Mayor Mamdani Win

The 2025 New York City mayoral election took place on Tuesday, November 4, 2025, to elect a new mayor: Zohran Kwame Mamdani, a democratic socialist. He will assume office on January 1, 2026, as required by the City’s Charter, along with all its responsibilities. Now that the fervor — and apathy — surrounding the election of Mamdani is winding down, I have decided to chime in with my personal take.

What some people said before and after Mamdani’s campaign — and the moment he became mayor-elect — is outrageous and disingenuous. He was labeled an Islamist, Jihadist, Antisemitic, Extreme-leftist, and a Communist. There are also Republican lawmakers attempting to challenge Mayor-elect Mamdani’s citizenship, as was the case with former President Barack Obama. That task was found illegitimate and did not gain traction.

President Donald J. Trump called Mamdani a “lunatic communist” — with no practical experience in government — and vowed to withhold funding to New York. He is said to be too young for such a position of significance and high responsibility — the mayor of one of the world’s most prestigious and wealthy cities in the world. This allegation is absurd to say the least!

For instance, it has been argued that Mayor-elect Mamdani’s policies are not “tried and tested” and that they pose a danger not only to New York but to America as a whole. Critics claim he will squander any federal funding intended to support the people of New York due to his inexperience, as President Trump alluded to. To paraphrase Trump: The kind of politics practiced by Mamdani will create serious complications for New York City and its eight million residents, placing additional strain on its poorly functioning legal system, and its botched or stagnating infrastructure development in the city of New York.

These are the same kinds of thoughts and disagreements that echoed in the voices that mocked Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal, resisted civil rights reforms, and opposed labor protections. Every movement that has empowered ordinary people to move forward in a positive direction has been branded “too radical” by those invested in inequality and self-righteous indignation.

Yet did we forget…? During Trump’s presidential run in 2016, the same sentiments swirled around his campaign—that he was an outsider, untested, and advancing outlandish, foolish, and cruel policies aimed at the most vulnerable in society. 

People repeatedly said: “Trump the despot. The authoritarian. The racist.” He’s an existential threat to democracy and will obliterate diversity efforts and undo the many gains made toward equal justice in this country. The people of America yelled as loudly as they could that Trump didn’t understand the business of politics, that he would upend democracy and destroy the historic gains the nation had made, placing America in a quagmire and furthering endless, unethical rhetorical debates.

Zohran Mamdani should be commended for his ballsy and unflinching stance on his controversial socialist agenda: to help New York’s half-a-million plus food insecure children eat, establish rent freezes and Stricker guidelines for landlords, and create city owned grocery stores to control and bringdown pricing. His emphasis on affordability and stabilizing the many increases in economic ends and social conditions brought about by Trumpism is most welcoming by his constituents.

Mamdani is a testament to the insufficient work of former Governor Andrew Cuomo—the political insider who seems to lack the testicular fortitude to stand up for New York’s disenfranchised population by failing to take a full-frontal approach against the political elites and their schemes to stay in power.

Moreover, many New Yorkers and American citizens believe it is time for the old guard to retire and make room for the younger generation—those who will have to live in and sustain this planet and its inhabitants without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs, a consequence often tied to the outdated policies of traditionalists or conservatives (the old guard). With technology advancing so rapidly, and with this being the first time in history that the younger generation is educating the older population on the “ins and outs” of spellbinding technological advancements, they need to have more control over the politics they will ultimately have to live under.

The blatant attacks on Mamdani’s character—who represents the younger generation on both the right and the left—before he has even had the opportunity to prove himself are abysmally ignorant. Baffling. It is “the kettle calling the pot black,” a hypocritical stance given the faults and statements Trump made during his first bid for the presidency.

In the end, both President Trump and Mamdani bring a new and untried era of politics to America and its citizenry. Trump is exploring a range of political options for the country, which many people feel are outdated and cruel. Meanwhile, New York voters believe that Mamdani should be allowed to express and implement his nuanced campaign policies without fear or favor.

And perhaps this will lead to a better and fairer New York, and possibly a conciliatory and beneficial coexistence of socialist and capitalist ideological policies—working together for the greater good of humanity and the planet. I call it so-cap[vitalism], a term I created to symbolize a coordinated approach to governing a diverse and emerging constituency, absent the constant finger-pointing and partisan feuding.

