"On Tuesday night, Zohran Mamdani, the 34-year-old political novice who won New Yorkers over with an affable demeanor that seemed to take infectious joy in the people of the city and a relentlessly focused message of affordability, swept to the mayoralty of the US's largest city with a commanding lead. In so doing, Mamdani defeated what has been, since 2010's Citizen's United decision unleashing unlimited money into American political campaigns, one of the most indefatigable forces in electoral politics: the preferences of billionaires."
"Bill Ackman, the hedge fund manager and prominent Trump supporter, gave a pro-Cuomo group a total of $1.75m; Michael Bloomberg, the billionaire and three-term former New York mayor, donated a staggering $8.3m to the same Pac. The makeup moguls of the Lauder family backed pro-Cuomo and anti-Mamdani organizations to the tune of $2.6m, while the Tisch family gave $1.2m to stop the young socialist."
Zohran Mamdani, a 34-year-old political novice, won New York City mayor with a commanding lead by running on affordability and an affable connection to residents. He defeated entrenched billionaire influence that grew after the 2010 Citizens United decision, beating a billionaire-backed independent, disgraced former governor Andrew Cuomo, by nearly nine points. The Republican candidate, Curtis Sliwa, was not a real contender. Billionaires poured millions into pro-Cuomo efforts because of Mamdani's avowed socialist platform, universal childcare proposals, and remarks that billionaires should not exist. Major donations included $1.75m from Bill Ackman, $8.3m from Michael Bloomberg, $2.6m from the Lauder family, and $1.2m from the Tisch family. The billionaire-coordinated effort proved insufficient to stop Mamdani's victory.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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