Zohran Mamdani, Trump's 'worst nightmare' may really be a gift to him

The young socialist could exemplify the sort of leader the Democrats need. He also offers Republicans an easy target.

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Four days before New York City's Democratic mayoral primary, Zohran Mamdani, a 33-year-old Democratic socialist assemblyman who represents part of Queens, walked the length of Manhattan, 21km from Inwood Hill Park to the Staten Island Ferry terminal. "New Yorkers deserve a mayor that they can see, they can hear, they can even yell at," he said.

It was reminiscent of Ed Koch, a charismatic mayor in the 1970s and 1980s. Mr Koch would often ask his constituents: "How'm I doin'?" He was greeted by cheers or jeers, depending on the year and the neighbourhood. By that standard, Mr Mamdani, who beat the Democratic establishment to win the primary on June 24, already looks mayoral.

Just a few months ago, few people outside the district he represents in the state legislature had heard of him. He polled less than 1 per cent when he entered the race in October. Yet he defeated Andrew Cuomo, New York's former governor, who was once one of the biggest names in American politics. Mr Mamdani's unexpected victory delighted progressives and, for different reasons, Republicans.

It is in part a rejection of Mr Cuomo, who resigned because of allegations of sexual harassment and of undercounting the number of New Yorkers who died in care homes during the Covid-19 pandemic (he denies wrongdoing). But it also represents something bigger: It is a rejection of Democratic centrism and politics as usual. Democratic-primary voters tend to be more left-wing than the party's average voter. They were not impressed by the endorsement that Mr Cuomo received from Bill Clinton, a former president, and turned off by one from Bill Ackman, a billionaire hedge fund manager.