Zimbabwe News Update
bbc
6 min read
It’s official: The biggest city in the US will have its first Muslim and first South Asian mayor.Since democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani first entered the New York City’s mayoral race, the 34-year-old state assemblyman from Queens has had a meteoric rise from near-total obscurity into the national spotlight.His bold, left-wing platform has energised progressives, shaken up the Democratic party, and drawn harsh criticism from President Donald Trump and Republicans.”Today we have spoken in a clear voice: Hope is alive,” Mamdani told supporters in his victory speech on Tuesday night.Unlike his more established opponents, Mamdani’s new perspective, youth and new left-wing platform excited and ultimately won over voters eager for a fresher politician.”Let City Hall, with our compassion, our conviction and our clarity, be the light that our city and our nation so desperately need,” Mamdani said this week.
Part of what made Mamdani so successful was that younger voters saw how authentic he was on social media, says Jane Hall, communications professor at American University.”You don’t have to be young to be able to do it, but I think you have to be seen as being authentic and speaking to what people care about in a way that is hip and makes people want to be on the bandwagon,” Hall said.His critics have argued that Mamdani does not have enough experience to effectively lead the largest US city.Trump has tried to paint him as radical, repeatedly calling him a communist, though Mamdani has frequently denied this.
The president also has threatened to withhold federal funds from a Mamdani administration.On Tuesday night, as he declared victory, Mamdani addressed the president directly:”Donald Trump, since I know you’re watching, I have four words for you: Turn the volume up. To get to any of us, you will have to get through all of us.”Trump promptly posted on social media: “…AND SO IT BEGINS!”Andres Bernal, former policy advisor to New York Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, says Democrats can learn from Mamdani’s ability to connect with people and his authenticity.”Today’s Republicans shape public discourse and they try to shape political consciousness in this country,” Bernal argued.
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