Mamdani's safety platform beats “tough-on- crime” and builds a big tent

In the aftermath of the New York City Democratic primary, much has been written about Zohran Mamdani's remarkable win across a diverse group of voters — including some Trump voters and many who stayed home in previous elections.

- By ALANA SIVIN

Yes, Mamdani won with a relentless focus on Affordability, but he also did it by taking on crime and public safety, an issue long seen as a liability for Democrats.

More than one in three New York City Democratic primary voters ranked crime and public safety as a top priority in this election. Conventional political wisdom tells candidates they need to go “tough on crime” to win. Andrew Cuomo campaigned on a narrative of a city in crisis and his signature proposal was to hire 5,000 more police officers. His aligned Fix the City super PAC spent millions on crime ads, including $5.2 million calling Mamdani the “defund” candidate. But Cuomo's “tough-on-crime” gambit failed. He lost by 12 points, while Mamdani used the very issue his opponents weaponized against him to build momentum and trust in the political spectrum. Rather than ignoring the attacks or insisting on his own toughness, Mamdani's approach to safety built the “big tent” Democrats have been grasping for.