New York City has just chosen what may be its most extreme Democratic candidate in history as the party's nominee for November's mayoral contest. Zohran Kwame Mamdani, a Queens-based member of the New York State Assembly, will make a run for the coveted position, although his radical views may make it difficult to succeed in the general.
Born in Uganda, Mamdani came to New York City at the age of 7, eventually attending Bowden University, where he earned a bachelor's in Africana studies. Prior to his foray into the political arena, he made a failed pursuit of a career in rap music, performing under the name Young Cardamom.
One of the assemblymen's most concerning viewpoints is regarding Israel, which he is very much against. He introduced legislation during his tenure at a state level that sought to strip the nonprofit status of organizations associated with the nation. The opinion dates back at least to his days at Bowden, where he founded a Students for Justice in Palestine group.
Even members of his own party have expressed significant concern, particularly regarding his calls to defund the NYPD and open taxpayer-funded, city-run grocery stores. Laura Gillen, a Democratic congresswoman from New York, called the nominee "too extreme to lead New York City" following his victory.
Media outlets across the country have come out urging New Yorkers not to make the socialist candidate their next mayor. The New York Times, who announced last year they would no longer make endorsements below the Presidential level, printed a piece the day before the primary decrying his campaign. The New York Post did the same following his victory, joined even by the Chicago Tribune, who cautioned against such extremist liberal policy.
November's election will likely end up a four-way race, pitting Democrat Mamdani against two recently disgraced party members, Eric Adams and Andrew Cuomo. The prior, who currently occupies the mayoral seat, fell from esteem just last year after allegations arose that he participated in fraud and bribery, potentially with foreign nations.
The latter, of course, was the previous governor of New York State. Political royalty and well-known in his own right, Cuomo was ousted from Albany following multiple allegations of sexual harassment and a complete bumbling of the state's COVID response. In the face of public outrage and media betrayal, he resigned in disgrace in 2021. Rising from the ashes, he once again asks the people of NYC for their votes. Despite his radical fall from grace, Cuomo boasts three terms of gubernatorial service, during which he presided over landmark legislation such as the legalization of same-sex marriage and marijuana.
The 4th contender is Republican Curtis Sliwa, who, before the primary selection of Mamdani, was hardly worth mentioning as a viable candidate. However, now contrasted against the three stooges, the Guardian Angel's founder is beginning to feel like an outside possibility. Critically important is the fact that Mamdani has never run a campaign against a single Republican candidate. Despite his three terms in the New York assembly, he won each unopposed, needing only to beat a Democrat in a primary for his first term in 2020. New Yorkers will certainly see how he fares in the real world.
How do you feel about the nomination of Zohran Mamdani for New York City mayor? Is it a concerning indication of the trajectory of major cities in America?
Hilary Gunn is a Connecticut native with a degree in Criminal Justice from the George Washington University. She works for a nonprofit and has previously collaborated with the CT GOP as an activist, political campaign manager and field director, and social media organizer. She is currently serving in her fourth term of municipal office and has previously acted as a delegate on the Republican Town Committee.