Who is Zohran Mamdani, winner of the New York Dem primaries: socialist and Muslim, new face of the US left

There is still some hope for the American left that emerged with broken bones from the presidential elections of November 5, 2024, won by Donald Trump . The Democratic primaries for the office of mayor of New York , which given the long democratic tradition of the 'Big Apple' are almost a sort of administrative vote, were won by Zohran Mamdani .

A very young candidate, just 33 years old, Mamdani represents the socialist wing of the party , which can count on members of Congress such as Bernie Sanders or Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez , also elected in New York: both had supported Mamdani during the electoral campaign.

A state congressman since 2021, a Muslim and a US citizen since 2018 (he was born in Uganda to parents of Indian origin), Mamdani was virtually unknown at the start of the election campaign : in recent months, in addition to the support of the left-wing of the Dems, Mamdani had gained the attention of the mainstream press for his ability to engage the Dem electorate on social media, for a radical political program that pushed many people to vote who had never done so in the recent past.

Among Mamdani's promises are that of making public transportation in New York free for its residents and medical care for children: also significant are the proposals for the housing crisis in the city, with the increase of rents at controlled prices for the next four years and the investment in the construction of condominiums with over 200 thousand apartments to be rented at controlled prices.

The data is not yet official, but Mamdani has established himself as the first choice (the primaries allow each voter to express a first choice, a second choice, etc.) by 43.5 percent of voters. The frontrunner, former New York State governor Andrew Cuomo , engulfed by several sex scandals that caused his popularity to plummet, came in second.

The former governor opened up to the possibility of running for election as an independent : “We will evaluate the situation and make decisions,” he said after acknowledging Mamdani's victory in a speech.

“I will be your Democratic nominee for mayor of New York City. I will be the mayor of all New Yorkers, whether you voted for me, for Governor Cuomo, or whether you feel too disillusioned with a political system that has long been in crisis to vote,” were Mamdani’s first words as a Democratic mayoral candidate, as he assured that he would work “to be a mayor you will be proud of.”

The 33-year-old then quoted Nelson Mandela in his celebratory speech to seal his nomination as the Democratic candidate for mayor of New York: “It always seems impossible until it’s done,” he said. “We will end Trump’s fascism,” he then announced in front of his supporters, “and we will oppose the deportations of immigrants.”

In the mayoral elections, scheduled for November, Mamdani will certainly challenge the current mayor Eric Adams, elected as a Democrat and then left the party amid scandals and controversies , who will run again as an independent and who in recent months has become very close to President Donald Trump.