By Ananya Swaroop
Boston University News Service
“Zohran Mamdani 4(for) Mayor,” wrote Miranda Sanchez, a New York City-based social media influencer, trying to encourage people to vote for him. Thanks to Mamdani’s charismatic personality and his inviting speeches, New Yorkers are vouching for him as he runs for the 2025 New York City mayoral election. He might not have been a very familiar face before, but today he surely stands out.
Mamdani is not just a hot topic of discussion for his new way of politics, but also for his story, his style, and the new perspective he brings to the city’s political scene. He is the man of the hour and people are looking forward to seeing if he finally makes it to the other side of the elections and becomes the new mayor of New York City.
His rise has been all about challenging the status quo, but also about him being unapologetically himself. He started his political career as a volunteer for Ali Najmi’s campaign in 2015. He moved ranks, helped people and got more involved in New York’s political scene. Before being elected to the New York State Assembly in 2020, where Mamdani represented the 36th District in Queens, he served as Ross Barkan’s campaign manager in his 2018 bid for the New York State Senate. He also worked for fellow democratic socialist Tiffany Cabán’s 2019 campaign for Queens County District Attorney.
As a young face in a world often dominated by old-guard politicians, Mamdani epitomizes a fresh wave of representation in American politics. His run during the mayoral elections is compelling and so is his background. Born to immigrant parents, Mamdani was raised in Uganda. He was seven when his parents, Mahmood Mamdani and Mira Nair, moved to the United States and settled down in New York City.
In an interview with The New York Times, Mamdani described his upbringing as “privileged.” He said, “I never had to want for something, and yet I knew that was not in any way the reality for most New Yorkers.” After completing his studies, Mamdani worked as a housing counselor, helping lower-income immigrant homeowners in Queens navigate eviction notices. All this experience became his motivation to run for office.
But the man has more tricks up his sleeve. Before he became this popular, Mamdani also tried his hand at music. Being a fan of hip-hop, he created music under the moniker Young Cardamom. He, along with Ugandan rapper HAB, used to make music that was “rebuttals of what Ugandan society expects of us.” His mother, Mira Nair, an Oscar-nominated filmmaker, also used his music for her 2016 film “Queen of Katwe.” His music videos also went viral after Mamdani gained popularity during his mayoral campaign.
Mamdani, a democratic socialist, is touted as one of the front-runners in the mayor’s race, as he runs against former Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo. Mamdani’s focus is on affordability. “This is a city that we want to ensure does not become a museum or a relic of the working-class people who built it, but rather a living, breathing testament to the continuation of that story,” he told the New York Times.
Mamdani’s campaign features several populist proposals, including free city bus service, a rent freeze on rent-stabilized apartments, and broader efforts to make New York City more affordable. Backed by Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and the Working Families Party, his bid now faces the ultimate test: whether New Yorkers will elect him as the city’s next mayor.