Mamdani’s appeal reaches a broad and diverse constituency of the American people, while Trump’s appeal is directed toward the one percent of America’s power brokers and its techno-oligarchy. If these two schools of thought can come together under the term so-cap[vitalism]—I mean, really talk—I believe they can, at least idealistically, forge a moral and equitable society, free from the dissension that has long plagued our politics.

Zohran Mamdani and the Reawakening of New York’s Political Soul

So, let’s get to it… Running against the turbulent political tides of New York’s political system was mayoral candidate Zohran Kwame Mamdani. He was born in Kampala, Uganda, is of South Asian descent, and identifies as a socialist.

Mamdani’s family moved him to New York when he was seven years old—further proving that immigrants can be productive members of American society. Moreover, it shows that all immigrants are not criminals by default, but often hardworking citizens who contribute far more than they take from this country.

Mamdani was educated at Bowdoin College, where he earned a B.S. in African Studies with a minor in Government. Bowdoin is a highly selective private liberal arts college in Brunswick, Maine, known for its academic rigor and small size.

After graduating, he became a young and outspoken New York State Assemblymember who knew exactly what he wanted to do in life—to be a public servant. He believed the city of New York was ripe for change in its political system, and he pursued that belief wholeheartedly—eventually becoming NYC’s youngest and first South Asian mayor.

Zohran has become the change-maker many people were seeking in a leader for the now troubled city of New York. Never have New York’s poor and middle class come under greater economic distress than they are now, under the extreme pressure of President Donald J. Trump—the authoritarian, the self-styled king of American politics—and his loyal MAGA-aligned forces.

People in New York are being used as a political football, while Trump’s tariffs have caused steep price increases in food, clothing, utilities, homelessness, and housing for its’ residents. As a direct result of Trump’s tariffs, it has caused enhanced thefts, violence, and protest on the streets of the city, including its residential areas and the transit systems—by people just trying to survive. Something the elites and New York’s aristocrats, more than likely, wouldn’t understand.

CHANGE IS COMING

Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani is to be commended for his bold and unflinching stance on his controversial socialist agenda: helping New York’s half a million food-insecure children eat; implementing rent freezes and stricter guidelines for landlords; establishing city-owned grocery stores to control pricing with an emphasis on affordability; and much more to stabilize the economic pressures brought about by Trumpism, as well as cuts to education and social programs.

This escalation in living expenses left Mayor Eric Adams clueless as to how to bring inflation down. Meanwhile, Adams became entangled in a corruption scandal—he was indicted on five federal counts in September 2024, including bribery, wire fraud, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, and soliciting illegal foreign campaign contributions. 

Under the weight of constant scrutiny, resignations by key members of his administration, and the arrests of several associates, Adams’s political capital among New Yorkers was effectively gone.

Notwithstanding this significant turn of events, Adams was facing serious jail time. It was alleged that he sought assistance from President Trump, which further imperiled his support among constituents. 

Fortunately for Adams, the Trump’s administration’s Department of Justice (DOJ) ordered the case to be dropped, citing Adams cooperation with immigration—dismissing the charges without prejudice (which left the case open to be refiled). The DOJ’s initial action appeared to many to be a judgement “seemingly” in exchange for keeping Adams’s under Trump’s control and to help Andrew Cuomo in his bid for mayor as an independent.—a quid pro quo. A federal Judge later reversed the DOJ’s request and dismissed the case with prejudice—permanently closed.  

The former Governor Andrew Cuomo also faced serious issues, and resigned from his position as governor after allegations of sexual harassment by eleven women and creating a hostile work environment. Ultimately, Cuomo chose to avoid a lengthy impeachment process and lessen the stain on his record by stepping down from office.

Trump, assessing the dynamics of New York’s election, decided it was more advantageous to save Eric Adams in order to counter Zohran Mamdani’s attempt to take over Gracie Mansion as New York’s next mayor. Trump and his cohorts view Mamdani’s socialist policies as dangerous and a threat to New York’s business structure. They firmly believe he is a communist who will disrupt the flow of money in and out of the city and trigger a massive exodus of New York’s wealthiest elites and job creators.

