Zohran Wins Surprise Landslide Victory
After a flawless campaign, democratic-socialist candidate Zohran Mamdani shocks the goliath New York City establishment, winning the Democratic Mayoral nomination.
On Tuesday night, the humble Queens assemblyman Zohran Mamdani pulled off an astonishing upset, smashing the corrupt Andrew Cuomo to clinch the Democratic nomination for New York City Mayor. In the later weeks of the campaign, polling showed Mamdani’s support gaining on Cuomo, yet still showed him behind by a few points. Since January, thirty-one of thirty-two polls predicted a Cuomo win. Many put Cuomo 30 or more points ahead, with no other challenger close. Polls in June began showing Mamdani gaining on his lead, but still showed Cuomo winning the first round with about 38% to 42% and then added to his lead in the final round of ranked-choice selection. Only one poll released by Emerson on June 20th put Mamdani ahead in the final round, predicting he would achieve 32% in the first round and narrowly win the final with 52%.
Who he was up against was not only Cuomo, who had five decades of name recognition behind him, but also sixteen billionaires, including Bill Ackman, Barry Diller, Reed Hastings, and Ken Langone, who had funded him. A massive amount came from plutocrat billionaire Michael Bloomberg, who dumped an outrageous $8.3 million into the campaign. Corporate giants like Michael Kors, DoorDash, and Lyft contributed enormous sums, along with other ultra-wealthy elites who helped raise over $26 million to get Cuomo elected. Although some unions supported him due to his experience in governance, it was no secret that this campaign was primarily financed by landlords and greedy capitalists, who were hedging against policies that threatened their stranglehold over the city’s working poor.
The path to victory for Zohran was strong turnout, which dramatically overdelivered, showing upwards of 40% more turnout in his strongest areas compared to the 2021 election. This was a promising sign, but confidence was still shaken by the uncertainty of whether Zohran’s unapologetic left campaign was too divisive for a city that experienced a right-wing surge last November. Polling analysts stipulated that Zohran would need to stay within 3% of Cuomo, with about 35% in the first round, to have a chance in the final. Many didn’t expect the results to come out until July 1st, when all the ranked selections would be accounted for.
Zohran’s campaign focuses on three main policies: making the buses fast and free, freezing the rent for thousands of rent-stabilized tenants, and delivering universal childcare to every family. Among other things, he advocated for more community-friendly policing, publicizing grocery stores, aggressively combating corporate greed, and taxing the 1%. The platform is bold and specifically aimed at making the city more affordable for residents facing a severe affordability crisis. Over 350,000 residents have been forced to leave in just the past two years alone due to rising costs. With this platform, he earned an unheard-of $8 million in matching funds in March, making him the first ever candidate to reach the maximum. This was achieved thanks to over 20,000 individual donors contributing an average of $80 per donation, by far the lowest of any candidate in the race.
The question was whether a grassroots populist campaign that speaks directly to people’s material needs would excite young people and galvanize popular support. The answer was a resounding yes.
What happened Tuesday night was magic. When polls closed at 9pm and the first batch of ballots were released, Zohran was ahead 43.1% to 34.0% and hardly looked back. By the end of the night, that lead held. Just before 10:30pm, Cuomo announced he would concede the race. It was over; Zohran was victorious.
Cuomo respectfully praised Zohran’s grassroots campaign hoping he will bring the city together. Currently, the first round stands at 43.5% to 36.4% which won’t be finalized for a few more days. Later in the night, New York’s Attorney General Letitia James, who was a late but essential supporter, gave a rousing introduction to Zohran’s victory speech. On the stage, the 33-year-old assemblyman, with his famous genuine smile, declared,
“Tonight, we made history. In the words of Nelson Mandela… It always seems impossible until it is done.”
Zohran outlined his vision for a more affordable city, declaring himself a representative of the people, not a tool for the rich. He thanked the over 50,000 volunteers who made the win possible, attributing his broad support to the one and a half million doors they knocked on. Along with that, he demanded that his successful campaign serve as a model for the Democratic Party, where politicians actually fight for working people. Zohran promised to use his power to reject Donald Trump’s fascist agenda to fiery applause.
