In 2025, Zohran Mamdani surprised everyone when he defeated former Governor Andrew Cuomo for the Democratic nomination in New York City’s mayoral election. Cuomo had outpolled and outraised Mamdani in every measure, and yet he, the scion of a prominent New York political dynasty, went down in defeat to a young democratic socialist whose most prominent role until now was being assemblyman for a district in Queens. On November 4th, Mamdani defeated Cuomo and Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa to be elected the 111th mayor of New York City. Throughout the campaign, Mamdani has gained nationwide and worldwide prominence, especially among young people, and has faced criticism from the Democratic establishment, conservatives, and business leaders. Therefore, it’s worth understanding how Mamdani rose to power in the first place.

Before 2025

Born to Ugandan and Indian parents, Mamdani immigrated with his family to the United States when he was 7. He studied at Bronx High School of Science and Bowdoin College. After working as a housing counselor and musician, he became a member of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) and a campaign manager for local candidates in New York City. In 2020, he won the Democratic primary for New York State Assembly, District 36, defeating five-term incumbent Aravella Simotas. Mamdani campaigned on several major policies: housing, public transit, and tax reform.

Mamdani pledged to strengthen rent stabilization laws, combat evictions, and fight speculative landlords. Before running for office, he worked as a housing counselor in Queens, helping low-income homeowners of color fight eviction and stay in their homes. This experience greatly shaped how he built his policies, not just on housing but on other controversial topics. 

Mamdani argued that New York’s budget shortfalls should be filled not by cutting services, but by taxing the ultra-rich and large corporations. He supported legislation seeking to reduce property tax exemptions for large private institutions (ex., the “REPAIR Act” to reduce exemptions for universities like Columbia University and New York University), redirecting revenue to public institutions like the City University of New York (CUNY).

Locally, he backed fare-free bus pilot programs to make commuting more equitable. Though limited to his district, it reflected a belief that mobility is a public right, not a privilege.

2025 Campaign

By 2025, Mamdani’s politics had expanded from the borough to the whole city. His mayoral platform, endorsed by the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), built upon his earlier work but scaled up in ambition. At its heart, the 2025 campaign revolves around “The Affordability Agenda.” It connects nearly every issue—housing, food, transportation, and childcare—to the central question of how ordinary New Yorkers can survive in a city defined by rising costs. It was through this platform that he pulled off an upset victory over Governor Cuomo in the Democratic primary. Here are some of his major policies:

Housing

Using his platform in 2021, he greatly expanded the scope of his housing policy. Mamdani proposes to freeze rents for all rent-stabilized tenants (more than ~1 million apartments) and build approximately 200,000 permanently affordable housing units over the next decade. Mamdani positioned housing as a human right and proposed expanding the city’s role as a direct builder and owner of low-cost units.

Transit

NYC is notorious for its horrible transit: rats, increased prices, and cleanliness, etc. Every mayoral candidate has had a platform on public transit, and Mandani is no different. Zohran Mamdani won New York’s first fare-free bus pilot on five lines across the city. He proposes to permanently eliminate the fare on every city bus – and make them faster by rapidly building priority lanes, expanding bus queue jump signals, and dedicated loading zones to keep double parkers out of the way.

Childcare

Mandani says that childcare is the second-highest cost for New Yorkers, which drives them out of the city. The mayoral candidate promises to “implement free childcare for every New Yorker aged 6 weeks to 5 years, ensuring high-quality programming for all families. And he will bring up wages for childcare workers – a quarter of whom currently live in poverty – to be at parity with public school teachers.”

The Cost of Living

Perhaps the most controversial topic that garnered nationwide attention was Mamdani’s new approach to the cost of living: city-owned grocery stores. These grocery stores will be “focused on keeping prices low, not making a profit. Without having to pay rent or property taxes, they will reduce overhead and pass on savings to shoppers. They will buy and sell at wholesale prices, centralize warehousing and distribution, and partner with local neighborhoods on products and sourcing.” Additionally, he plans to increase the minimum wage to $30/hour.

Tax Reform

Much of what he’s proposing is highly expensive and unsustainable with New York’s current budget. As such, Zohran’s plan is to “raise the corporate tax rate to match New Jersey’s 11.5%, bringing in $5 billion. And he will tax the wealthiest 1% of New Yorkers—those earning above $1 million annually—a flat 2% tax. Zohran will also implement common-sense procurement reform, end senseless no-bid contracts, hire more tax auditors, and crack down on fine collection from corrupt landlords to raise an additional $1 billion.”

“Trump-proofing NYC”

President Trump’s administration clashed greatly with Mamdani’s campaign. Trump has publicly threatened to withhold federal funding from New York City if Mamdani is elected mayor and “doesn’t behave.” He has labeled Mamdani a “communist” and “communist lunatic,” questioned Mamdani’s citizenship, and threatened arrest or federal intervention if Mamdani resists federal immigration enforcement. He suggested the federal government might take greater control over the city if Mamdani becomes mayor, and implied Trump’s administration holds key levers of power over how New York is run. 

In response, Mamdani has pledged to fight any withholding of federal funds. He says he will deploy legal resources to defend the city’s interests and ensure NYC retains federal help. When it comes to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Mamdani’s platform includes cutting cooperation with them, ending arrests of undocumented migrants by the city, and defending sanctuary policies. Additionally, Mamdani frames the conflict as a defense of democracy and local autonomy. He says he will not be intimidated and will protect New Yorkers’ rights against federal overreach.

His Campaign Style 

His campaign mobilized tens of thousands of volunteers through relational organizing, or neighbors reaching out to neighbors, while embracing New York’s diversity with multilingual outreach across immigrant and working-class communities. Unlike establishment candidates, Mamdani relied on grassroots power rather than corporate money, raising funds largely through small-dollar donations and building a “joyful resistance” atmosphere around his campaign. His campaign claims over 1.6 million doors knocked and over 2 million phone calls made. His events felt more like community festivals than political rallies, blending art, music, and activism to foster an exciting and enjoyable atmosphere.

Alongside his grassroots organizing, Mamdani leveraged celebrity and social-media influence to propel his message beyond traditional voter blocs. Endorsements from figures like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Bernie Sanders, and members of SNL gave his campaign cultural visibility. Additionally, his campaign content included videos in multiple languages (including Urdu, Spanish), memes, and short videos featuring him in informal settings to connect with immigrant communities and young voters. He is active on social media; his Instagram handle is @zohrankmamdani, where he describes himself as “NYC ’25 Mayoral candidate. – NYer. Democratic Socialist. Assemblymember for Astoria/LIC.”

Zohran Mamdani’s 2025 campaign stands out because it did not just talk about grassroots, culture, and digital; it was grassroots, cultural, and digital. From the volunteer army knocking on outreach, it wove together many threads to build momentum. His strategy gained traction, and it clearly paid off with his victory in November.

Roy Liu