Zohran Mamdani, a man willing to embody the progressive reform of New York
At 34 years old, Mamdani represents the Democratic Party's new wave of progress, multiculturalism, and left, and is a clear favorite to win this Tuesday's New York Mayor's election. Although he has no clear support from party leaders, he has the support of young people who turn left and thirst for social public policies.
He is the man of the moment and even Donald Trump, out of the spotlight, has said that "he seems invincible." This is Zohran Mamdani, who has declared himself a social democrat and a clear favorite to become mayor of New York in this Tuesday's election, without the clear support of the top Democratic Partyleaders and facing a tough campaign against him.
Neither thecriticism of Donald Trump nor that of former Governor Andrew Cuomo , his main competitor — who has a long career in the Democratic Party, although he is now running as an independent — have succeeded in hindering the rise of the young politician, who is supported by young voters, who have been the centerpiece of his campaign under the flag of lowering housing prices in one of the most expensive cities in the world.
According to polls, Mamdani outscores Cuomo by 15 percentage points. Cuomo is a clear exponent of the problems afflicting the young candidate's Democratic Party: an outdated structure, close to the elites and riddled with scandals (such as the sexual assault allegations that led Cuomo himself to resign as governor).
Symbol of progressive renewal
At 34 years old, Mamdani is a symbolof the new progressive, multicultural, leftist wave within the party da, and many see him as an antidote to both Democratic inaction and the Trump MAGA movement. His victory in the Democratic primaries, in which he defeated Cuomo himself, has shown that Mamdani, a Muslim and of Ugandan origin by his father, has faced without a hint of trembling a wave of criticism that would be difficult to avoid.
In an interview with Fox News, he silenced those who described him as anti-Semitic after describing the Israeli offensive in Gaza as "genocide," ensuring that he also condemned Hamas attacks as "crimes against international law."
Criticism of Nepotism — the son of Indian filmmaker Mira Nair — and even Trump's insults, which he has described as a "mad communist," have not affected his reputation. Even attempts by the far-right to demand deportation, such as those promoted by Congressman Andy Ogles , have only reinforced support for his candidacy, which supporters describe as Islamophobic attacks.
For many analysts, Mamdani represents the renewal of the US left , a young leadership aimed at moving the Democratic Party away from traditional centrism. "His victory will send a clear message to Trump," Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez declared during a campaign event in the Bronx, adding that "it was [Trump] one day before he came to the presidency, and there will also be a day after the presidency."
No one has connected with the Muslim community so far as Mamdani connects, because his beliefs go ahead: "We will no longer hide in the shadows," he declared in his recent speech at the Islamic Cultural Center Bronx, emphasizing the symbolic dimension of his candidacy. But he goes beyond New Yoker, reinforcing his message and as one of the new faces of American progressism.
State of the playing field and internal resistance
On election day, Mamdani arrives with the wind in his favor, as he takes advantage not only of Cuomo, but also of the Republican Curtis Sliwa, founder of the Guardian Angels , who, despite being a Republican, presents himself as a moderate conservative and is critical of Trump.
However, on Mount Mamdami it is not all pagan and theDemocratic leaders are reluctant to openly support the candidate. The leader of the House of Representatives party, Hakeem Jeffries, made a lukewarm mention of the affordable housing plan presented by the candidate for mayor, and figures like Barack Obama have avoided making public statements of support for him, even though they have offered to help him if he becomes mayor.
Government challenges
If Mamdani wins the election, he will become mayor of one of the world's largest economic and cultural centers, with an annual budget of EUR 115 billionand more than 300,000 public employees .
Of course, Mamdani will have to keep the promise to reduce the costs of housing that has been the basis of his campaign, and the slope to be raised is not easy. Mamdani has promised to freeze rent for four years for all tenants of households with consolidated income, i.e. apartments at "market price" (with unregulated leases).
For this purpose, however, it will need thesupport of the Board of Rental Guidelines, which sets the levels of rent for these nearly one million consolidated rental apartments, but will not be able to immediately renew the nine-member body, which changes in shifts and periods.
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