Unless you’ve been living on another planet for the last month, you will know the name Zohran Mamdani. He won the Democratic mayoral primary in New York City over former Governor Andrew Cuomo. This victory, achieved by a 33-year-old democratic socialist against an established political heavyweight, has sent shockwaves through the American political landscape, and given lots of us around the world some much needed hope.
There’s so much to love about the rise of Mamdani. His plan to tax the rich more to pay for free childcare. How his unrelenting support for Palestine actually got more people behind him. His affability and clear love for the people. His Eid Mubarak message and social media game in general. And of course, the energy he is giving so many to fight Trump and his ilk and their fascist ideals, even beyond NYC.
While Trump thrives on division, fear, and a sense of grievance, Mamdani demonstrates that a unifying message of economic justice and solidarity can resonate with a diverse electorate - and triumph.
Bigger than NYC
However, as brilliant and life affirming as Mamdani’s win is, New York City was always going to fight back against Trump. I was lucky enough to live in NYC for a few years, and it is exactly where this sort of thing could happen. It has a large population predisposed to progressive ideas, and where there is enough main character positive energy to give the usual ‘American dream’ delusion an actual chance.
The real test will come if this fightback can take root in other parts of the country, as well as how much the rest of us fighting the far right in different parts of the world can emulate Mamdani’s success.
This is not to say this is a simple copy-and-paste job, places are different and Mamdani’s tactics will not work in conservative strongholds, but there are lots of cities and progressive enclaves where we can borrow from his playbook.
I ran as an Independent candidate in 2024, and while we didn’t win where I stood in London’s Chingford and Woodford Green constituency, we won over a quarter of the vote in just 4 weeks. So I know a bit about running a campaign as an outsider. The thing that struck me while talking to voters, that I could see reflected in Mamdani’s campaign, is how much being the anti-establishment candidate appeals.
Around the world people have lost trust in politicians (and who can blame them). The Edelman Trust Barometer found that 69% of people globally think their politicians ‘purposely mislead people by saying things they know are false or gross exaggerations’, up eleven points since only 2021.
Trump previously also ran as the anti-corruption candidate casting himself as the political outsider, but here’s hoping his reluctance to release files on Epstein are finally waking people up to his charlatan methods.
Fighting for all the oppressed
People get that the establishment - the political class, corporations, and the institutions that support them - will do anything to keep out the genuine people who won’t be sold to the highest bidder. So when Mamdani told voters that the richest would come for him and try to smear him, people supported him more when it did happen.
This anticipated backlash from powerful interests, far from being a deterrent, became a rallying cry. It reinforced his image as an outsider fighting for the people against entrenched wealth. Trump has labeled Mamdani a "100% communist lunatic" and threatened federal intervention, yet these efforts, rather than discrediting Mamdani, seem to have underscored his anti-establishment appeal.
The key is to frame such attacks as further proof of a movement that truly threatens the status quo.
Related to this is the importance of standing for progressive values, no matter how much you get attacked. It was so refreshing watching Mamdani tackle the typical false accusations of antisemitism head on.
Attitudes to Palestine have changed in the US, with voters now far more sympathetic to the Palestinian plight. Gallup's 2025 data shows a nearly 3-to-1 ratio (59% vs. 21%) of Democrats sympathising with Palestinians over Israelis.
This shift in public opinion, particularly among the Democratic base, means that pro-Palestine candidates like Mamdani no longer need to hide - indeed being loud and proud could help in big diverse cities and where there is significant support for Palestinians.
Mamdani was also very good at talking about an ethnically diverse working and middle class, focused on the day to day experiences on affordability that could unite people. He reminded us that the issues that can be used to divide us, including immigration, are also those that can unite us where there is widespread despair at the far right’s treatment of our migrant neighbours. This is important, because many progressive activists are scared to talk about class, and prefer to avoid immigration issues, in the hope that economic policy will be enough. It isn’t.
Bread and butter issues
To defeat the centrists and the likes of Trump, we need to have a solid agenda that actually makes people’s lives easier. It sounds so obvious, but often doesn’t happen.
My own research while working at New York University found that governments that delivered policies which made people feel materially better off were more likely to win elections and more likely to lower inequality. This means going beyond typical jargon of economic growth, to tangible things like rent controls.
Finally, we need to find actual local, charismatic and authentic leaders with values - and try to pick some that are under 50! Mamdani is very special, but in a country of over 340 million people, there are sure to be other special people.
The current Democratic leadership struggles to ignite even a segment of the kind of passion and joy seen in Mamdani's campaign. The average age of the US Senate is 64.3 years, while the House of Representatives is 57.5 years. This generational gap means a disconnect with younger voters who are increasingly concerned with issues like climate change, student debt, and systemic inequalities.
Mamdani significantly increased voter registration, with around 37,000 people registering to vote in the 14 days leading up to the primary registration deadline, compared to about 3,000 in the same period in 2021 - those of us seeking to challenge in other parts of the US or the world also need to inspire non-voters to come out.
Zohran Mamdani's victory in New York is a single electoral win, but it could be the beginning of something much bigger. While he is not yet the Mayor of NYC, and will face fierce pushback from the political establishment, the Mamdani campaign is a vital and timely reminder that even in an era of profound political cynicism and the looming shadow of rising authoritarianism, genuine people-powered movements, armed with clear progressive policies and unflinching moral courage, can win.
With the wolf at our doors, the moment for us to learn from Mamdani's blueprint for victory has never been more urgent.
Dr. Faiza Shaheen is a Distinguished Policy Fellow at London School of Economics, and an advisor to the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (UNESCWA). She is the author of a range of publications covering social and economic debates, including inequality, austerity, immigration, and social mobility. She has over 20 years of experience researching the trends and consequences of inequality, as well as designing policies and campaigns. She released her book, ‘Know your place: How society sets us up to fail and what we can do about it’ in July 2023.
Follow her on X: @faizashaheen and Bluesky: @faizashaheen.bsky.social
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