Saturday, 26 Jul 2025
  • About us
  • Contact
  • History
  • My Interests
  • Privacy Policy
Nexpressdaily.com
  • Home
  • Politics
  • Finance
  • Health
  • Technology
  • Travel
  • World
  • 🔥
  • Technology
  • World
  • Finance
  • Politics
  • Travel
  • Health
Font ResizerAa
Nexpressdaily.comNexpressdaily.com
  • My Saves
  • My Interests
  • My Feed
  • History
  • Travel
  • Finance
  • Politics
  • Health
  • Technology
  • World
Search
  • Pages
    • Home
    • Blog Index
    • Contact Us
    • Search Page
    • 404 Page
  • Personalized
    • My Feed
    • My Saves
    • My Interests
    • History
  • Categories
    • Finance
    • Politics
    • Technology
    • Travel
    • Health
    • World
Have an existing account? Sign In
Follow US
© 2022 Foxiz News Network. Ruby Design Company. All Rights Reserved.
Politics

Zohran Mamdani Is Surging at Just the Right Time

Nexpressdaily
Last updated: June 7, 2025 5:18 pm
Nexpressdaily
Share
SHARE

By running a campaign in the La Guardia tradition, the insurgent New York mayoral candidate is closing the gap with Andrew Cuomo—and winning support from AOC.

Ad Policy

Zohran Mamdani arrives at the NBC studios to participate in a Democratic mayoral primary debate, Wednesday, June 4, 2025, in New York.

(Yuki Iwamura / Pool via AP)

Headlines from Wednesday night’s crowded and often chaotic New York City Democratic mayoral debate focused on the fire that eight other contenders directed toward the front-runner in the contest, former New York governor Andrew Cuomo. But the notable substory of the debate was the time and energy that Cuomo put into attacking the candidate who has emerged as his closest rival in the race, State Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani.

Cuomo seemed scared, as he tried to suggest, again and again, that his democratic socialist challenger is little more than a social-media phenom who’s “very good on Twitter.” But Mamdani is much more than that. He proved to be an agile debater, who frequently cornered Cuomo with knowing jabs that confirmed the legislator’s assertion that the former governor is “allergic to any accountability or acknowledgement of any mistake.”

Cuomo should be scared. Mamdani’s a serious contender who is surging in the polls and seems to be peaking at just the right time—with a fresh endorsement from the most influential progressive in New York, US Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and a campaign that keeps hitting the mark while others frequently miss it.

Even before AOC’s endorsement—which made so much headline news that it quickly eclipsed the debate—Mamdani was getting the sort of poll numbers that suggest that, in the words of a Newsweek analysis of recent survey data, he “may be catching up with his opponent.” The odds still favor Cuomo, with his name recognition, money, and connections. But a late-May Emerson College Polling/PIX11/The Hill poll determined that when New York’s ranked-choice voting system plays out—as second-place, third-place, and lower rankings from voters are reassigned to leading candidates—found that Cuomo wound up with a relatively narrow 54–46 advantage over Mamdani. Emerson College Polling executive director Spencer Kimball speaks about “Mamdani’s surge—gaining 23 points and winning second-choice votes almost two-to-one,” which is a very big deal in a ranked-choice election.

Current Issue


Cover of June 2025 Issue

But the bigger deal is the evidence that suggests Mamdani could keep surging. The AOC endorsement certainly fed the speculation; she came in strong for Mamdani, identifying him as her top choice in a field that includes a number of contenders she has worked with over the years.

“She is…someone who’s shown that it’s possible to not only take on career politicians, billionaires, and Donald Trump, but also to win,” said a clearly delighted Mamdani on Thursday morning. “To have her endorsement with just a few weeks to go; it’s the perfect time, in fact, to receive that.”

True enough. But it wasn’t just the fact that AOC endorsed Mamdani that mattered. It was the way she gave her support to a candidate who must take full advantage of the ranked-choice voting system to upend Cuomo.

“Assemblymember Mamdani has demonstrated a real ability on the ground to put together a coalition of working-class New Yorkers that is strongest to lead the pack,” Ocasio-Cortez explained to The New York Times. “In the final stretch of the race, we need to get very real about that.” In an endorsement announced just days before early voting for the June 24 primary begins, AOC ranked Mamdani first, while suggesting that voters rank City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams second, city Comptroller Brad Lander third, former comptroller Scott Stringer fourth, and Brooklyn state Senator Zellnor Myrie fifth.

While the other candidates were mentioned, the media and momentum boost went to Mamdani, who has campaigned “as a progressive Muslim immigrant who actually fights for the things that I believe in.” What he believes in is a bold affordability agenda that proposes to freeze rents, make city buses free, and tax the rich to the tune of $10 billion. “Zohran doesn’t just speak truth to power—he organizes to build it from the ground up,” said Ocasio-Cortez. “His campaign isn’t just about policies, it’s about a vision for a city where every New Yorker, no matter their zip code, can thrive.”

That focus on the character and style of the Mamdani campaign is smart.

Mamdani is closing in on Cuomo with a campaign that proudly tells his own story, as a multilingual immigrant to a city of immigrants. He’s taken attacks for this, with Republican City Council member Vickie Paladino even calling for Mamdani, a US citizen who was born in Uganda, to be deported. Critics have also highlighted the fact that he’s recording online ads—including a lively new one in Hindi—and distributing literature in some of the countless languages spoken by the city’s rich tapestry of ethnic communities.

Mamdani says right-wing attacks on his candidacy are part of what “Trump and his sycophants have wrought” in politics these days, which is certainly true. But what Mamdani’s critics fail to recognize is the fact that New York City has a great history of candidates with immigrant backgrounds mounting multilingual campaigns.


