What political parties can learn from Zohran Mamdani's campaign for NYC mayor

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Zohran Mamdani doesn't fit the typical stereotype most Americans have of Asian Americans.

Mamdani is on the verge of making history when he was declared the Democratic nominee for New York City's mayor Tuesday in a major upset of Democratic powerhouse, former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo in the primary. If he wins in November, he'll become the first mayor of Asian American -- Indian American to be exact -- and Muslim descent for the country's largest city.

"I'm overwhelmed. There's a lot of joy. There's a lot of representation in the possibility of the first Muslim immigrant South Asian mayor," said Mohamed Q. Amin, a long time community organizer. "We saw ourselves reflected in his campaign."

The campaign for is noteworthy because the Asian American vote, although only 4% of the electorate, proved to be an important factor.

While it was expected that Mamdani would do well among South Asians, what was surprising that he was able to extend his progressive message to the different Asian communities. He recognized the diversity iamong Asian Americans and tailored his multi-lingual campaign to each one.

Mamdani benefited from the endorsement from State Senator John Liu, considered one of the pioneers among New York's Asian American politicians.

"New York City's Asian community made a huge impact in a historic primary election. Asian communities in Queens, Brooklyn, and Manhattan turned out in droves to support Zohran Mamdani's refreshing vision for the future of New York City," Liu stated after Cuomo conceded on election night.

Liu said he was "exceedingly proud to note that the Asian American community, when inspired, mobilized, and empowered, can turn the tide in the most competitive races." 

In an interview on MSNBC after election day, Mamdani said his victory "is part of a larger referendum on where our party goes, and I think one of the hopes that we had from the very beginning of this campaign was to move our political instinct from lecturing to listening."

Who is Zohran Mamdani?

Even as a member of New York state's legislature, the 33-year old Mamdani isn't well known outside of his Queens/Brooklyn district. Meanwhile, Cuomo, his opponent was a former governor and a a member of the politically well-known -- and sometimes, controversial -- Cuomo clan, who had the support of the Democratic machine.

Aside from a brief foray in the musical world as a rapper known as Mr. Cardomon, the closest claim to fame for Mandani is that he is a son of noted filmmaker Mira Nair, who has directed films with Indian American themes and stars, including Monsoon Wedding, The Namesake and Mississippi Masala.

Mamdani won a seat in the  New York State Assembl in 2020 representing parts of Queens  and running as a progressive politician.

Born in Uganda and raised in New York City, according to his campaign website, he has fought for the working class in and outside the legislature: hunger striking alongside taxi drivers to achieve more than $450 million in transformative debt relief, winning over $100 million in the state budget for increased subway service and a successful fare-free bus pilot, and organizing New Yorkers to defeat a proposed dirty power plant. 

During his campaign he he vowed  to bring down the cost-of-living through city-owned grocery stores, universal childcare, and other bold proposals. He would achieve these goals by raising the tax of the top 1% of New Yorkers and corporations.

Recognizing Asian American diversity

Perhaps most noteworthy of Mamdani's campaign was the strong support he received from the Asian American communities. Unlike other politicians he didn't treat the different communities as a monolith. He celebrated Philippines Independence Day encouraging the crowd to celebrate their heritage, was able to capture the Chinatowns of Manhattan and Queens, win over Indo-Caribbeans and Bangladeshi neighborhoods and visited Sikh temples. 

Zohran Mamdani speaks to Filipino Americans

Liu's endorsement helped him win among East Asians, which were supposed to swing towards Cuomo, who ran heavily on a law and order theme, which appeals to Asians who feel victimimzed by the surge of anti-Asian hate.

Mamdani released ads in Hindi, Pakistani, Tibetan, Bangla and other Asian languages. His campaign's ground game connected to voters who in the past felt ignored. His army of volunteers knocked on doors and spoke to the residents in their own languages.

“I did see a lot of young voter turnout in my area. I’ve never seen that before. And the Muslim community really got together and voted for him,” said Councilmember Susan Zhuang. She noted that younger Chinese American voters turned out for the Indian American.

“There’s a new generation that wants their voice heard and that generation came out in full force, not just by voting, but by, like, getting all these other people to be emotionally invested in this candidate,” comedian Hari Kondabolu told ABC. “That’s extraordinary.”

Mamdani's campaign reached beyond NYC, exciting South Asians in other parts of the country. 

“I love that he didn’t run away from his heritage. I mean, he did video clips with Amitabh Bachchan and Hindi movies,” California Congressmember Roh Khanna told ABC.. “He shows that one can embrace their roots and their heritage and yet succeed in American politics.”

The much ballyhooed shift to the right by Asian American voters didn't seem to matter as Asian American voters put overall policies and personality over single issues like public safety or education equality.

"Zohran's come-from-behind victory was bolstered by a surge of Asian support who were encouraged by his ability to connect to people, not by talking at them, but by listening to them, and communicating new ideas about how to improve our city for everyone.," Senator Liu continued in his statement "He created a movement that vocalized the concerns of everyday New Yorkers into an exciting policy platform rooted in optimism that NYC has been missing for far too long." 

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