Zohran also gave immense thanks to co-endorsed candidate Brad Lander, who came in third place in this election and was essential in defeating Cuomo. The pair came together in mid-June with the shared goal of taking down the corrupt former Governor. As a progressive democrat, Lander was the consensus pick for liberals who loathed Cuomo but felt Zohran was too inexperienced and his platform too ambitious. The New York Times controversially declined to endorse a candidate, but in their editorial, the panel members gave Lander their highest praise. As a Jewish man, Lander also helped deflect racist attacks against Zohran. The media and Cuomo tried to claim he was anti-semitic for advocating for Palestinian liberation. Lander frequently responded to this smear, saying that Jewish and Muslim neighbors will not be divided.
Lander was perfectly happy with losing this election because, for him, this was personal. In the debates, Lander assertively attacked Cuomo, condemning his decision as Governor to send COVID-19 patients into nursing homes, which was estimated to have killed thousands of elderly, and then his covering up of the situation afterward. Lander pointed out a man in the crowd, Peter Arbeeny, whose father was one of those people who died of coronavirus in a nursing home, and is demanding at the very least an apology for the disastrous policy. Lander sternly confronted Cuomo to his face, looking him in the eye and lambasting him about the fact that he had sexually harassed at least thirteen women, refusing to let it go unaccounted for. Lander reminded the audience that Cuomo had admitted to this and had to settle lawsuits over it after resigning from the governorship because of it. After the race was over, in a speech to his supports after Cuomo conceded, Lander triumphantly remarked, “Good fucking riddance.”
Now standing hand in hand on the stage, Zohran proclaimed for both of them, “Together we have shown the power of the politics of the future, one of partnership and of sincerity.” As a veteran politician in the city, Lander is expected to play an essential role within the administration.
Zohran wrapped up his speech, asserting that his campaign and the vast grassroots support were a fulfillment of democracy. He reasoned that people throughout history have supported authoritarians like Trump out of desperation. He cited when FDR said that democracy disappears not because the people dislike democracy, but because they grew tired of insecurity and their children going hungry. They sacrificed liberty, hoping to gain something better, but Zohran affirmed that New Yorkers no longer had to choose between freedom and a good, stable life. “Together, New York, we have renewed our democracy.”
This electoral victory is monumental, likely the greatest grassroots progressive accomplishment since Andrea Ocasio-Cortez’s victory in 2018, taking down veteran establishment figure Joe Crowley. AOC also endorsed Zohran along with fellow progressive veteran Bernie Sanders, which gave him a boost. This campaign proved to a confused Democratic Party that bumbling careerists are not what the people want. It demonstrated how getting people engaged in the political process through a campaign that advocates for policies that actually benefit them, rather than the wealthy, will win races. It represented more than just the city of New York; it was the whole country watching as a young underdog took down a political dynasty because the people believed in him. The path forward is focusing on class politics, taking power from the rich while not compromising on critical cultural issues; it’s not one or the other. The people saw Zohran in their community, speaking their language, participating in their celebrations, and making a difference for them.
It wasn’t easy either, as a mixed-race Indian and Muslim, Zohran endured barbaric attacks against his identity from the media. Commentators disingenuously labeled him a ‘Muslim Socialist’ with great emphasis to scaremonger, even going so far as to call him a terrorist. The battle over Palestinian liberation was also central to this disgusting attack, as he refused to back away from his conviction that Israel is undeniably an apartheid state that is committing genocide. Often noted was the fact that New York has the largest Jewish population in any city in the world, yet the question was always about his stance on Israel, a country that has nothing to do with the mayorship.
In interviews, Zohran was able to perfectly articulate a stance of international law and human rights on the issue of Israel-Palestine, that no state has the right to brutally oppress people. In the most disgusting attack, Zohran graciously went on an interview with Tim Miller of the Bulwark, a faux-centrist podcast that launders right-wing politics for Democrats. In it, Miller embarrassingly tried to throw passive-aggressive jabs at Zohran and then forced him to answer his opinion on the phrase ‘globalize the intifada,’ which in earnest means globalize the uprising against the Israeli apartheid. Rather than conceding the underhanded framing, Zohran stood firm, agreeing that anti-semitism is a real issue on the rise, but also acknowledging that the phrase comes from a desperate place of desire for human rights to be respected. On Thursday, Miller released a video on the Bulwark decrying racist Republicans who are now calling for Zohran to be deported while citing that interview of him allegedly defending the phrase. Attacks like these will only get worse going into a general election, where the establishment will try every vile strategy to stop him.
