From the Editor: Zohran Mamdani’s bid to be New York’s next mayor is nepotism done right

Filmmaker Mira Nair’s son and democratic socialist, Zohran Mamdani, has won the New York City Democratic primary election. 

Mamdani, 33, who is also a New York State assemblyman, won the city’s Democratic primary with 43.5 per cent of the vote in the first round of ranked-choice voting. In doing so, he beat former governor and alleged sexual harasser Andrew Cuomo as well as fellow leading progressive Brad Lander, whom Mamdani had formed a close alliance with during the campaign period.   

In Cuomo’s words, Mamdani ran a “really smart and good and impactful campaign.”

He did indeed. 

But Mamdani also wore many hats. 

He can easily be New York City’s coolest mayor to date. For starters, Mamdani is a walking-and-talking advertisement on online dating gone right after meeting his wife on Hinge. He also made appearances on Subway Takes, used Bollywood references in his campaign videos, and knows what Twitch is.

He can speak Bangla, visit the gurudwara, rap about his grandma, and even win the hearts of N.Y.C.’s elite higher-income population. 

He did not just win the South Asian vote, but ranked highly amongst the Hispanic population and Brooklyn’s affluent blocks, in addition to diverse neighbourhoods in Manhattan and Queens. 

Mamdani’s democratic socialist policies surprisingly won him 42 per cent of the higher-income resident vote, compared to his 38 per cent from lower-income residents — a group where Cuomo fared better with 49 per cent. Mamdani also won 47 per cent of the middle-income resident vote, in addition to 39 per cent of the white resident vote (more than Cuomo’s 34 per cent). 

He also performed stronger than his competitors with college graduates, with whom his messaging on tackling the affordability crisis especially resonated. 

But you don’t need a college degree to believe in Mamdani. 

He ranked highly amongst the city’s Asian population — who make up the majority in four per cent of precincts — with 52 per cent of the vote. 

But his “delicate quest,” as The New York Times puts it, to become N.Y.C.’s first Muslim mayor is marred with a realization much deeper. While he easily could have, Mamdani did not tokenize his religious identity in his election campaign. He won the Democratic nomination because of his policies and his care for the working class. 

Finally, he’s a leader with a progressive position on genocide and war. A leader who cares about the common man. Cares about workers and students struggling to make ends meet due to rent instability, families wanting to buy homes in an unaffordable market, tenants having to deal with bad landlords, parents having the relief of universal no-cost child care, fast transportation, and cheaper groceries.  

Mamadani cares about the cost of living and working people. 

He hasn’t just toppled a political dynasty, embodied by Cuomo’s family legacy, he’s also the Democrats’ — whose approval ratings went down to 29 per cent as of March 2025 — only major victory in a long time. 

Labelled a “communist lunatic” by the current U.S. president, Mamdani is many things but that. Unfounded name-calling aside, Mamdani’s nomination provides a generational opportunity, not only for the most populous and biggest city in the United States, but also for Democrats.

But this didn’t come easily, Mamdani was subjected to racist attacks online and Cuomo’s Islamophobic propaganda — he was picked on for being Muslim in a post-9/11 world. But he didn’t just resonate with the Muslims or immigrants in New York, he connected with every community that makes up the city’s diverse culture. 

Mamdani used his background and knowledge and incentivized his radical politics to connect with voters. 

Sure, Kamala Harris embraced brat summer, but Zohran Mamdani lived it.