"Watching Zohran Mamdani run for mayor often felt like watching an athlete in peak form-the vicarious jolt of seeing a candidate defy gravity during an astonishing political ascent. The conventional wisdom that his résumé-a state assemblyman for five years, a democratic socialist, a vocal critic of Israel-represented a list of liabilities seemed to wilt in the presence of the man himself. There he was, thirty-three and then thirty-four years old, smiling in a dark suit, dapping up strangers across the five boroughs."
"In interviews, he sounded like he genuinely believed what he was saying and also like he was genuinely interested in listening. His platform was clear and attuned to voters' mood; his social-media operation and field organizing were expert; his charisma was unremitting. Not all skeptics have been won over to Mamdani's agenda, but few now would dispute his political skill."
Mayors embody contrasting urban visions and forms of capital through their priorities and governance styles. Zohran Mamdani ran a charismatic, energetic mayoral campaign marked by expert field organizing, skilled social-media operations, and a clear platform centered on housing affordability. He projected genuine belief in his policies and attentive listening to voters across all boroughs. Michael Bloomberg offered a contrasting model as a billionaire mayor who described the city as "a luxury product" and embraced market-oriented governance. Bloomberg invested heavily to oppose Mamdani electorally. Historic mayors such as Bill de Blasio, Fiorello La Guardia, and John Lindsay provided rhetorical and political reference points.
Read at The New Yorker
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