How successful will Zohran Mamdani’s rapid rise in U.S. politics be?
Editor's note: Teymur Atayev is an Azerbaijani publicist, historian, political scientist, and host of the program "Aspects of Foreign Affairs" on the Azerbaijani CBC TV channel (broadcasts in Russian). The article expresses the personal opinion of the author and may not coincide with the view of News.Az.
Amid ongoing geopolitical turbulence, one of the most talked-about and intriguing questions in American politics today is the mayoral prospects of Zohran Mamdani, a Muslim, a supporter of Palestine, and a self-described democratic socialist, in the upcoming New York City mayoral elections scheduled for November 2025.
Although November is still months away, rarely in U.S. history has the race for mayor of New York City drawn such intense scrutiny and caution. This shift was sparked by Mamdani’s unexpected victory in the Democratic primary in New York, where he defeated former state governor Andrew Cuomo, a representative of the Democratic elite whose win many had considered inevitable. Mamdani secured 43.5% of the vote, outpacing Cuomo’s 36%, and thus became the party’s leading candidate for the general election.
At 33, Mamdani, a Ugandan-born politician, has suddenly emerged as a new face on the U.S. political landscape, albeit with mixed forecasts. He identifies as a democratic socialist and is seen as politically aligned with prominent progressive Senator Bernie Sanders. Interestingly, Mamdani is also known among younger audiences for his musical work under the name Mr. Cardamom.
Mamdani's political career began in earnest in 2020 when he was elected to the New York State Assembly. There, he launched initiatives such as free bus services for low-income communities, increased funding for social services, and legislation that required translation services for immigrants in New York public institutions. These actions helped establish his reputation as a defender of working-class and immigrant interests.
During the primaries, Mamdani focused heavily on combating social inequality. His platform included a 10-year plan to build 200,000 affordable housing units, free bus transportation by 2027, and universal access to free school meals. One of his most original proposals was the creation of a network of municipal grocery stores. He also championed large-scale solar energy initiatives and proposed funding his programs through higher taxes on wealthy individuals and corporations.
Among his most appealing campaign promises was a pledge to establish a system of free municipal colleges and expand extracurricular programs for children from disadvantaged families. On foreign policy matters, Mamdani has sharply criticized U.S. support for Israeli policies and called for recognition of Palestinian rights, including condemnation of Gaza attacks. He has advocated for New York to end public contracts with companies involved in military cooperation with Israel.
As has become common in the political discourse of leading Western countries, Mamdani’s opponents have dismissed his platform as populist. He countered this by emphasizing his concrete plans to address the city’s pressing problems and to correct systemic inequalities. In his view, New York should be a city accessible to all, not just the elite. His proposed regulations on the rental market have drawn strong opposition from the business community, which labeled his agenda as "political experiments" that could harm the city’s investment climate.
To counter opposition, Mamdani adopted an unconventional strategy, his campaign visited over 750,000 households with the help of nearly 30,000 volunteers. He also made extensive use of social media, publishing videos highlighting the need for genuine social justice and narrowing the widening gap between the wealthy and the poor.
All these factors suggest that Mamdani is likely to face intense pressure in the run-up to the November election. However, the growing support he receives from fellow Democrats points to a shift in the party’s ideological direction. Many experts interpret Mamdani’s campaign as a smart response to the electorate’s social concerns, with a strong reliance on leftist ideals.
Notably, Mamdani has also attracted the attention, and dissatisfaction, of President Joe Biden, especially since he has openly criticized several White House decisions. Mamdani claimed that Trump’s attacks on him were a distraction from the former president’s "war on workers," and vowed to resist any efforts to support class inequality and social division. In this context, Mamdani aligned himself with Elon Musk’s critique of the so-called One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which he condemned as a betrayal of American workers.
In a striking turn, Trump reportedly threatened Mamdani with arrest and deportation should he refuse to cooperate with immigration authorities, saying, "Our country doesn’t need communists."
Many analysts believe that Mamdani’s association with “communist” ideas will be the main line of attack against him. Yet whether this strategy will succeed in undermining his rising popularity, a popularity that signals a growing public desire for candidates like Mamdani, remains to be seen. What’s clear is that political tensions in New York City and beyond are set to intensify as the mayoral race draws closer.
(If you possess specialized knowledge and wish to contribute, please reach out to us at opinions@news.az).
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