Zohran Mamdani stood before a roaring crowd outside City Hall Tuesday night, his voice cutting through the November chill. At 34, the former community organizer had made history — New York City’s first socialist mayor, first Muslim mayor, and first mayor of South Asian descent. Cameras flashed, chants erupted, and Mamdani raised his hands, delivering a speech destined to be remembered.
“This victory belongs to the people whose hands built this city — calloused from work, bruised from struggle. Hands that rarely held power. Tonight, against all odds, we have grasped it,” he declared.
His words resonated with the coalition that propelled him to victory — working-class immigrants, union members, tenants, and young voters demanding change. Mamdani’s campaign overcame fierce opposition, Islamophobic attacks, and the entrenched city political machine, all with a grassroots message centered on economic justice and community empowerment.
“They tried to make us afraid of each other,” he said. “They called our dreams too radical, our neighbors too different. But we’re here because we believed in something bigger than fear.”
Born to Ugandan-Indian immigrant parents on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, Mamdani grew up navigating the divide between opportunity and struggle. He worked as a housing counselor and tenants’ rights organizer before entering politics, fighting evictions and rent hikes. Those experiences shaped his platform: a city that works for its residents, not developers.
Continue reading on next page…