The unexpected rise of Zohran Mamdani

The unexpected rise of Zohran Mamdani

The unexpected arrival of Zohran Mamdani to the centrestage of American politics is remarkable. Born to parents of Indian origin — academic Mahmood Mamdani and filmmaker Mira Nair — the 33-year-old self-declared democratic socialist is the antithesis of all that Donald Trump’s America represents. President Trump’s response on social media to Mamdani clinching the Democratic party’s nomination for the New York mayoral poll, scheduled for later this year, was: “A 100% communist lunatic, has just won the Dem Primary, and is on his way to becoming mayor.”

PREMIUM Mamdani’s rise in the Democratic ranks may not be merely a reflection of the Big Apple’s melting pot society, but also a pushback from young Democrats. (REUTERS)

New York is not America, surely. However, Mamdani’s rise in the Democratic ranks may not be merely a reflection of the Big Apple’s melting pot society, but also a pushback from young Democrats who prefer to rally around a young radical willing to confront the Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement directly on sensitive issues such as migration and faith. Mamdani is assertive about his Asian roots and Muslim identity and vocal about his support for the rights of Palestinians. Interestingly, he built his following by borrowing a leaf from the Trump presidential campaign playbook, which sought to reduce the cost of living for Americans. Mamdani’s citizen-centric urban politics wants to “freeze the rent”, provide “free buses”, and “a city you can afford”. These are agendas that transcend ethnic and faith fault lines and unite New Yorkers under the umbrella of what may be deemed as class concerns.

That said, Mamdani may be deemed a divisive figure even within the Democrat establishment for his radical views, which will make it easy for the MAGA bloc to caricature. On the contrary, just as President Trump and MAGA rewrite the rules of politics and policy-making in America, Mamdani may turn out to be that figure who can mobilise a young America in favour of the Democratic Party in a polarised polity. One thing is for sure: Mamdani as NY mayor will not be business as usual.