The Mamdani Effect

Democrats don't need to adopt all of his policies, but they need to copy his campaign everywhere

The winner(s) (Photo Credit: AP News)

He is a self-proclaimed democratic socialist. He has run on a campaign advocating for the politics of the future while pushing progressive policies that some may say are far-fetched. He has a well-oiled social media campaign machine.

Now, Zohram Kwame Mamdani is one step closer to becoming the first Muslim mayor of New York.

And it wasn’t even close.

Mamdani made a shockingly good performance by winning 43.5% of the first vote to Cuomo’s 36.3%. Although New York’s ranked-choice voting system will require us to learn the results by July 1, Andrew Cuomo conceded defeat to Mamdani.

In a joyful victory speech, Mamdani said, “A life of dignity should not be reserved for a fortunate few; it should be one that city government guarantees for each and every New Yorker.”

Before we go any further, we should take some time to digest how dramatic the win is for Mamdani. Firstly, he has defeated a political dynasty and establishment. Andrew Cuomo is the former New York governor who left the role in disgrace back in 2021 due to credible allegations of sexual assault by staffers, and was widely criticized for covering up COVID nursing home deaths during the pandemic. Mainstream and moderate Democrats saw Cuomo as the safe choice, despite all of the scandals plaguing the former governor. Cuomo’s campaign and relevant Super PACS have spent billions on advertising on TV and other platforms, way outspending Mamdani and other competitors. Nonetheless, he lost.

For policies, the New York State Assemblyman has run on freezing the rent, free city buses, universal childcare, and city-subsidized grocery stores, all funded by raising taxes on the wealthy. This has been a lightning rod for pundits and voters alike. Supporters argue that Mamdani’s vision fits the concerns of many New Yorkers on issues like the economy and the cost of living, and he is willing to show signs of compromise and acknowledgement of others’ views when challenged.

On the other side, critics say his economic plans are delusional, and some have called him antisemitic over his critiques of Israel and for not rejecting or denouncing the term “globalize the intifada” during an interview on The Bulwark. As Mamdani inevitably heads to the general New York mayoral election, and possibly to City Hall, he will be a fresh target for Republicans who will paint him as the leader of the “resistance” and the “far-left woke liberal communists” opposing the MAGA agenda. Mamdani has portrayed himself as a Trump fighter throughout the campaign, including confronting Tom Homan when he visited New York. That is something Trump would gladly embrace to look good to his supporters.

Even though Democrats don’t need to copy Mamdani’s political platform, they need to take notes about his campaign. In my view, one of the most pivotal and well-made decisions that Mamdani has made was cross-endorsing with New York Comptroller Brad Lander, the same man who was dramatically arrested by ICE last week. Partnering with Lander and spending the last few weeks of the campaign sharing the same stage and promoting each other gives voters a refreshing sense of politics that politicians and campaigners don’t need to be enemies, but in fact, they can be friendly and supportive of each other. For example, right after Lander was arrested by ICE, Mamdani was one of the leading figures calling for him to be released.

If you watch the interview between late night host Stephen Colbert with the two mayoral candidates, their interactions with each other is something rarely seen in politics.

In the ranked-choice voting system, cross-endorsing provides benefits for both Mamdani and Lander. Even though Lander, who has less support than Mamdani at the polls, would probably lose, both candidates can achieve the ultimate goal of repelling Andrew Cuomo from becoming the Democratic nominee.

More importantly, Mamdani has run an A+ campaign when it comes to social media and interacting with voters. In just one of countless examples, Mamdani walked through the length of Manhattan, talking to voters where they are.

It is something that people running for public office rarely do, and that’s how connections and bonds are made.

Since the 2024 election, Democrats have struggled to figure out how to connect with voters, especially young men, people who are disengaged with politics, and attract new supporters while maintaining their base. Some have argued that progressives are not helping the cause, saying moderation is the way to go.

With Mamdani’s win, the Democratic establishment has finally received the jolt that they desperately need, the positive form of getting knocked over the head. As Rebecca Kirszner Katz wrote in the New York Times, “Democratic Leaders Tried to Crush Zohran Mamdani. They Should Have Been Taking Notes.”

The party establishment’s impulse to stifle and ignore some of its most exciting emerging voices isn’t limited to progressives. Take Chris Deluzio in Pennsylvania or Pat Ryan in New York. While decidedly more moderate than Mr. Mamdani, both congressmen campaigned last fall on bringing down costs for people in their swing districts and taking on huge corporations and billionaires, a strategy Mr. Ryan described as “patriotic populism.” Even though it won them both races, Washington Democrats have been hesitant to embrace that strategy.

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My media consulting firm made ads for Mr. Mamdani, so maybe I’m a bit biased. But whether you agree with him on the issues or not, it’s clear from early results — and Mr. Cuomo’s stunning concession Tuesday night — that he succeeded. The race may not be called until next week, and the general election isn’t until November, but Mr. Mamdani indisputably managed to leap from obscurity to front-runner in mere months. He did so by staying relentlessly on message and grounding that message in affordability. Ask an Andrew Cuomo voter for some of his top policy ideas, and he or she will probably struggle to name one. Ask a Mamdani voter, and I bet he or she could name a few: “Freeze the rent,” “free buses,” “a city you can afford.”

Mr. Mamdani also got creative about how to communicate his message. He broke through on social media with viral videos that reached beyond the professionally online crowd. Mr. Cuomo and some of his other rivals derided him as a “social media messenger,” as if that were an insult. They mocked his videos at the debates.

Mr. Mamdani’s viral debate clip attacking Mr. Cuomo for his record of scandal and misconduct racked up over 10 million views on X and over a million more on TikTok. Sure, X is not real life, and virality alone doesn’t win elections, but actually motivating young people to go to the polls sure can.

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On Friday, starting around 7 p.m., Mr. Mamdani walked the length of Manhattan — about 13 miles. As he walked by, street vendors recognized him and shook his hand. Outdoor diners jumped up from their tables to tell him that he gave them hope, and young people waiting outside of bars screamed his name and took selfies with him. Some supporters joined in on the walk after they said hello. It reminded me of the “Forrest Gump” scene where he runs across America and slowly crowds join in behind him.

Sounds like a candidate for the party to invest in, right?

And it’s not just Mamdani, in Illinois, the former independent journalist Kat Abughazaleh is also running an energetic campaign that is based on delivering results for constituents while promoting herself as a leader for the community. Democrats can and need to learn from that as well!

One of Abughazaleh’s hit phrases from the beginning of her campaign was: What if we didn’t suck? Maybe the next generation of leaders can pull the establishment from its continued suckiness.