Zohran Mamdani Is Winning the Battle. Here's How He Can Win the War.

"Winning in November isn't enough. A Mayor Mamdani will need a mass movement behind him to overcome an establishment that wants to crush him. The prospect of Zohran Mamdani, a democratic socialist who has said billionaires shouldn't exist, becoming the mayor of New York City has the ruling class in a tizzy. But Kathryn Wylde, head of one of the city's most powerful business lobbies, has a message for her rich friends: Don't worry so much."

"In our view, what's needed is a mass campaign that seizes high-attention moments-like a November election night victory-to onboard large numbers of volunteers, that sustains widespread organizing after election day, and that trains working-class leaders to analyze the power of their opponents and to develop a targeted strategy to push recalcitrant elected officials to fund Mamdani's proposals. Mamdani has already shown his ability to build a mass movement."

Zohran Mamdani faces entrenched business and state-level barriers that could block many campaign proposals, with business leaders and Governor Kathy Hochul positioned to limit tax or policy changes. Many high-profile pledges require state approval and confront powerful CEOs and politicians, meaning electoral victory alone will be insufficient. A sustained mass campaign can convert volunteer energy into organized pressure by using high-attention moments to onboard supporters, maintaining post-election organizing, and training working-class leaders to analyze opponent power and craft targeted strategies to compel reluctant elected officials and Albany to fund core proposals. Over 50,000 volunteers already indicate organizing potential.

Read at The Nation