts to highlight the rising costs in the city. Despite a populist message, he continued to trail behind Mr. Cuomo in the pre-poll assessments until June 23, as he countered attacks on his lack of experience and “radical ideas.” Mr. Cuomo, who had accused Mr. Mamdani of harbouring anti-semitic views, saw his support wither as the voting day approached, and eventually had to concede defeat to his younger counterpart who raced ahead with over 43% of the votes.

Later in November, Zohran Mamdani will face off against incumbent Mayor Eric Adams, who is running as an Independent. He may also have to once again run against Mr. Cuomo, who may also choose to contest as an Independent candidate. Mr. Mamdani’s mission to make New York affordable seems closer than ever, if he is able to continue this popular momentum.

Published – June 25, 2025 02:46 pm IST