New York’s next mayor could be a pro-Palestinian socialist
Zohab Mamdani, a self-declared socialist with openly pro-Palestinian sentiments, is now well-positioned to become the next Mayor of New York, which could signal a major shift in the city’s political landscape.
Mamdani led the race in New York’s Democratic primary, securing 43 percent of the vote on June 24th and sparking a renewed optimism among the city’s disaffected voters, reports Middle East Eye.
“Tonight we made history,” he said in his victory speech. If elected, he would be the first Muslim and Indian American to lead the country’s largest city.
Final results are not expected to be announced until July 3rd, as the city, which operates under ranked-choice voting, will now reallocate the votes of the lagging candidates until one breaks the 50 percent threshold. However, shortly after the first round of votes was tallied, the runner-up, Andrew Cuomo, conceded, congratulating his opponent for “a really smart campaign.”
Mamdani’s surprising ascent was fueled by an aggressive social media campaign that allowed him to reach young voters across the city who, according to the Washington Post, “were not otherwise tuned into politics.”
He has distinguished himself from a field of 10 opponents by offering unapologetically progressive reforms that stand out for their ambition. Running on rent freezes, universal childcare, free bus service, and the creation of a city-owned discount grocery store–all financed by a tax hike on the wealthy– his campaign promises something many demoralized democrats have been waiting for: a bold reordering of priorities.
Like Senator Bernie Sanders, who ran unsuccessfully for US President in 2016 and 2020, and from whom Mamdani seems to draw heavy inspiration, his grassroots campaign zeros in on issues affecting the working class. His clarity on what citizens are owed by the state seems refreshing to many voters accustomed to the democratic party’s empty platitudes.
“Trump has shown us that on one side of politics, there is a limitless imagination,” that candidate recently said to Dave Weigel, “and on the other, we are constantly constructing an ever-lowering ceiling.”
He has also shown open support for the Palestinian struggle, condemning Israel’s brutal genocide. During a podcast with Tim Miller, he refused to condemn the phrase “globalize the intifada,” which some Jewish people see as a rallying cry for violence against them, maintaining that it spoke to the “desperate desire for equality and equal rights in standing up for Palestinian human rights.”
Mamdani’s bid stands in sharp contrast to his runner-up. Cuomo, who previously served as state governor, was attempting to recast himself as the more stable option after resigning from office in 2021 over a sexual harassment scandal. Drawing on his experience, he appealed to voters who were apprehensive about his less experienced counterpart’s ambitions.
During a recent debate, he mocked that Trump would cut through Mamdani’s bills “like a hot knife through butter.”
Mamdani charged back that Cuomo’s campaign is the “latest example of billionaires and corporations trying to buy an election.”
However, despite his wealthy backers and public support from former president Bill Clinton, Mamdani’s small-dollar donor campaign won over voters.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez congratulated Mamdani on X, posting: “Billionaires and lobbyists poured millions against you and our public finance system. And you won.”
Middle East Eye/ Maghrebi
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