Celebrating Zohran Mamdani’s Victory

We are celebrating the electoral victory of Zohran Mamdani for Mayor of New York City. There are so many significant aspects to this triumph, both in what he and his coalition accomplished, and in what they overcame. Zohran Mamdani will become the first Muslim mayor of America’s largest city. He joins Sadiq Khan, the Muslim mayor of London, in Muslim politicians holding highly visible, powerful positions. This is a major breakthrough for the American Muslim community. It showcases the growing power and influence of American Muslims in political life, and their demand to have a seat at the table. Importantly, in a remarkable speech about his Muslim identity, Mamdani proudly affirmed himself as a Muslim and vowed to live into who he is, how he eats, what he believes, throughout the campaign, and to do so unapologetically. This approach won him many admirers. New York voters who have endured their own ethnic and religious smears, felt an instant connection with this young Muslim New Yorker standing up for himself. They loved his proud clapback at the ugly bigotry and Islamophobic slurs thrown at him by the Cuomo and Adams campaigns. It gave proudly diverse New York a way to say a resounding “NO!!” to racist fearmongering in political campaigns. It gave them a way to stand in solidarity with Zohran personally, not just on the basis of his political platform and policy proposals.

The Mamdani victory also showcased effective ways of dealing with the antisemitism charge so familiar to those who stand up for Palestinian rights and speak out against Israeli apartheid and genocide. Mamdani was repeatedly asked if he supported Israel’s right to exist. We know this is a logical fallacy. States do not have rights, human beings have rights. Nevertheless, it persists. It’s a rhetorical trap. If you say Israel does not have the right to exist, then you are, they say, approving the deaths of Jews. Yet if you accept Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish state, you are allowing for the dispossession and death of Palestinians. You are selling out the Palestinians. Zohran’s brilliant way of handling this rhetorical trap was to say, “I support Israel’s right to exist - as a state with equal rights for all.” That last qualifying phrase, “with equal rights for all” deftly eviscerates the Jewish supremacy that is the beating heart of the Zionist settler-colonial project in Palestine. Mamdani elaborated that he does not support any form of ethnic, religious, or political supremacy or violation of human rights. This puts Zionists on their back foot. Mamdani was also on the receiving end of powerful personal testimonies of prominent New York Jews who praised Mamdani’s authenticity, his direct engagement with Jewish communities, visiting synagogues, listening, learning about Judaism and Jewish life. He shared Shabbat services, and worked intentionally to reassure New York Jews that he would be a mayor for all New Yorkers, and that he cared deeply about their safety and would have their back. Prominent Jewish commentator and Jewish Currents columnist Peter Beinart came out strongly for Zohran. Jewish NYC Comptroller Brad Lander endorsed Mamdani and campaigned for him. A prominent elderly Jewish activist who was arrested with Mamdani at a human rights protest and went to jail with him years ago said, “I’m a bubbe (Yiddish word for grandmother), and I love Zohran Mamdani. Let me tell you, he’s a mensch!” Zohran Mamdani walked the walk and he talked the talk. As one veteran reporter put it, “They tried to smear him as an antisemite, and voters saw right through it.”

The billionaire class were dead-set against a Mamdani mayoral victory and pulled out all the stops to defeat him. They ignored him, smeared him, demonized him, spent millions on attack ads and dredged up racist fearmongering. Mamdani and his coalition defied it. It showed that a progressive agenda built on small people-powered donations and that championed the working class and addressed the affordability crisis was the approach that resonated with the majority of New Yorkers. He also showed that standing up courageously for Palestinian rights, and being forthright in opposing Israel’s genocidal slaughter of innocents in Gaza, was part of a winning message. Voters wanted moral clarity and moral courage. Mamdani’s victory showed these are the personal and political virtues a growing majority of voters are looking for in the candidates that seek their support. Billionaires are wildly unpopular. The days when progressive candidates self-censor their best ideas in order to pander to billionaire donors and their paid political consultants may be ending. Big money politics has cerntainly lost the aura of inevitability. Mamdani was right when he said in his victory speech that their coalition had “toppled a political dynasty” and given power back into the hands of the people. Thanks, Zohran, for the inspiration!!! Proud to stand with you. Excited to watch you lead!