University of Kwazulu-Natal

Five Takeaways From The Magazine S Profile Of Zohran Mamdani

Bonisiwe Shabane
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five takeaways from the magazine s profile of zohran mamdani

Zohran Mamdani is thirty-three years old—young enough that, despite not regularly working out, he has run the New York City Marathon twice in the past three years. In 2022, his second year in the New York State Assembly, he ran wearing a T-shirt that read “Eric Adams Raised My Rent!” and finished in six hours and four minutes. Few spectators paid him any mind. Last year, less than a month after launching his mayoral campaign, he trotted through the city at a 12:54-per-mile pace, wearing the same T-shirt, with “Zohran Will Freeze It!” added to the back. Again, he caught barely anyone’s attention. This year, Marathon Sunday falls two days before the New York mayoral election.

Polls have Mamdani fifteen points ahead of his nearest competitor, the former governor Andrew Cuomo. Mamdani’s aides say that he’s not running the course this time, though it wouldn’t be out of character. His instinct is to be on the move, out in the city, where people can see him. To walk through New York with Mamdani this spring and summer has been to watch a star being born, a process that is as spectacular and gaseous on earth as it is in Heaven. On the morning of the primary, in June, Mamdani crisscrossed the city as fast as his new security detail could drive him. Giddy commuters on a subway platform in Jackson Heights missed their trains just to show him their “I Voted” stickers.

Aboveground, he dispatched an aide to a nearby Indian restaurant, to pick him up paan, a betel-leaf wrap, which he chewed daintily, careful not to spill any of the filling on the dark suit... In Inwood, even a pair of volunteers for Cuomo sheepishly stopped him for selfies. At a moment when the country is consumed with nativist fervor and New York appears a nest of cynical cronyism—eight months ago, Mayor Eric Adams agreed to go along with President Donald Trump’s mass-deportation... His win in the primary was a shock to the political establishment, and the powerful began to slink in his direction. Barack Obama gave him a call the next day. After a chilly summer courtship, Governor Kathy Hochul, a hypercautious moderate, warmly endorsed him.

The Reverend Al Sharpton, who has not endorsed Mamdani or any other candidate, recently told me, “He has had the best entry into citywide politics of any candidate I have seen, probably, in my... In certain ideological precincts, Mamdani’s name has become totemic—shorthand for everything wrong with New York, which itself is shorthand for everything wrong with America. Trump has called him a “100% Communist Lunatic” on Truth Social. Jeff Blau, the C.E.O. of the real-estate giant Related Companies, and his wife, the investor Lisa Blau, recently called for an emergency breakfast meeting of the wealthy. “If we fail to mobilize, the financial capital of the world risks being handed over to a socialist this November,” the invitation read.

A real-estate lobbyist told me that he does not know anyone who is leaving the city because of Mamdani, though he does know “several who may pied-à-terre.” John Catsimatidis, a supermarket mogul and a... Senator Chuck Schumer and Representative Hakeem Jeffries have held off on endorsing Mamdani, reportedly in part because of his criticism of Israel. Meanwhile, much of the rest of the city’s political class is jostling for position around him. Kathryn Wylde, the longtime head of the Partnership for New York City—a lobby group representing the city’s business leaders—brokered meetings this summer between Mamdani and her members; many remained skeptical, but some left with... “After I did the meetings with, say, three hundred executives, somebody asked me, ‘How would you rate their reactions on a scale of one to ten?’ ” Wylde told me. “I said, ‘One to ten.’ ” Patrick Gaspard, an Obama Administration official and the former president of the Center for American Progress, has been quietly advising Mamdani since last fall.

