By Mohammed Nurhussein
Photos: YouTube Screenshots
Zohran Mamdani, an African immigrant of Indian parentage from Uganda, a Muslim and a self-declared socialist just won the New York City mayoral race by an absolute plurality, garnering over a million votes, the first time this has occurred since 1969.
It is President Trump’s worst nightmare. Mamdani’s campaign platform of an affordable New York with free childcare, free and fast bus service, and a rent freeze resonated very well with the city of immigrants. Finally, here was a candidate who felt the average New Yorker’s pain.
President Trump, who is trapped in the 1950s America mindset tried to resurrect the Cold War era boogeyman of communism, trying to define Mamdani, sometimes as a socialist, at times as a communist, to scare the electorate. Former governor Andrew Cuomo and outgoing New York City mayor Eric Adams were using Islamophobic tropes and dog whistles. They tried to label Mamdani as antisemitic, for speaking against the genocide in Gaza.
Their problem is that Mamdani, rather than avoiding or running away from all these scurrilous and irresponsible lines of attack, addressed them head on in his usual articulate manner. He proudly declared his Muslim faith and made a passionate speech at an African mosque in the Bronx refusing to “live in the shadows no more”. It was one of his many shining moments, his JFK moment, if you will, when the young John Kennedy’s Catholic faith became an election issue and he addressed it once and for all to put the matter to rest.
Mamdani’s political opponents and detractors in the media said he was not realistic in his plans for New Yorkers, that he was naïve, that he had no experience, and that he would soon realize his promises are unfulfillable. What he has and they don’t have is a bold vision, fresh ideas and moral clarity and the electorate appreciated that.
Nelson Mandela captured the spirit of perseverance when he once said, “It always seems impossible until it is done.” His words remind us that transformative change in government often begins with bold ideas that many dismiss as unattainable. For example, New York City’s universal pre-K program under former mayor Bill De Blasio expanded early education opportunities for thousands of families, proving that a people-centered budget can lead to tangible improvements in everyday lives.
Instead of directing resources toward yet another tax cut for billionaires, a government that rearranges its priorities to focus on programs like these crafts a budget that truly reflects the needs of its people. Such policies demonstrate that, with the right vision and commitment, what once seemed impossible can become a reality for communities w the nation.
Tuesday’s election outside New York were no less historic.
Virginia, once home to the confederacy has become among the bluest of the blue states by electing democrats to the top state offices. The state voters elected a woman which is a first who defeated an incumbent Republican Lt. Governor, a MAGA Black woman, believe it or not. In another first a Muslim immigrant woman of Indian origin was elected Lt. Governor. They also elected an African American state attorney general beating a while incumbent.
New Jersey also elected two women at the top of the ticket.
My reading of the takeaway form these results are:
- The winner in New York City, the financial hub of Corporate America, has demonstrated that socialism is no longer stigmatized, and that young, articulate, and passionate democratic socialists are achieving victories across the country. If the Democratic Party wishes to stay relevant in the future, it needs to move away from stagnant, sclerotic establishment leadership and embrace democratic socialism as its guiding force.
- The loss of MAGA candidates represents a clear repudiation of the movement’s neofascist message of hate and xenophobia, and the demonization of people because of their ethnicity, religion, or skin color. In the New York City mayoral election, voters overwhelmingly supported Mamdani, a candidate who openly championed diversity, equity, and inclusion, and spoke proudly about his immigrant and Muslim background. Similarly, in Virginia, the election of a Muslim immigrant woman of Indian origin as Lieutenant Governor and an African American as State Attorney General sends a powerful message that voters value and celebrate DEI. Through these choices, Americans are telling the president and the nation that they value diversity, equity, and inclusion, and are rejecting the divisive rhetoric of MAGA candidates.
Mohammed A. Nurhussein MD–
