University of Kwazulu-Natal

61 And Rising The Black Voter Surge That Powered Zohran Mamdani S

Bonisiwe Shabane
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61 and rising the black voter surge that powered zohran mamdani s

When Zohran Mamdani won the 2025 New York City mayoral race, it wasn’t just a political upset — it was a reconfiguration of the cit… An analysis suggests the New York City mayoral hopeful trailed among certain demographics. What’s behind the numbers? Early Saturday morning, New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani stepped on stage in the historically Black neighbourhood of Harlem. His message was a familiar one: that he would be the best candidate to fight for the city’s marginalised and working classes. “There have been many a question as to whether this city will simply become a museum of a place that once was — a museum of where working people could thrive,” Mamdani told the...

On June 24, Mamdani scored an upset, winning New York City’s Democratic mayoral primary over frontrunner Andrew Cuomo, a former governor. During a recent canvassing call for New Yorkers with Caribbean ties, one of the city’s most prominent Black leaders tried to dispel rumors about Zohran Mamdani, the 33-year-old democratic socialist and Democratic nominee for... “I just want to make clear nobody around Zohran is trying to take Black people’s homes,” Public Advocate Jumaane Williams said on the Zoom call, which was attended by approximately 90 people. “Quite the opposite. He wants to make sure that we’re able to stay in our homes.” Mamdani, virtually unknown to most New Yorkers when he entered the June Democratic primary, beat Andrew Cuomo even as he lost in majority-Black neighborhoods across the city.

His campaign has long been accused of relying on younger, wealthier residents who are pricing out longstanding residents – a critique summarized by an adviser to House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries who referred to... Ahead of a November election where he will face Cuomo and incumbent Mayor Eric Adams as independents, Mamdani is working to make inroads with Black voters by emphasizing his commitment to homeownership and lowering... There is still some skepticism of Mamdani’s credentials and his proposals, giving an opening to Adams, the second Black mayor in the city’s history, and Cuomo, who has long counted on Black voters in... Cuomo’s allies are pushing Adams to end his reelection bid, hoping that will help Cuomo consolidate Black voter support against Mamdani. Socialist Zohran Mamdani beat establishment Democrat and former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo in the New York City mayoral primary by nearly 13 points with a platform centered on affordability — fast and free buses, publicly run grocery stores, freezing the rent — and by...

Mamdani’s rising popularity comes at a time of sharp public debate over who can and should lead a big-tent coalition to defeat an increasingly authoritarian, billionaire-driven Right. Will it be an insurgent Left, or will it be a status quo center? A pretty key part of that debate is how Black communities fit into the equation. The archetype of the Black voter as an older, moderate, Democratic Party loyalist persists. Yet, a diversity of Black adults are disillusioned with the way things are and looking for alternatives to the status quo — or resigning themselves to nonparticipation altogether. While it’s true that many insurgent candidates on the American Left have struggled to win over large bases in Black communities (arguably Bernie Sanders’ biggest failure and missed opportunity), it is a mistake to...

Quite the opposite. A considerable majority of Black voters (67%) have a favorable view of socialism. That’s higher than any other demographic group. We tend to support progressive issues like social programs, investment in good union jobs, affordable housing measures and universal healthcare. Zohran Mamdani has momentum in the New York mayoral race, but his message hasn’t reached older Black voters, a crucial group to the city’s political power. New York City Democratic mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani arrives for the March on Wall Street, Thursday, Aug.

28, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Heather Khalifa) New York City Democratic mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani smiles behind Rev. Al Sharpton on stage for the March on Wall Street, Thursday, Aug. 28, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Heather Khalifa)

New York City mayoral candidate Andrew Cuomo speaks during a press conference Thursday, Aug. 7, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura) New York Mayor Eric Adams speaks during a campaign launch rally at City Hall, Thursday, June. 26, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura, File)

ANALYSIS: The Democratic Party could learn that connecting with new generations of Black voters will require more than traditional political methods or assumptions. Cuomo may have won with Black voters, but a certain segment is ready for change. If you were a Black voter of a certain age in New York City, many people expected you to vote for Andrew Cuomo in Tuesday’s mayoral race. The numbers show, by and large, that’s what happened–Cuomo had a 20-point advantage with Black voters over State Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani, earning over 51% of the vote. But while Cuomo emerged from his resignation-retirement in hopes of running the city, his big loss to Mamdani shows that most Democratic voters didn’t want the so-called safer bet. So why did Mamdani win?

And what was his appeal to the Black voters who turned out for Mamdani from Bed-Stuy to parts of Washington Heights? It wasn’t just that he was born in Africa (to Muslim parents in Uganda) or his middle name is Kwame (named after Kwame Nkrumah) or that he once was a rapper (Mr. Cardamom). Queens assemblyman Zohran Mamdani's surprise win over former Governor Andrew Cuomo in New York City's Democratic mayoral primary came courtesy of support from progressive bastions in Brooklyn. The 33-year-old also made inroads into the Black, Hispanic, and Asian demographics that Mr Cuomo was expected to dominate. Early ranked-choice voting data show Mr Mamdani ran up his numbers in Brooklyn's "crunchy granola" districts, winning more than 20,000 votes in Fort Greene, Clinton Hill, Bed-Stuy, and Crown Heights, compared to Mr Cuomo's...

In Brooklyn Heights, Boerum Hill, and Carroll Gardens, Mr Mamdani again led decisively, with 19,000 votes to Cuomo's 6,900, The NY Post reported. "Mamdani developed a much broader coalition than you might have expected from the fact he was a [Democratic Socialists of America] candidate," said John Mollenkopf, director of the Center for Urban Research at CUNY... Mr Mamdani convinced communities that typically leaned towards moderate Democrats. He outperformed expectations in majority Black and Hispanic areas, chipping away at Mr Cuomo's presumed base of middle-of-the-road voters. Zohran Mamdani, the progressive state assemblyman running for New York City mayor, is facing hurdles with a key constituency: Black voters. While Mamdani has energized younger and liberal voters, his support among Black residents—a crucial bloc in citywide elections—remains uncertain, polling suggests, highlighting potential obstacles as he seeks the broad coalition necessary to win.

Newsweek has contacted Mamdani's campaign via email for comment. Newsweek asked experts why the November 4 mayoral election candidate might be struggling to win over this demographic. Polling over the past few months has shown Mamdani trailing in many Black-majority neighborhoods. A May Marist survey found him with just eight percent support among Black voters, compared with 50 percent for Andrew Cuomo. Mamdani also underperformed in June's Democratic mayoral primary in precincts where over 60 percent of residents are Black and poverty rates exceed the citywide average, including East Flatbush and Brownsville.

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