He describes Mamdani as a prototype for a new generation of American politicians, forged in the Palestinian-rights movement. “He’s the first to arrive on the shore, but, just over the horizon, you can see more ships coming in,” Gaspard said. A collection of opinionated commentaries on culture, politics and religion compiled predominantly from an American viewpoint but tempered by a global vision. My Armwood Opinion Youtube Channel @ YouTube I have a Jazz Blog @ Jazz and a Technology Blog @ Technology. I have a Human Rights Blog @ Law Contact Me By Emailvar _rwObsfuscatedHref0 = "mai";var _rwObsfuscatedHref1 = "lto";var _rwObsfuscatedHref2 = ":ar";var _rwObsfuscatedHref3 = "mwo";var _rwObsfuscatedHref4 = "od@";var _rwObsfuscatedHref5 = "arm";var _rwObsfuscatedHref6 = "woo";var _rwObsfuscatedHref7... “Zohran Mamdani, a 34-year-old democratic socialist, won the New York City mayoral election, defeating Andrew Cuomo and Curtis Sliwa.

Mamdani’s victory was driven by a coalition of young voters and working-class immigrant communities, particularly in Queens and the Bronx. Despite significant financial backing from super PACs, Cuomo’s campaign, which included attempts to appeal to Republican voters, ultimately fell short. Zohran Mamdani, a 34-year-old state lawmaker, was elected New York’s 111th mayor on Tuesday, riding a historic surge of enthusiasm as the nation’s largest city embraced generational and ideological change. The Associated Press called the race just 35 minutes after polls closed, cementing a stunning upset that took root in June’s Democratic primary. Then and now, Mr. Mamdani handily dispatched former Gov.

Andrew M. Cuomo, the scion of a New York dynasty, and the big-money super PACs backing him. Zohran Mamdani delivered a political earthquake Tuesday in New York City’s Democratic mayoral primary, riding progressive demands for change in a city facing an affordability crisis to the brink of a stunning victory. Democratic voters rejected a scandal-plagued icon of the party’s past, former Gov. Andrew Cuomo. Instead, they backed a 33-year-old democratic socialist who energized young voters and progressives with a campaign that could come to represent the first draft of a new playbook.

“I will fight for a city that works for you, that is affordable for you, that is safe for you,” Mamdani said in his celebratory speech just after midnight. Related article Mamdani’s election night coalition: A party with Kal Penn, Ella Emhoff, hundreds of passionate and sweaty supporters “We can be free and we can be fed. We can demand what we deserve,” he said. Updated on: November 5, 2025 / 11:32 AM EST / CBS New York Mamdani promised to bring New York City into an age of "relentless improvement" as he claimed victory in the mayoral race... He said his win was one for the working people of New York and reiterated his campaign promises on affordability. "Let the words we've spoken together, the dreams we've dreamt together, become the agenda we deliver together," Mamdani said.

"New York, this power, it's yours. This city belongs to you. Thank you." To watch his full victory speech, click here. Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani defeated former Gov. Spot market natural gas prices for Friday, Dec. 26

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The most talked-about mayoral election in generations has come to a close: Zohran Mamdani, who polled at just 9% in the Democratic primary in January, will be the next mayor of New York. It can’t be overstated how exceptional it is for a self-declared “democratic socialist” to win in the hub of 20th-century capitalism. New York might be more socially liberal than other parts of the US, but make no mistake: it’s no egalitarian utopia. So how did a 34-year-old Muslim democratic socialist go from political outsider to mayor of the richest city in the world? And can it be replicated, and what can progressive leaders across civil society take from this? Here are five lessons from one of the best political campaigns of the 21st century.

For any outsider candidate, the electorate needs to understand the reason for your candidacy – and fast. Leftists and progressives throughout the country have much to learn from how democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani pulled off an unprecedented upset last night. Zohran Mamdani during an election night event in New York City on June 25, 2025. (Christian Monterrosa / Bloomberg via Getty Images) Jacobin‘s winter issue, “Municipal Socialism,” is out now. Follow this link to get a discounted subscription to our beautiful print quarterly.

After decades of defeats for working people and the Left, it almost felt like a dream to witness Zohran Mamdani make history last night. Sometimes the good guys win. As David Hogg wrote last night, “BREAKING: Not everything has to suck.” Absorbing the key lessons of this campaign is essential for the fights ahead, not just in New York City but across the United States.

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