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Zohran Mamdani ran for mayor of New York on a campaign to freeze the rent, provide free buses and establish city-owned grocery stores. Critics scoffed at the 33-year-old democratic socialist’s pie-in-the-sky agenda. And then he trounced everyone.
The stunning outcome of the Democratic primary for New York City signals a potential sea change in the politics of the city — and could reshape American politics writ large.
To get a sense of what a Mamdani victory would mean for the future of urban governance and the Democratic Party, we reached out to current and former mayors as well as politicos with significant knowledge of city politics.
The responses varied — from “what plays in NYC won’t necessarily play everywhere” to “it’s pretty clear that people are ready for meaningful steps to improve their lives.”
But there’s one assessment everyone seemed to agree on: “People across America are voting for change.”
Here’s what they said.
‘Affordability was the jet fuel that drove his surge’
BY DAVID AXELROD
David Axelrod is a political consultant and strategist who was the former chief strategist and senior adviser to President Barack Obama.
Come senators, congressmen
Please heed the call
Don't stand in the doorway
Don't block up the hall
For he that gets hurt
Will be he who has stalled
The battle outside ragin'
Will soon shake your windows
And rattle your walls
For the times they are a-changin'
— Bob Dylon, The Times They Are A-Changin'
My other major takeaways are these:
1) Affordability was the jet fuel that drove his surge. It's also an issue that travels.
2) The results reflected a generational and educational cleavage within the party. He does best with voters under 50 and highly educated voters. But despite his emphasis on affordability, he did less well with non-college, working-class voters, perhaps driven away by cultural concerns.
3) Andrew Cuomo was a symbol of a discredited status quo. Zohran Mamdani was a fresh and uniquely talented counterpoint to him. He is a powerfully articulate, authentic exponent of change.
4) Some of Mamdani's positions will quickly become fodder for Eric Adams in November and for the GOP, eager to paint Democrats as a Far Left party. He will have to decide if and how to blunt those attacks without compromising his principles and authenticity.
5) What plays in NYC won't necessarily play everywhere, so the idea that he has offered a template for Democratic victories in the future is overblown.
6) BUT there is much to learn from him about the appeal of generational change, the value of authenticity, the focus on economic issues and the use of new media techniques to reach voters who have checked out of politics.
‘People are hungry for government to work again’
BY MICHELLE WU
Michelle Wu is the mayor of Boston, Massachusetts.
It’s an exciting moment to see that a candidate who ran on big ideas and delivering things that really matter to people can overcome a ton of negative attack ads and outside money flowing in and all the usual ways that it feels like politics has been becoming more and more driven by big money. We saw an operation built from the ground up, connected to people’s daily lives, and it had a huge impact.
People are hungry for government to work again and to be proof that we can still come together and do big things and improve people’s lives. That’s what I ran on four years ago. That’s what my administration has been focused on, and that’s what I’m running on in this reelection campaign as well. It’s the belief and the faith in our community that we can still get things done and we can come together to make sure that people can have an easier time raising their families, feeling a sense of belonging and connection to their community, and building a life for themselves that makes everyone better off.
When you talk to people at neighborhood association meetings, or in coffee shops, or after church, it’s not about buzz words or litmus tests on different political issues. People just want to feel like the hard work that they’re putting in is going to lead to supporting their families and building the life that they dream is possible. Cities, local governments especially, have a huge role to play in that, because we are the only level of government where you can get things done on a day-by-day, sometimes hour-by-hour basis. Oftentimes, we’re focused on issues that didn’t happen overnight, and are long-standing, big, complicated challenges, but they really matter to our residents, and there’s something that you can do to move forward. The big question is whether you choose to take that step and try the new approach… or you become complacent with the status quo and let time go by. I think it’s pretty clear that people are ready for meaningful steps to improve their lives and to improve our community’s health and opportunity overall.
‘It's also about national politics and Donald Trump and the anxiety that he's created’
BY JOE CROWLEY
Joe Crowley is a former congressman for New York's 14th congressional district and current senior policy director at Dentons.
New York is a very unique place. Mamdani ran a very excellent campaign and spoke to many of the issues that New Yorkers are concerned about — affordability in particular. But I would also suggest that it's also about national politics and Donald Trump and the anxiety that he's created in a place like New York: We saw it in 2018 after the 2016 elections, we saw some of that anxiety come to fruition for the Democratic Party, and I think you're seeing it again now.
We have to be cautious to look at New York and apply it elsewhere though. I do think that Mamdani still has questions that need to be answered in terms of his representation of all New Yorkers, and how he's going to have to address that, as well as how he's going to pay for some of the things he's campaigned on. So I do think that this general election is not over yet — although it seems it's likely he'll win — so that's also out there.
‘You do not win elections, in my view, by begging billionaires for huge amounts of money’
BY BERNIE SANDERS
Bernie Sanders is the senior senator from Vermont and a former mayor of Burlington, Vermont.
