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He defeated his Democratic rivals in the primary, winning the majority of the vote (56%). What does he want to do and why does he scare Wall Street…
With 56% of the vote, Zohran Mamdani, 33, has officially won the Democratic primary for mayor of New York. The Ugandan-born state congressman had been in the lead for days, but the official announcement was made only yesterday, July 1.
Who is he, how did he manage to defeat former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, and why President Donald Trump would like to "arrest" him.
Origin, family, studies
Mamdani was born in Kampala, the capital of Uganda, to Indian parents. The family moved to New York when he was 7. His mother, Mira Nair, is a famous filmmaker and his father, Mahmood Mamdani, teaches at Columbia. Both parents are Harvard graduates. The Democratic candidate for mayor of New York is Muslim, a fact he never hid during his election campaign and in fact used to his advantage. He also recalls his studies at Bowdoin College, where he co-founded the undergraduate chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine.
Rap, Politics and Women
He also had a brief stint as a rapper under the name "Mr. Cardamom." But politics soon entered his life, first as an activist and then as a New York state representative. In his early experiences, he approached Bernie Sanders' socialist wing and fought against evictions in the Queens neighborhood of the Big Apple, in addition to working as a housing consultant. In 2020, he made a big move to the New York State General Assembly, where he still sits as a representative after being confirmed in the last election.
What makes Mamdan relatable to the younger generation is not just his pro-poor policies and his clever use of social media, but also details like how he met his current wife, Rama Duwaji, a 27-year-old Syrian artist. In fact, the two met on the dating app Hinge.
How did he win the Democratic primary?
Mamdani entered the Democratic primary quietly, but thanks to his electoral campaign he managed to win the majority of the necessary preferences. The 33-year-old faced a politician of the caliber of Andrew Cuomo, former governor of New York state. Cuomo was considered the favorite, but stopped at 44% of the vote.
The state representative has managed to convince tens of thousands of voters, the New York Times reports, to register to vote for him. His very strong messaging has also helped.
"I don't think we need billionaires, we need more equality," he said recently.
A statement that has undoubtedly attracted the skepticism of Wall Street, which would not accept a "socialist", as well as a Muslim (it would be the first time), as mayor of the city.
Mamdan's campaign relied on some very strong proposals: free citywide bus service; a rent freeze; a network of city-owned grocery stores focused on convenience; universal childcare for children ages six months to five years and older.
The elections will take place in November and Mamdani will have to face Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa and independents Eric Adams, the current mayor of New York, and Jim Walen. And it is not excluded that Cuomo will not run again as an outsider. A hypothesis that could divide the Democratic electorate and thus favor Donald Trump's party.
Why Trump wants to arrest Mamdani
Mamdani's victory in the Democratic primary could not go unnoticed by the President of the United States. "We do not need a communist as mayor of New York," declared Trump, who in recent days threatened to withdraw all federal funding for the city if Mamdani did not follow his directives.
But the 33-year-old has already promised a fight. In fact, he announced that he has no intention of cooperating with federal authorities in the fight against illegal immigration. Trump then threatened: "Then we should arrest him." /Adapted from Today's Pamphlet/
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