While this is an inspiring first step, the real challenge has just started. The Democratic nomination will put Zohran in the driver’s seat against the deeply unpopular sitting Mayor Eric Adams, Republican freak Curtis Sliwa, and, again, Andrew Cuomo, who declared he will run as an independent. The establishment will likely have to choose which candidate to support, as a three-way split among corporate candidates will surely leave a massive flank open to Zohran. None are outstanding options for them: the loser of the primary, a corruption-ridden incumbent who performed an obvious quid pro quo with Trump to get out of federal charges, or a delusional MAGA propagandist. With still four months until election day, the billionaire class still has time to decide who will be their candidate, unless they would rather throw their weight behind a different option or perhaps try to rig the outcome one way or another.
That’s precisely what happened to India Walton in the 2021 Buffalo mayoral primary election, and it taught a valuable lesson. As a lifelong activist, Walton set out to organize a progressive grassroots base of support, much like Zohran’s campaign. She pulled off an inspiring upset against the corrupt Byron Brown administration, which had been in power for nearly 16 years of unchecked, uniparty rule. In the general election, however, Walton was ruthlessly attacked, smeared, and dragged by the local media while corporations and landlords dumped funds into her opponent’s campaign. In a desperate act, the Republican candidate was convinced to withdraw, and the corrupt city government amended the election laws to allow Brown to appear on a special ballot line. The rest was history. Walton was able to pull together an impressive 25,806 votes, but the establishment machine prevailed. However tragic the defeat, it proved that cracks can be made and people can take back their government.
We can forecast that the elite establishment will want to consolidate around one candidate for the best chance against Zohran. Although the establishment is rational and holds all the power, it’s not infallible; it’s made up of humans, after all. What is likely to happen is that Eric Adams will slowly fade into irrelevance after polling at single digits. Curtis Sliwa will retain registered Republican voters, reaching a maximum of 20-25%, while Cuomo should have about 25-33%. The question is whether the three of them are willing to set aside their gargantuan egos to defeat Zohran, whom they and their elite backers view as an existential threat. If Adams drops out relatively early and Cuomo begins consolidating donors, it could be up to Sliwa to drop out to endorse Cuomo. Sliwa is a grifting performer at heart. It wouldn’t be a surprise if he were offered a lucrative entertainment job in exchange for his dropping out. For this reason, it would be wise for Zohran to go all in attacking Cuomo, the strongest of the three. Even in a head-to-head with Cuomo, it’s very winnable; his army of 50,000 volunteers will only grow, and millions more doors will be knocked.
The ironic dichotomy between the grassroots campaign versus the elitist shell campaign is why the rich are spending so aggressively in the first place. The calculation for these billionaires is that they can save on taxes by dumping money into Cuomo’s campaign and preventing Zohran from implementing a tax increase on them. So, rather than all those millions being used to help the city improve its parks, transit, roads, and schools, they are needlessly burned on attack ads. All the value that they extracted from their workers and tenants goes to waste in an effort to prevent those same people from having a better life. These billionaires are people who operate on ‘If I can’t have it, no one can.’
A win for Zohran would send a colossal ‘fuck you’ to Donald Trump. It would tell the entire Democratic Party that unapologetic progressivism is an utter necessity for the party’s survival. It would prove wrong all the pathetic centrists who cynically advocate moving to the right on difficult issues. It would make space for progressive congressional candidates like Jamaal Bowman and Michael Blake, whom the corporate establishment snubbed. It would mean the first immigrant mayor, someone who reflects 4 in 10 New Yorkers. It could even mean that his policies, which are targeted directly at helping the working poor, could be implemented, thereby improving the lives of millions. Above all, it could mean that people gain political optimism, that the government can work for them, and that solidarity works.
Zohran Mamdani is the Canary in the Coal Mine:
https://torrancestephensphd.substack.com/p/the-canary-in-the-coal-mine-zohran