NEW YORK: Zohran Mamdani may not solve all of the beleaguered US Democrats&#39; problems, but the surprise frontrunner in the race for New York mayor does offer hints on how to win back voters and power. The Democrats -- shut out of power in the White House and both chambers of Congress -- are seen negatively by 63% of US voters, according to a July poll in the Wall Street Journal, the party&#39;s lowest approval rating in 30 years. John Kane, a professor of political science at New York University, said the party needs to reconnect with its traditional base, including lower-income Americans and young voters. Freeze on rent hikes&nbsp;Mamdani, a 34-year-old self-described democratic socialist, has developed a plan to lure working-class people and young adults, for whom famously expensive New York is becoming harder and harder to call home. His platform&#39;s highlights include a freeze on rent hikes, free bus service, and day care. Mamdani&#39;s opposition to President Donald Trump has a strong symbolic appeal for a Democratic base &quot;which feels almost entirely powerless in the present moment,&quot; Kane told AFP. Scandal-tainted Cuomo&nbsp;He has a more than 10-point lead over his main rival in the Nov. 4 election for mayor, former New York governor Andrew Cuomo, a scandal-tainted veteran Democrat who is running as an independent this time. &quot;Mamdani is evidence that the American left still has some juice in it in 2025,&quot; said Daniel Schlozman, a political science professor at Johns Hopkins University. But New York -- America&#39;s biggest city and an ethnically diverse, historically Democratic one -- does not reflect the United States as a whole, Schlozman said. And while enthusiasm over Mamdani is one thing, his success is &quot;a very different matter from Democrats at large winning the elections they need to win to take control of the House next year, maybe the Senate, and the presidency in 2028,&quot; he added. National electorate&nbsp;Schlozman said Mamdani is a compelling leader who understands that affordability issues in New York are critical, but cautioned that the national electorate is probably not ready for his policies. Democrats would need to address affordability in a very different way from him to satisfy voters even in other Democratic-leaning states, much less swing states that can go either way, he continued. Kane also said that outside large cities, where people are used to seeing all kinds of nationalities and heritages, Mamdani&#39;s origin and religion and his past statements calling the police &quot;racist&quot; might fail to win over some voters. The candidate was born in Uganda to a Muslim family of Indian origin and became a US citizen in 2018. <h2 style="line-height: 2;">&#39;Right message, wrong messenger&#39;&nbsp;</h2>Then there is also the risk of Republicans seizing on Mamdani to ridicule Democratic policies, just as Trump has dismissed him as a &quot;little communist&quot; who is too willing to spend taxpayer money. Many in the party &quot;might regard Mamdani as a case of right message, wrong messenger,&quot; said Kane in reference to Mamdani&#39;s policies. Most moderates in the Democratic Party, such as Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, who is from New York, have so far abstained from endorsing Mamdani. &quot;Some moderate Democrats may shy away from Mamdani based on policy stances, while others shy away simply because they don&#39;t view him as an electable candidate at the national level,&quot; said Kane. Cannot run for presidentIndeed, political experts say that New York differs enough from the rest of the US that it is not necessarily the best place for a Democrat to launch a national campaign. In any case, Mamdani could only go so high in US politics -- since he was not born in the United States, he cannot run for president.

Americas

Mamdani has developed a plan to lure the working class; he espouses a rent freeze, free bus service, and day care. Could he one day run for president?

Is New York's Zohran Mamdani the future of US Democrats?