Ad Policy

The city’s greatest mayor, Fiorello La Guardia, was born in New York two years after his parents, who themselves were born in Foggia, Italy. and Trieste, in what was then the Austro-Hungarian Empire, had immigrated to the United States. But La Guardia spent a substantial portion of his youth in Italy and other parts of Europe. When he eventually returned to New York City and entered politics, La Guardia campaigned in multiple languages, including Italian, German, Serbo-Croatian and Yiddish—so skillfully that, in 1922, as the The New York Times recalled, “La Guardia was re-elected to Congress from East Harlem after he rebutted charges of anti-Semitism by challenging a rival to debate in Yiddish. La Guardia, a son of Jewish and Italian parents, was fluent in Yiddish. His Jewish rival was not.”

Popular

“swipe left below to view more authors”Swipe →

La Guardia was also a radical reformer who championed unions and working-class New Yorkers and boldly challenged economic and political elites, party machines, and business-as-usual politics. A left-wing Republican in the days when Wisconsin Senator Robert M. La Follette and others preached progressivism within the “party of Lincoln,” La Guardia once won reelection to Congress on the Socialist Party ticket and frequently aligned with leftist political projects such as the old American Labor Party.

La Guardia took plenty of heat for those choices in his time, just as Mamdani does today. More than a few of La Guardia’s races were uphill climbs. Yet he was elected mayor of New York City in 1933, beating an incumbent Democrat at the height of the Great Depression. In his 1937 reelection bid, he again defeated the Democratic machine. And he did so once more in 1941.

This is another time. And, while Mamdani’s surge is real, it does not guarantee that his candidacy will prevail on June 24. There are still many chapters to be written in the story of the 2025 New York City mayoral race. Cuomo will not go down easily, and other candidates could gain traction. But don’t let anyone tell you that it is impossible for a progressive insurgent with a flair for communicating and a multilingual campaign to prevail. As Fiorello La Guardia’s story reminds us, it has happened before.

John Nichols



John Nichols is a national affairs correspondent for The Nation. He has written, cowritten, or edited over a dozen books on topics ranging from histories of American socialism and the Democratic Party to analyses of US and global media systems. His latest, cowritten with Senator Bernie Sanders, is the New York Times bestseller It’s OK to Be Angry About Capitalism.

More from The Nation


Fine Dining Experiences

State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller speaks on the Iranian missile attacks on Israel at the State Department on October 1, 2024, in Washington, DC. Iran launched hundreds of ballistic missiles at Israel in retaliation for their attacks on Hezbollah leadership last week.

Elite impunity shouldn’t protect those who covered up war crimes.

Jeet Heer


Representative Ritchie Torres is interrupted by pro-Palestinian protesters at WelcomeFest on June 4. 2025.

Watching hundreds of nerds get together to bash the left and gush about “abundance” was as off-putting as it sounds.

Aída Chávez


Elon Musk and Donald Trump in the Oval Office on Friday, May 30, 2025.

Quite frankly, I’m rooting for each of them to destroy the other.

Sasha Abramsky


Representatives Greg Casar and Nikki Budzinski at the Center for American Progress on June 4, 2025.

A sparsely attended forum about the working class held at a $40 million think tank—yep, sounds about right.

Chris Lehmann


Contents
PopularMore from The Nation
Share This Article
Email Copy Link Print
Previous Article Vance says he hopes Musk returns to fold after public feud with Trump
Next Article 101 dogs rescued from apparent puppy mill in North Carolina | North Carolina

Your Trusted Source for Accurate and Timely Updates!

Our commitment to accuracy, impartiality, and delivering breaking news as it happens has earned us the trust of a vast audience. Stay ahead with real-time updates on the latest events, trends.
FacebookLike
XFollow
InstagramFollow
LinkedInFollow
MediumFollow
QuoraFollow
- Advertisement -
Ad imageAd image

Popular Posts

Best PDF editors 2025: Premium, budget, and free options

PDF files are ubiquitous in this cross-platform world, making it possible to view and share…

By Nexpressdaily

Which Cryptocurrency Is More Likely to Be a Millionaire Maker? Dogecoin vs. XRP

Sprinting races and marathons both cover distance, but using the strategy that works in one…

By Nexpressdaily

The L.A. Times guide to the best motels in California

The motel, a word born in California, turns 100 this year. And for road trip…

By Nexpressdaily

You Might Also Like

Politics

A New Trump Plan Gives DHS and the White House Greater Influence in the Fight Against Organized Crime — ProPublica

By Nexpressdaily
Politics

National Guard troops arrive in Los Angeles to quell protests on orders from Trump

By Nexpressdaily
Politics

Boulder attack suspect lives in US illegally, White House says

By Nexpressdaily
Politics

Hunter Biden refutes Jake Tapper’s chief of staff claim

By Nexpressdaily
Nexpressdaily.com
Facebook Twitter Youtube Rss Medium

About US

NexpressDaily.com is a leading digital news platform committed to delivering timely, accurate, and unbiased news from around the world. From politics and business to technology, sports, health, and entertainment – we cover the stories that matter most. Stay connected with real-time updates, expert insights, and trusted journalism, all in one place.

Top Categories
  • World
  • Finance
  • Politics
  • Tech
  • Health
  • Travel
Usefull Links
  • About us
  • Contact
  • History
  • My Interests
  • Privacy Policy

© Nexpressdaily. All Rights Reserved.

Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Username or Email Address
Password

Lost your password?