Everyone is Messing with The Zohran
NYC Voters Shun Frankenstein's Monster/Former Governor Cuomo, Embrace Mamdani
When Zohran Mamdani (who if you hadn’t heard, happens to be both a Muslim and a Democratic Socialist) won New York City’s Democratic primary for Mayor last week, the MAGA response was measured, calm, and not at all absurd.
Just kidding – Rep. Andy Ogles (R - Tenn.) called for Mamdani to be denaturalized and deported. Don Jr. announced “New York City has fallen” and shared a tweet stating “I’m old enough to remember when New Yorkers endured 9/11, instead of voting for it.” Clever!
And not to be left out, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, a New York Democrat, referenced Mamdani’s call for “global jihad” – a call that Mamdani once made at a bar mitzvah in Trenton, New Jersey, in September of … wait no, he has never, ever called for global jihad (which seems like it would be pretty easy to figure out).
The Senator has since apologized, and while many prominent Democrats have yet to endorse Mamdani, they are at least beginning to rally around him – at least ever since President Trump began to entertain the idea of deporting him as well, and began calling him a “communist lunatic.”
New York State Governor Kathy Hochul tweeted a defense this week: “I don’t care if you’re the President of the United States, if you threaten to unlawfully go after one of our neighbors, you’re picking a fight with 20 million New Yorkers – starting with me.” It’s still not an endorsement, but it’s nice to see.
As Democrats and progressives nationwide thirst for exciting, young candidates who can put together a diverse coalition of voters, this exciting, young candidate has been busy actually putting together a diverse coalition of voters – instantly making himself an enemy of the New York Democratic Party machine by committing the cardinal sin: offering leftist policies to left-leaning voters who are desperate for them.
Mamdani defeated Frankenstein’s Monster/former Governor Cuomo by seven points – a drubbing so thorough that Cuomo conceded less than two hours after the polls closed.
The secret recipe isn’t very secret: Mamdani’s campaign was largely fueled by a single-issue: make New York City affordable again.
It’s one that resonates with me, as I left the city nearly ten years ago now – largely because I had been priced out. Sure, I could have, at age 35, continued to live in Bed-Stuy, eating lots of eggs and sharing a tiny 3 bedroom/1 bath apartment with two 25-year-olds unable to make coffee or avoid breeding mice in their bedrooms – or I could have taken a job elsewhere, one that guaranteed I’d be able to afford my own, solitary housing, and which didn’t demand 60% of my income and a nearly three hour commute on public transit to Staten Island. So yes, the quality of my local stand-up comedy scene absolutely cratered (do better, Daejeon, South Korea!) but my overall quality of life soared.
I had a lot of friends in the city back then. Most of them have by now left, for similar reasons. New York City has a tendency to grind up its baristas, servers, artists, teachers and writers, and spit them back out once they’re exhausted and broke.
But having lived there for nearly a decade, I’m familiar with how the New York Democratic Party machine works. Sure, I was more than a little surprised former governor Cuomo – a 67-year-old one-man wave of naked corruption and sexual harassment – was running, but when I heard Bill Clinton had endorsed him and made a speech? Well, I figured that was the ballgame.
Not that in 2025 everyone is waiting on the edge of their seats to see who Bill Clinton likes – but the former president’s presence and speech simply demonstrated the party establishment had his back, with all the money that entails.
So when Mamdani came from behind to not only win, but wreck Cuomo – I was surprised.
And maybe partly because, well – why wouldn’t Cuomo win? Everything is awful, so why shouldn’t this election be, too?
S. Nakamura, a Brooklyn-based consultant, had a similar outlook.
A big fan of Mamdani and a campaign donor, he felt little of the optimistic energy many have described surrounding the race and Mamdani’s campaign.
But don’t get it twisted –“that’s my guy,” said Nakamura, adding that his own preferred policies align with Mamdani’s. “But I felt the opposite [of optimism], just from the general zeitgeist.”
“It felt like people were depressed because we thought Cuomo was going to win – so I didn’t give Mamdani a chance, really. When he won, we were shocked … I’ve learned to condition myself to be disappointed, since the [2024 presidential] election,” said Nakamura.
Mamdani’s focus on economic inequality appealed to him greatly.