<span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style='font-family: "AP Font", "AP Font Local", Verdana, sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial; float: none; display: inline !important;' id="isPasted">NEW YORK:&nbsp;The stage is set Thursday for the first debate of the New York City mayoral election, with Andrew Cuomo and Republican Curtis Sliwa looking to halt the momentum of Democratic candidate Zohran Mamdani, who already defeated the once-powerful New York governor in the primary this summer. <span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">For Cuomo, who&#39;s now running as an independent, the stakes are high. The debate is one of his last chances to sway voters to his side and convince them that going with Mamdani would be a mistake. <span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The race is also Cuomo&rsquo;s attempt at a political comeback after he resigned as governor four years ago following a barrage of sexual harassment allegations. He denies wrongdoing but has been trailed by heavy criticism over the scandal, along with other damaging baggage he picked up during his tenure as governor. <span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Mamdani, a 33-year-old democratic socialist, is in a more comfortable position, though he will need to fend off two hours of sharp jabs from Cuomo while maintaining the hopeful, charming vibe that has characterized his campaign.<img data-fr-image-pasted="true" src="https://paktv-assets-7d41fab8.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/uploads/2b228499-f627-4aac-ba37-0a033f3d4c05-AP25288704706240.jpg" alt="New York City Democratic mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani speaks during an interview on " style="box-sizing: border-box; border-style: none; max-width: 100%; height: auto; cursor: pointer; padding: 0px 1px; color: rgb(65, 65, 65); font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: center; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;" id="isPasted" class="fr-fic fr-dib fr-fil"><figcaption style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 14px; color: rgb(75, 85, 99); font-style: italic; margin-top: 0.25rem; display: block; text-align: left; font-family: sans-serif; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial; line-height: 2;">New York City Democratic mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani speaks during an interview on &quot;The Story with Martha MacCallum&quot; at Fox News on Wednesday, Oct. 15, 2025, in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)</figcaption> <span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Meanwhile, Sliwa, the colorful creator of the Guardian Angels crime patrol group, hopes to land a major upset in the deeply blue city. Sliwa received almost 30% of the vote when he last ran as the GOP candidate four years ago. This time around he&#39;s hoping Mamdani and Cuomo split the Democratic vote while he secures Republicans and centrists to come out on top. <figure id="isPasted"><img src="https://paktv-assets-7d41fab8.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/uploads/54857c18-d4cb-44b6-8118-fabf3510e1ad-AP25288801959872.jpg" alt="FILE - New York City Republican mayoral candidate Curtis Sliwa speaks during a New York Young Republicans Club vigil for Charlie Kirk at Madison Square Park on Friday, Sept. 12, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Kena Betancur,File)" class="fr-fic fr-dii"><figcaption style="text-align: center; line-height: 2;">FILE - New York City Republican mayoral candidate Curtis Sliwa speaks during a New York Young Republicans Club vigil for Charlie Kirk at Madison Square Park on Friday, Sept. 12, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Kena Betancur,File)</figcaption></figure> <span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The race has catapulted Mamdani to national political stardom, with Republicans, including President Donald Trump, trying to turn him into the face of the Democratic Party by highlighting his most controversial past comments and positions and casting him as dangerous, a communist, and an antisemite. <span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Trump has threatened to arrest Mamdani, to deport him and even to take over the city if he wins. Mamdani is a naturalized U.S. citizen. <span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Mamdani has tried to distance himself from some of his past statements, including calling the New York Police Department &ldquo;a major threat to public safety,&rdquo; and his refusal, during the Democratic primary, to disavow use of the phrase &ldquo;globalize the intifada,&rdquo; which is seen as a call to violence for many Jews. <span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Mamdani&#39;s brand of economic populism &mdash; a laser focus on lowering the city&#39;s astronomical cost of living through the idea that government should do more to help the lower and middle classes instead of the wealthy &mdash; has generated buzz and excitement.<span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">At the same time, the state assemblyman&#39;s calls to raise taxes on the wealthy and intense criticisms of the Israeli government&#39;s military actions in Gaza have unnerved some centrists and conservatives. That&#39;s where Cuomo&#39;s rebooted campaign sees its path to victory. <span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The former governor has painted Mamdani as a potentially dangerous leader who would lead the city into financial and social ruin, while casting himself as a competent manager who can handle the city&#39;s expansive bureaucracy and finances. <span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Incumbent Mayor Eric Adams, a Democrat, suspended his reelection campaign late last month, after being deeply wounded by a now-dismissed federal corruption case and his relationship with the Trump administration. <span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A poll of New York City likely voters conducted by Quinnipiac University in early October, after Adams ended his bid for a second term, found that Mamdani continued to hold a lead over Cuomo. The poll suggested that Cuomo may have benefited somewhat from Adams&rsquo; departure, but the current mayor&rsquo;s exit did not appear to have a meaningful impact on the state of the race. <span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Adams was not included in the poll but remains on the November ballot because he didn&#39;t withdraw his candidacy before a balloting deadline. <span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The candidates are scheduled to meet for a second and final debate next week.<figure class="fr-media" style="line-height: 2;"> </figure>

          FILE - Mayoral candidate Andrew Cuomo speaks to supporters during a Democratic primary watch party, June 24, 2025, in New York. 

The stage is set Thursday for the first debate of the New York City mayoral election, with Andrew Cuomo and Republican Curtis Sliwa looking to halt the momentum of Democratic candidate Zohran Mamdani, who already defeated the once-powerful New York governor in the primary this summer.

Articles tagged with "Andrew Cuomo"

Is New York's Zohran Mamdani the future of US Democrats?

Cuomo, Sliwa aim to blunt Mamdani's momentum in first NYC mayoral debate