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Over two million New Yorkers voted in the mayoral elections, which saw Zohran Mamdani win with more than one million votes himself. It’s the highest voter turnout seen in the race since 1969, when John Lindsay won re-election after switching from the Republican to Liberal Party. In 2025, the popularity of Mamdani’s campaign and the mass voter turnout was a clear result of widespread disillusionment with the entirety of the political and economic system.
The Mamdani campaign spoke to what New Yorkers—and workers across the country—need, and that’s what made it immensely popular. Free buses, city-run grocery stores with price controls, and being able to afford your rent aren’t radical demands, especially in the wealthiest city in the country. New York politicians were unwilling and unable to meet basic needs and demands, but continued funding the NYPD’s nearly $11 billion budget.
The right wing—including establishment Democrats like his opponent Andrew Cuomo, who was endorsed by the likes of Elon Musk and Donald Trump—and the far right have been whipped into a frenzy. Trump himself claims it’s a choice between “communism and common sense.” The Washington Post claims Mamdani won because “supporters of the free market” just haven’t convinced working people about the benefits of capitalism.
Now Mamdani is starting his transition plan, and soon will be a democratic socialist in charge of the municipal government at the heart of Western capitalism. From the influence of Wall Street money to the gentrification of property owners to the brutality of the NYPD itself, he will face a mountain of contradictions that only a mass movement can truly address.
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About the Author
Rachel Hu is a journalist with “BreakThrough News,” a new independent media project, where she hosts the podcast “It’s Not You, It’s Capitalism.”
She is also a host on WBAI 99.5FM in NYC and has been an anti-war and anti-racist activist with the ANSWER Coalition for the last decade.
Rachel can be reached at: rachel@wbai.org.
Chris Garaffa has been an anti-imperialist and social justice organizer since joining the movement against the Iraq war in 2003.
Chris is a weekly guest on Sputnik Radio’s “By Any Means Necessary,” and co-hosts the podcast “The Reboot,” focusing on the intersection between technology and human rights.
Chris can be reached at: chris.garaffa@gmail.com.
One has to look at things not only from an ethical perspective but also from a pragmatic rational and holistic perspective. Many of Mamdani’s key proposals, such as free buses, universal childcare, and new tax increases on the wealthy and corporations to fund these initiatives, require approval or funding from the New York state government in Albany. The governor and state leaders, concerned about an economic downturn and potential tax increases that could deter businesses, may be resistant to some of his more ambitious plans, leading to intense negotiations and potential compromises.
Politician from both the right and the left always make big promises in order to get elected
but usually do not carry out with all their promises Also although Mamdani may have good intentions and may indeed do positive things we cannot overlook that has a long history of supporting terrorist groups which is a red flag of course. Violent protest groups which were curtailed in the past may not be curtailed in the future and thus could make New York even more unsafe than it presently is. Citizens wearing symbols of their Jewishness may be subjected to more harassment than before as the bullies may feel more empowered.