However, for Adams, the damage to his leadership and his stated commitment to uplifting New Yorkers was already done. He permanently lost a significant portion of his loyal voters and ultimately dropped out of the race for mayor due to low polling numbers (though it was too late to remove his name from the ballot, resulting in 3% of the vote being registered to him—an amount that would not have affected Mamdani’s victory)

Consequently, Cuomo appeared to be the next best option—even though he was an ardent and longtime Democrat. It was felt that the stakes were too high and that Zohran Kwame Mamdani had to be stopped. It is believed that Adams was pressured by Trump to support Cuomo’s campaign. 

It was further alleged that Eric Adams and Curtis Sliwa were offered positions in the Trump administration so they would not siphon votes from Andrew Cuomo’s bid for New York City mayor. In other words, it was an effort to stop Mamdani’s campaign by any means necessary.

Mayor-elect Zohran Kwame Mamdani—bearing an unusual name, identifying as a democratic socialist and a Muslim—built his campaign on issues central to average New Yorkers’ lives: housing affordability, democracy, rising grocery prices, and public services in general.

New York’s elites, and elites nationwide, continue to denounce the socialist with the “exotic” name—labeling him a communist.

Specifically, capitalists are petrified that Mamdani will dismantle the hierarchical system of government built on the backs of the working poor—a system that allows the elite to maintain their power structures, status, and unquestioned authority. Political standard-bearers like President Donald J. Trump, former Governor Andrew Cuomo, and others view Mamdani’s potential victory as a threat to New York City’s capitalistic modus operandi and fear that his ideas could spread nationwide.

Ultimately, it is believed that such a political tectonic shift in New York would violate their sacred rites: the perceived right to live comfortably above the masses of ordinary people rather than sharing as partners in the city’s growth, the business sector, and its potential national expansion.

For Trump’s elite supporters, Mamdani’s socialist policies threaten to upend the “slave–master” mentality and its system of keeping people trapped in inferior educational institutions, low-wage employment, substandard housing, high rents, and limited growth opportunities—a perpetual and demeaning lifestyle made worse by the lack of STEM training in an era of rapid advances in AI and quantum computing. This represents a major threat to marginalized and disenfranchised citizens.

The Mamdani platform places economic power in the hands of New Yorkers—giving the people a voice in how their city, their communities, and their children’s educational systems are run. He aims to remove family-life decisions from the hands of political power brokers.

People want the responsibility to lift their communities and guide their children’s futures without political interference—giving themselves and their families a real sense of purpose and the opportunity to succeed. Mamdani is simply serving as an advocate for what the citizens of New York clearly desire: an upending of the status quo, disrupting the current inefficient state of affairs, and introducing new, productive changes directed at New York’s poor and middle class.

Keep in mind: it is not Zohran Mamdani who is the threat to capitalism and free markets—it is his ideas. Ideas that turn the current system upside down—a system where elite and wealthy Americans would be compelled to pay their fair share of taxes and shoulder their responsibilities, easing the burden on the poor and the middle class.

Mamdani is simply another person with a “dream.” A dream that all people will be safe and able to afford the basic necessities of life—the essentials required to feed, clothe, and educate their children—just like society’s elites. A dream of prioritizing public safety and providing career opportunities for everyone who wants them, at a livable wage.

Remember: during the civil rights movement, Martin Luther King Jr. had a dream. His dream is much like Zohran Mamdani’s today—a dream of unity, equality, and peace. 

Martin said, “Let us not wallow in the valley of despair, I say to you today, my friends. And so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream. I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.’”

To the naysayers, I put this challenge to you: rather than criticizing Zohran Kwame Mamdani’s efforts to help the educationally flawed, economically deprived, and the desperate who are flailing in a sea of hardship under harsh economic and social policies—reach out with an olive branch to help restore order and genuine democracy.

Let us come together as a nation of civilized people to abolish the harsh, nonproductive policies constructed in part by Trump and the Heritage Foundation through Project 25—efforts designed to silence and marginalize not only New Yorkers but citizens across the nation living on the fringes, rendering their dreams and voices unimportant or ineffective under a Trumpian authoritarian regime.

It is vital for both systems of governance—Trumpism and liberalism—to establish open-loop communication that will lead to positive concessions, ones that are not merely advantageous to negotiating parties but pivotal to the people themselves throughout a diverse America.