As Zohran Mamdani walked the streets of the Upper East Side for a campaign event to greet early voters, he could barely walk a few steps without being stopped by his supporters. Two smiling young women looked starstruck and told him they followed him on Instagram. The millennial Democratic nominee for mayor thanked them before posing with another young man who had readied his phone for a selfie. Throngs of press surrounded Mamdani and captured his every moment, like running into the street to shake hands with a taxi driver shouting 'we support you, man'.
With a comfortable lead in the polls, the 34-year-old is on the brink of making history when New Yorkers vote on Tuesday, as the youngest mayor in over a century and the first Muslim and South Asian leader of the city. A relatively unknown figure just months ago, few could have predicted his rise, from hip-hop artist and housing counsellor to New York State Assembleyman and frontrunner to lead the biggest city in the US, a job which comes with a $116bn budget and global scrutiny.
Through viral videos and outreach to content creators and podcasters, Mamdani has reached disaffected voters at a time when faith in the Democratic party among its own members is at an all-time low. But there are questions over whether he can deliver on his ambitious promises and how a politician with no executive experience will handle the onslaught sure to come from a hostile Trump administration.
Victory would be seen as a rejection of politics as usual by New Yorkers as they struggle with the cost of living - Mamdani's number one issue. His main rival in Tuesday's vote is former Democratic Governor Andrew Cuomo who is running as an independent after losing to Mamdani in the primary. Cuomo accuses Mamdani of an anti-business agenda that would kill New York. He says he has shown he can stand up to Trump but Mamdani calls Cuomo the president's puppet.
Mamdani's message has been laser-focused on affordability and quality of life issues. He has promised universal childcare, freezing rent in subsidised units, free public buses and city-run grocery stores. It's a message that has landed with New Yorkers fed up with sky-high prices.
The costs of the Mamdani agenda would be covered by new taxes on corporations and millionaires which he insists would raise $9bn although some experts like the libertarian Cato Institute say his sums don't add up. He would also need the support of the state legislature and Governor Kathy Hochul to implement new taxes.
Part of the change in tone since the primary has been down to a concerted effort on Mamdani's part to meet his critics. After Mamdani won the Democratic primary in June, Wall Street leaders were hardly celebrating. Some threatened to leave the city. But there's been a noticeable shift since then - the mood is less panic, more collaboration. Mamdani's engagement with his critics has been a willingness to change his position. In 2020, after the murder of George Floyd, Mamdani called for the city to defund police and called the NYPD 'racist'. But he has since apologised and says he no longer holds those views.
One position Mamdani has stood firm on is his criticism of Israel and lifelong support for Palestinian rights, representing a break from the Democratic Party establishment and potentially influencing voter decisions in a city with a large Jewish population.
In a broader context, Mamdani's ascendance may reflect deep-rooted tensions within the Democratic Party. The dynamics of his victory could serve as a bellwether for progressive policies in American politics, especially as the party navigates an increasingly polarized political landscape.
With a comfortable lead in the polls, the 34-year-old is on the brink of making history when New Yorkers vote on Tuesday, as the youngest mayor in over a century and the first Muslim and South Asian leader of the city. A relatively unknown figure just months ago, few could have predicted his rise, from hip-hop artist and housing counsellor to New York State Assembleyman and frontrunner to lead the biggest city in the US, a job which comes with a $116bn budget and global scrutiny.
Through viral videos and outreach to content creators and podcasters, Mamdani has reached disaffected voters at a time when faith in the Democratic party among its own members is at an all-time low. But there are questions over whether he can deliver on his ambitious promises and how a politician with no executive experience will handle the onslaught sure to come from a hostile Trump administration.
Victory would be seen as a rejection of politics as usual by New Yorkers as they struggle with the cost of living - Mamdani's number one issue. His main rival in Tuesday's vote is former Democratic Governor Andrew Cuomo who is running as an independent after losing to Mamdani in the primary. Cuomo accuses Mamdani of an anti-business agenda that would kill New York. He says he has shown he can stand up to Trump but Mamdani calls Cuomo the president's puppet.
Mamdani's message has been laser-focused on affordability and quality of life issues. He has promised universal childcare, freezing rent in subsidised units, free public buses and city-run grocery stores. It's a message that has landed with New Yorkers fed up with sky-high prices.
The costs of the Mamdani agenda would be covered by new taxes on corporations and millionaires which he insists would raise $9bn although some experts like the libertarian Cato Institute say his sums don't add up. He would also need the support of the state legislature and Governor Kathy Hochul to implement new taxes.
Part of the change in tone since the primary has been down to a concerted effort on Mamdani's part to meet his critics. After Mamdani won the Democratic primary in June, Wall Street leaders were hardly celebrating. Some threatened to leave the city. But there's been a noticeable shift since then - the mood is less panic, more collaboration. Mamdani's engagement with his critics has been a willingness to change his position. In 2020, after the murder of George Floyd, Mamdani called for the city to defund police and called the NYPD 'racist'. But he has since apologised and says he no longer holds those views.
One position Mamdani has stood firm on is his criticism of Israel and lifelong support for Palestinian rights, representing a break from the Democratic Party establishment and potentially influencing voter decisions in a city with a large Jewish population.
In a broader context, Mamdani's ascendance may reflect deep-rooted tensions within the Democratic Party. The dynamics of his victory could serve as a bellwether for progressive policies in American politics, especially as the party navigates an increasingly polarized political landscape.