Mamdani ran a strong grassroots campaign around the progressive agenda. They go together. You cannot run a grassroots campaign unless you excite people. You cannot excite people unless you have something to say. And he had a lot to say. He said that he wants to make New York City livable, affordable for ordinary people, that the wealthiest people in New York City are going to start to have to pay their fair share in taxes so that you can stabilize the outrageously high costs of housing in New York, which, by the way, is a crisis all over this country. That you could deal with transportation in a sensible way, deal with child care, deal with health care, deal with the needs of ordinary working-class people. So you come up with an agenda that makes sense to people. They get motivated in the campaign. They are prepared to knock on doors. That’s how you win elections.
You do not win elections, in my view, by begging billionaires for huge amounts of money. That’s what Cuomo did: put stupid ads on television that nobody pays attention to. We need an agenda that speaks to working-class people, activates millions of people around this country to get involved on that agenda. Take on the billionaire class, take on oligarchy. That’s how you win elections.
‘Let’s tax the rich? I don’t know if that’s a winning formula’
BY LORI LIGHTFOOT
Lori Lightfoot was mayor of Chicago, Illinois from 2019 to 2023.
I’m surprised Mamdani pulled it off with such a comfortable margin. I think it’s a significant win, but it’s also a significant rebuke of Andrew Cuomo. I think the reality of having Cuomo back in power, as mayor of one of the most important cities in the world, I think sunk in. There were a number of voters who said, “No thanks.” The idea that it’s a resurgence of the far-left wing of the Democratic Party, I’m not so certain that’s right. It’s hard for me to wrap my mind around a democratic socialist being the mayor of one of the most important financial cities of the world. I have a hard time seeing that happening.
In November, the Republicans did a very good job of portraying Democrats as being out of touch with reality and being out of touch with the common man and woman, and really focusing on cultural issues over meat and potatoes issues that people care about: affordability, health care and that industry doesn’t leave working class people behind.
Mamdani tapped into that, but his solutions to those problems are not ones that will be roundly embraced in New York City, and I don’t think they will be roundly embraced in the larger Democratic diaspora. Leading with “Let’s tax the rich”? I don’t think that’s a winning formula. And I don’t think it’s a winning issue in New York, where you've got so many people who are wealthy. It definitely appeals to a certain populace — people who believe there are people not paying their fair share of taxes. But I don’t know if that’s a winning formula.
‘Voters are willing to invest in younger candidates’
BY DARRELL STEINBERG
Darrell Steinberg was mayor of Sacramento, California from 2016 to 2024 and a longtime member of the California state legislature.
In this wilderness period for my party, voters are looking for hope and inspiration. Experience still matters, but voters are willing to invest in younger candidates who may see our most difficult challenges with fresh eyes.
‘Any entrepreneur or company looking to leave New York would find a warm welcome in San José’
BY MATT MAHAN
Matt Mahan is the mayor of San Jose, California.
People across America are voting for change. But change comes in many forms — and from across the ideological spectrum. Zohran and I happen to have very different visions for how to create that change, and our ideas will be tested by real-world implementation over the coming years.
But here’s what we agree on: The status quo is broken. Housing is too expensive. Homelessness is a moral failing. Everyone deserves to live in a clean and safe neighborhood. And anyone who wants to work should be able to earn a decent living in our economy.
That’s where the agreement ends. I believe that to deliver these outcomes, we don’t need bigger government — we need better government. We need practical policies that work.
After three years in office, we’re starting to see results. San José is opening more interim housing than any other city on the West Coast — and likely the nation. We’re the only large city to have solved every single homicide over the past three years and have the lowest crime rates we’ve seen in 20 years. Bus ridership is back to pre-pandemic levels. We have the nation’s highest number of new AI patents per year, highest wages for new grad hiring, and second-fastest post-pandemic rebound in downtown foot traffic. And we’re building a movement of thousands of residents who choose to spend their Saturdays giving back to their communities through service.
Our policy differences will be tested by reality. And in closing, I’ll just offer: any entrepreneur or company looking to leave New York would find a warm welcome in San José.
'Zohran ran a movement campaign'
BY AYANNA PRESSLEY
Ayana Pressley is the U.S. representative for Massachusetts's 7th congressional district and a former member of the Boston city council.
Zohran Mamdani’s victory in the Democratic primary for mayor of New York is nothing short of historic. Zohran ran a movement campaign that met people where they are, and he showed what is possible when we run campaigns that lay out an affirmative vision for a more just city.
As someone who got her start in municipal government as the first Black woman elected to the Boston City Council, I know firsthand the power and potential of local leadership to transform lives. In this critical moment, when our rights and freedoms are under attack, we need visionary leaders who serve the people — not special interests or billionaires — and who are committed to building a more just, livable America where everyone has their basic needs met.
That’s the kind of city that Zohran wants to build together with New Yorkers from every walk of life. I know Zohran is taking nothing for granted in November. This historic primary shows us what we can accomplish when we lead with a politics of transformation — not transaction — and run on good ideas that meet the scale of the hurt and harm, with a clear affirmative vision. I’m all in on a New York and nation where everyone can afford to live and afford to dream.
Holly Otterbein, Kelly Garrity and Shia Kapos contributed to this story.
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