University of Kwazulu-Natal

Lessons From Mamdani S Big Win In The Big Apple

Bonisiwe Shabane
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lessons from mamdani s big win in the big apple

In a remarkable upset, progressive State Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani defeated former Governor Andrew Cuomo in New York City’s Democratic mayoral primary. Early polls showed Mamdani starting his campaign with around 1% support. Just six weeks before the June 24 election, his support was only at 11%, while Cuomo led with 49%. Three separate polls, conducted by Yale/YouGov, Marist College, and the Manhattan Institute within two weeks of the election, still showed Cuomo ahead by 12 points or more. Mamdani won the primary as the clear leader with 56% of the votes, totaling 545,334 votes. His campaign claimed that this was “the most votes any Democratic primary candidate has received in 36 years.” Cuomo received 44%, or 428,530 votes.

Although NYC is the largest city in the U.S., this election was not on a national stage. Jared Leopold, a Democratic strategist, summarized it well: “Communicating in a Democratic primary in New York City is very different from communicating in a swing district in Iowa.” For example, the white population makes... Nevertheless, a quick look at his initial support and his victory sharply contrasts with Vice President Kamala Harris’s initial support and loss. In roughly the same amount of time before Election Day for both Harris and Mamdani, Harris was 2% behind Donald Trump according to a New York Times/Siena College poll, and Mamdani was 38% behind... Mamdani won despite performing poorly with low-income voters, losing the majority of Black voters and criticizing Israel while showing sympathy for the Gaza Palestinians. All three conditions should have led to a Democratic candidate losing.

Grassroots Send a Clear Message: It’s Time for Change A new post-election survey of more than 3,500 progressive voters — the nation’s largest progressive political organizing group with over 8 million members — reveals a growing demand for bold leadership, economic populism, and... The survey, conducted by Our Revolution, shows deep frustration with current party leaders and overwhelming support for replacing them with candidates who represent the working class, not corporate interests. “Mamdani’s victory was not an outlier — it was a signal,” said Joseph Geevarghese, Executive Director of Our Revolution. “The grassroots are demanding change. They want a Democratic Party that fights for working families, taxes the rich, and takes on Trump and the oligarchs driving this affordability crisis.

The old guard must step aside or risk losing the movement that delivered these wins.” The message from the Democratic base is unmistakable: voters are ready to rebuild the party from the ground up. Zohran Mamdani’s stunning victory in New York City’s Democratic mayoral primary is a watershed moment—not just for the city, but for the Democratic Party at large. His win, achieved over a scandal-ridden former governor and despite relentless opposition from the party establishment, offers a blueprint for how Democrats can reconnect with working-class voters and revitalize a party that is out... Mamdani’s campaign succeeded because it was laser-focused on bread-and-butter issues: housing, wages, and the everyday cost of living. He proposed city-owned grocery stores to lower food costs, free buses, free childcare, and a $30 minimum wage by 2030—policies that spoke directly to the struggles of ordinary New Yorkers.

Unlike many progressives, Mamdani avoided divisive rhetoric, distanced himself from “defund the police,” and steered clear of activist jargon that can alienate moderate or apolitical voters. He not only won over core progressives but also mobilized working-class voters who had previously sat out Democratic primaries. Even some so-called centrists from more affluent parts of Manhattan voted for him. But Mamdani’s victory is not just about policy. It’s about authenticity, grassroots organizing, and a willingness to challenge the establishment. He knocked on thousands of doors, connected with voters where they live, and ran a campaign that felt genuine and relatable.

His win exposed the bankruptcy of a Democratic centrist establishment that has become risk-averse, technocratic, and bereft of compelling ideas. Instead of offering bold solutions to rising costs, stagnant wages, and housing insecurity, centrists have clung to stale, recycled, impenetrable and forgettable policy positions that feature incremental tweaks that fail to inspire or address... A party that once cast itself as the vehicle for working-class political power now struggles to articulate what it delivers for working people. This failure isn’t just about policy, but about perception: more and more working-class voters see Democrats as a party of affluent professionals, disconnected from everyday economic struggles. Forwarded this email? Sign up for free to have it sent directly to your inbox.

NEW YORK MAYORAL CANDIDATE ZOHRAN MAMDANI ON ELECTION NIGHT. (MICHAEL M. SANTIAGO VIA GETTY IMAGES) The Democratic primary was on June 24, and — it looks like we could have a socialist mayor. We need to talk about that. Thanks for reading!

The Democrats have spoken: Zohran Mamdani, the 33-year-old socialist Assemblymember from Queens, will be their nominee in November’s mayoral election—a result made clear when former governor Andrew Cuomo conceded on election night. City Comptroller Brad Lander, emerging from the party’s progressive technocrat wing, was the only other significant candidate left, his base overlaps and his mutual endorsement with Mamdani ensures an easy majority for the frontrunner... Republicans, thy urban savior is a democratic socialist − Zohran Mamdani. Don’t get me wrong. Mamdani, who decisively won the Democratic primary for New York City mayor, has hellish policy views. His socialist vision would spread a terrible rot to the core of the Big Apple.

Rent freeze? Government-run grocery stores? A $30 minimum wage? Mamdani's pipe dreams couldn’t be worse for the people who would suffer under them. If Mamdani wins the general election in November, New York will inevitably see an exodus in every important sense. Entrepreneurs will flee, driven away by punishing tax hikes that penalize success.

Jobs will disappear, as mandates and crime attack small businesses from both sides. Hope, already in short supply, will fade further. If New York wants to crumble, Mamdani is the ideal choice. Religion, ethnicity and democracy have no place in determining and choosing good and productive leaders in every dispensation. What is needed is a good leader; attributes being honesty, innovation, resilience and focus among others. It is not about monetary wealth but wealth of ideas, which can change the fortunes of a country positively.

History was made in the Big Apple after Zohran Mamdani won New York’s mayoral election, defying the efforts of billionaires and the American President Donald Trump to deny him the opportunity to serve his... His religious and demography were no factors in this part of the world where political civility rules. There are lessons to be learnt from the epoch-making development from the mayoral polls in New York had monetary wealth been a factor, the winner would have come nowhere near the victory he clinched. 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 late Tuesday night. 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.

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