“Addressing inequality, taxing the rich … that’s the big one. That’s number one,” said Nakamura. On a smaller scale, he was also excited about Mamdani’s proposal to place city-run grocery stores in food deserts.
“I like the idea – having alternatives for low income New Yorkers to get fresh, nutritious foods. “It would be totally subsidized. They’re not trying to make money off it – it’s understood it will cost the city. … I’m O.K. with that.”
In the event of a Mamdani win, Nakamura would prefer to see a few different models: “a government-run grocery, maybe a co-op model … just see how it goes.” He also appreciated that Mamdani was thinking outside the box, and willing to use public funds to try and do something positive.
Immediately after Mamdani’s primary win, Nakamura noticed headlines speculating on whether his campaign/platform could be a model for the Democrats elsewhere. And while a Democratic Socialist Muslim candidate would be a tougher sell (to put it lightly) in say, Florida or the Midwest, he’s hopeful.
“I think it could work … because he focused on working people so much. Just hitting that button – over and over again, could be effective [outside of NYC].”
He has concerns, as well – particularly about how realistic Mamdani’s goals are. While he likes most of his proposals, he also knows how important compromise can be in New York politics.
“DeBlasio pissed off the police, and it ruined that relationship for his entire tenure. So I hope Mamdani can navigate things like that,” said Nakamura. He also feels that if Mamdani can succeed, it could help make DSA (Democratic Socialists of America) candidates more viable nationally.
The company Nakamura works for was hired to improve NYCHA (New York City Housing Authority), so he understands better than most how under-resourced the agency is. “It’s a $40 billion shortfall. You can’t fix anything without at least $20 billion,” said Nakamura.
As for the cold-shoulder from establishment Democrats – none of it surprises Nakamura. “I’m very disappointed with them, but not surprised — based on how they treated people like Bernie.”
Especially after Trump’s victory, he sees the need for the party to build its bench as crucial. “He’s a smart guy, he speaks well, and he has answers ready for every question. They need more [candidates] like him.”
Quentin Scott works in tech and lives in Harlem, and he didn’t follow the primary very closely, or vote in it – though he certainly plans to in the general election. Scott hadn’t heard much about Mamdani. Like Nakamura, he assumed Cuomo had things sewed up.
And as an NBA fan, Scott was subjected to endless commercials for Cuomo while watching the playoffs.
“They ran an ad in every commercial break,” said Scott. “He’s had his scandals, but still, I kind of assumed that with the machine … he would be the guy, by default. Wasn’t incredibly excited about that, but it just is what it is.”
The first Scott heard of Mamdani was from a friend, and then soon afterwards on Ezra Klein’s podcast, and he liked what he heard – although Scott still is not totally certain who will end up getting his vote, as independent candidates may still emerge.
“Mamdani seems cool – I’m not opposed to him by any means. I have some skepticism that what he’s proposing is actually plausible, even though I may agree in principle,” said Scott.
That Mamdani is willing to shake things up and actually try new things appeals to him, as to Scott, “it’s clear that [the status quo] is not working for everyone.”
Scott appreciates Mamdani’s focus on rising rents, and while he isn’t convinced that rent freezes are the way to go about that, he feels strongly that keeping rents down in some way is critical.
Childcare is another big issue for him and his family.
“My kids are no longer at that age, but free childcare would make a huge difference. It’s a terrible situation … you have people working three jobs, that can’t afford to put kids in daycare, so then they can’t work – it’s a vicious cycle,” said Scott.
Scott believes universal pre-K was a big step in the right direction, but like Nakamura, is unsure how plausible it is to extend and improve on that policy. Still, he wants to see more done.
“The cost of childcare in New York is insane. It just is,” said Scott.
Scott is much more pessimistic than Nakamura about how a similar candidate and platform would fare outside of the NYC bubble.
“I can’t see that flying where I grew up. In a different environment, that would be an uphill battle for sure … I wish that was not the case,” he added.
Joe Grace is a Senior Executive at a start-up who lives in Brooklyn.
Like Scott, he paid very little attention to the primary – mainly due to having two young boys. But some things managed to break through – like New York City Comptroller and mayoral candidate Brad Lander getting arrested by ICE agents at a Manhattan courthouse.
