Who is the Muslim Communist Democrat who could become mayor of New York?

Zohran Mamdani, a Ugandan who moved to the United States six years ago and who currently serves as an assemblyman for the Queens district in the New York Legislature, is a member of the most progressive wing of the Democratic Party, and has made a stunning comeback in the race for the New York mayoralty after prevailing in his party's primaries this Tuesday.

According to a recent Emerson College/Pix11/The Hill poll, in a ranked choice voting system, Mamdani surpasses former governor Andrew Cuomo in the eighth round of counting, reaching 51.8% compared to Cuomo's 48.2%, who ran with a more "right-wing" agenda within the Democratic Party. Since the city has become a Democratic stronghold, the winner of the primary is widely considered the favorite for the mayoralty, whose general elections are practically a formality.

Just hours before the elections, the Emerson poll became reality. Cuomo conceded defeat and everything indicates that Mamdani will be the next mayor of New York, since he is expected to comfortably defeat Sliwa, the Republican candidate, and even Eric Adams himself, the current mayor, who left the Democratic Party due to his dangerous shift to the left and ran as an "independent."

This result marks a remarkable shift in the race, given that in previous polls Cuomo maintained a clear lead. For example, last month Cuomo was ahead of Mamdani by 12 points in the first round of voting and still held an 8-point lead in the tenth round of the ranked choice voting system.

However, the latest poll conducted between June 18 and 20 showed an upward trajectory for Mamdani, who has gone from having only 1% support five months ago to a suspicious 32% in the last measurement before the elections, and 43.5% in the final results of this Tuesday's elections.

Who is Mamdani

Zohran Mamdani, son of the famous filmmaker Mira Nair and born in Uganda, has Hindu ancestry but is Muslim by religion, and identifies as a socialist or communist. He has been a prominent figure in New York's progressive politics since his election in 2020 to the State Assembly, representing District 36 in Astoria, Queens.

His proposals are among the most controversial. For example, he has proposed allocating USD 65 million in public funds to offer gender transition treatments to transgender people, including minors. According to his campaign, USD 57 million would be allocated to public hospitals, community clinics, and nonprofit organizations, and another USD 8 million to set up health points on the streets that can provide this treatment. Mamdani defended the measure as a response to the withdrawal of services by private hospitals after pressure from the Trump administration to end gender transition surgeries in children.

In addition, he proposes a Rent Law to freeze the prices of regulated housing, introduce a vacant housing tax, and even require landlords to keep their buildings at 77 degrees Fahrenheit (25 degrees Celsius) during heat waves, which will force millions of property owners to purchase modern cooling systems.

Among other controversial initiatives, Mamdani plans to offer completely free public transportation, subsidized childcare, and expropriate supermarkets so they are managed by the city. His proposals, which would require around USD 10 billion to implement, would be financed through tax increases on the wealthy, financial income, and corporations.

The elections

The poll data reflected a clear demographic divide. Mamdani dominates among voters under 50 years old, with a two-to-one advantage over Cuomo, and also leads among white voters (61% to 39%) and Asian voters (79% to 21%). Meanwhile, Cuomo retains solid support among voters over 50 years old, as well as among African Americans (62% to 38%) and Hispanics (60% to 40%).

Another important axis of contrast is education: Mamdani leads among progressive voters with a college education (62% to 38%), while Cuomo has an advantage among those without a college degree (61% to 39%). By gender, Mamdani is preferred by men (56% to 44%), while women lean slightly toward Cuomo (52% to 48%).

One of the key factors in Mamdani's rise is the support of the city's comptroller, Brad Lander, who has indicated Mamdani as his preferred option if he himself doesn't win. When Lander is eliminated in the seventh round of counting (after obtaining 20% of the votes), the majority of his voters transfer their support to Mamdani, allowing him to take the lead over Cuomo.

The support of the progressive Working Families Party has also contributed, which has urged voters not to include Cuomo in their preference lists.