Who would have imagined this at the beginning of the election campaign? An immigrant born in Uganda to Indian parents, a 34-year-old Muslim who only became a U.S. citizen in 2018, a socialist Democrat under a menacing authoritarian Republican government who was threatened with having his citizenship revoked in July, hated by the billionaires who invested in him, and finishing last among nine Democratic candidates in polls at the start of his campaign: Zoran Mamdani clearly had everything to do and fail.
However, he won the election with 50% of the vote, winning back more than 1 million voters out of 2 million, a record that had not been broken since 1969. He knocked on more than 3 million doors during his campaign and succeeded in involving tens of thousands of volunteers. He became the youngest mayor of New York this century, the first Muslim mayor, and the second self-proclaimed socialist. The question we have is simple. “how?”
That’s true. The election background helped. First, outgoing mayor Eric Adams, a moderate Democrat, was charged in 2024 with sexual assault that allegedly occurred in 1993. There was also suspicion of corruption. In fact, they accused him of orchestrating a bribery scheme in collaboration with the Turkish government to establish a Turkish consulate in Manhattan. And while he had the audacity to ask newly elected President Trump and his Justice Department to overturn the unfair trial, he didn’t have the courage to continue campaigning and gave up a month before the election.
Authoritarians don’t like this
The practice of professional and critical journalism is a fundamental pillar of democracy. That is why it bothers those who believe that they are the owners of the truth.
In second place is Curtis Sliwa, a Republican with no real political experience and too moderate to win Trump’s support. In fact, he did not celebrate his two presidential election victories. Without President Trump’s support, the moderate Republican can do little against Democratic New York. In fact, since 1898, Democrats have won mayoral races 16-5 (with the exception of Mitchell and Lindsey). As a result, Sliwa received only 7% of the vote.
The last is Andrew Cuomo, who served as Governor of New York from 2011 to 2021. He was accused of sexual harassment by more than 11 women and was forced to resign. He is also suspected of misappropriating hundreds of millions of dollars from the MTA (Metropolitan Transportation Authority). Their biggest argument against Mamdani was: One is his lack of experience. The second is his fabricated anti-Semitism. The third is Trump’s retaliation if Mamdani is elected. In fact, Mr. Trump, Mr. Musk and Mr. Bloomberg supported Mr. Cuomo, provided campaign funds, and won 41% of the vote. Those who voted for him were the upper class who feared Mamdani’s tax hikes and those who supported Trump’s hardline immigration policies. Simply put, an older generation of privileged white people. That explains the defeat Mamdani suffered on Staten Island (55% for Cuomo, 23% for Mamdani).
So the context is: Political proposals lack diversity and integrity. They are usually experienced 60+ year old white men who have been spouting the same outdated ideas for decades, are politicians from father to son, and are forced to protect the interests of the billionaires funding their campaigns. These politicians are afraid to answer trivial questions such as “What is your favorite neighborhood?” “Have you ever purchased marijuana legally?” “What club do you support?” They are also often accused of sexual harassment and corruption, which are so trivialized that we almost forget. Against this background, people have begun to distrust traditional politics.
The state of political discourse is alarming. There’s a strong resurgence of reductive, cartoonish Manichaeism, a constant demonization of competitors, a machine that simplifies ideas and avoids nuance, a return to Cold War-era propaganda terminology (“witch hunts,” saying “communist” instead of socialist), and a tendency toward insult-filled personal attacks rather than reasoned criticisms of policy. This has two effects on the people. Either the people will become unconditional fanatics who do not think for themselves, or they will trivialize the lies and insults that are omnipresent in political dialogue, and become indifferent to politics, believing themselves to be powerless. Both outcomes are dangerous for democracy: the first vote is a vote without thinking, and the other times, the first vote is a vote without thought.
So when a politician emerges who is not accused of corruption or sexual harassment, who addresses the issue of the cost of living, and who has a structured program that considers each culture and community (ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity), people who previously felt helpless in the face of corrupt politicians who do not represent them turn that feeling of helplessness into hope. They were the ones who asked about things like “universal childcare,” “free express busses,” “freezing rent,” and “municipal supermarkets.”
This electoral mobilization stems from successful political communication and, at first glance, has all the elements of a traditional campaign. 1. A strong political message (“New York is not for sale”). 2. Clear commonalities (making urban life more accessible). 3. The aforementioned suggestions. 4. Large rallies (between 8,000 and 10,000 people attended the October 26, 2025 rally at Forest Hills Stadium in Queens, a record in New York since Bernie Sanders’ 2020 campaign). 5. Successful participation in the political debate on October 16 and 22, 2025. 6. Media presence (TV, Instagram, TikTok). So even though it shares characteristics with traditional campaigns, we still ask the same question: How did Mamdani stand out?
Four major breaks were found. The first is funding. Rather than gather 18 billionaires at an Upper East Side restaurant to collect donations, as Mr. Adams did in 2020, Mr. Mamdani financed his campaign with small donations from the public. In fact, in 80 days, we raised an historic $642,339 from 6,502 people. This funding avoids honoring the whims of the billionaires who fund campaigns, while at the same time holding citizens accountable and involved in campaigns. This is the first step towards creating a community.
The second has to do with our earthly existence. While it is true that he has organized large, inhuman gatherings, he has also participated in events that appear to be anecdotal and have no real impact. Can you imagine Andrew Cuomo dancing a Caribbean dance and cheering at a West Indian parade, running a 5K race in Prospect Park, or riding his bike and talking to people on the street? Passionate political speeches in front of packed crowds create movements, but it’s only pure, unnecessary moments that turn movements into community. Mamdani understood that.
He has also built a virtual community on Instagram and Tiktok. Mamdani spoke in English, Spanish and Arabic, sharing his vision even in languages he didn’t speak well, and always with a comedic touch, shooting videos in various locations around the city. He collaborated with celebrities, as he often does (from Bernie Sanders to Kuco Puffs), but he also collaborated with smaller influencers and went on a bike ride in New York. He regularly shared videos posted by people with only a few hundred followers and personally interacted with them.
The final break, and perhaps the most important, is that of political figures. Mamdani is not serious, cautious, or formal; she expresses her emotions, smiles, jokes, and lives life. His humanizing of political figures creates affordability and relatability. It can be summarized as follows. Affordable cities need affordable politicians. And while we’ll have to wait to see if he can escape the pressure of Trump and other billionaires, raise taxes without New York’s wealthiest 1% fleecing to fund his political ideas, Mamdani has certainly revolutionized modern political discourse and garnered attention from New York to Uganda.
*Graduated in Philosophy from Sorbonne University in Paris.
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