“That struck me as wildly inappropriate,” said Grace. “He was just engaging with constituents who are concerned … to characterize that as a publicity stunt is a very weak argument. So Lander kind of broke through the noise.”
While he finds a lot to like about Mamdani’s platform, his preferred candidate was Zellnor Myrie, a New York State Senator with a platform focused on education, housing, and the wealth gap.
“In New York we have ranked choice voting, which I love. … It forces a moderation of the extremes. You have to team-up with some folks,” said Grace, whose top three choices went: Myrie first, Lander second, and Mamdani third.
Another parent, Grace – like Scott – also prioritizes education and childcare.
“We were beneficiaries of the Universal Pre-K program, and I’m a huge advocate for that. Myrie was an advocate for that – it’s making it easier for working families to have a chance,” said Grace.
From his perspective, few voters were excited about Cuomo’s potential return.
“No, no, no. Please no. No thank you. People don’t want the old leadership. People don’t want the folks that have been running things forever … what got us here, will not get us where we want to go. There is so much baggage with Cuomo, and with Mayor Adams. No one is in the mood to deal with that,” said Grace.
When asked if he found any of Mamdani’s proposals concerning or even scary, Grace was rather incredulous.
“Look: Donald Trump is the president. There is nothing scarier than that … will my taxes go up? Absolutely. I’m definitely in a tax bracket that is vulnerable to a DSA candidate. That’s not important to me. I want to make sure that the people who make my coffee, watch my kids, and live in my neighborhood can make it work,” said Grace.
To Grace, Mamdani is a breath of fresh air, “the real deal,” and a candidate with at least some crossover appeal. “He is resonating with even people on the fringe of the MAGA movement, because he actually cares about, well — making-America-great-again, but in the same sense that made Trump popular in the first place,” said Grace.
That still doesn’t mean Grace thinks candidates like Mamdani will travel well outside of the NYC bubble.
“I grew up in Florida … the people [of Florida] have a particular attitude towards new ideas, let’s just say. … Nobody is going to change their mind.”
As Republicans cheer breaking ground on an Everglades-based concentration camp they’ve cutely dubbed “Alligator Alcatraz,” thrill to citizens and non-citizens alike being pulled off the street and imprisoned by masked secret police, and otherwise applaud the “Big, Beautiful Bill” (which will cut taxes for the wealthy, cut Medicaid and other spending that helps everyone else, cripple renewable energy and the Affordable Care Act, supercharge Trump’s secret police, and enact a host of other sickening policies), it’s almost impressive how they can still manufacture outrage about things like poor people potentially getting vegetables — all while continuing to wipe their asses with the Constitution and concentrate power into the executive branch.
As Grace noted, Mamdani is a breath of fresh air, and a lot of hopes have been pinned on his candidacy, even before he’s won more than a primary. But a lot can happen between now and November, when the general election will begin.
Above all, NYC Democrats should stow the jabs and mean tweets aimed at Mamdani for openly corrupt, morally rudderless politicians like Adams and Cuomo — or better yet, save them for the President.
We would do well to recall President Trump’s words: “In four years, you won’t have to vote again … we’ll have it fixed so good, you’ll never have to vote again.”
So be optimistic about Mamdani’s ideas, and his chances — and most of all, get out and vote. But remember: this Republican party is not behaving like politicians who are worried about angering voters, or running for office ever again. Perhaps they know something we don’t – or that we simply haven’t accepted yet. Those that don’t yet believe this administration will denaturalize, deport, or even imprison political rivals like Mamdani, are failing to reckon with how far we have already fallen.
Meanwhile in the city, reports of its descent into a lawless hellhole are greatly exaggerated. It’s something that Scott wishes more friends and family back home could understand.
“When I go back home, people ask me ‘how are things in New York? Isn’t the city on fire, or something?’
“That’s not the case at all, from my perspective. Sure it has its issues, but overwhelmingly, living here has been a positive experience. My kids love it. My wife loves it. I love it. … So much of what I enjoy about living here was voiced in this election. Seeing that diversity, openness and acceptance, and that push for progress — making sure that people aren’t left behind — that’s encouraging to see.”