Elections occurred all over the United States on November 4th, 2025. Many advances for the Democratic Party took place, including Abigail Spanberger’s win for the seat for Virginia governor and the approval of a new congressional map in California (Proposition 50). However, one of the most riveting wins of the night was that of Zohran Mamdani.
Mamdani is the mayor-elect of New York, a title he recently gained after winning the mayoral race on November 4th. He stood out for his status as an immigrant, his young age of 34 years old, his faith as a Muslim and his left-wing policies. Among his stand-out factors were his social media videos, which he used to garner support. Many of these videos rapidly spread across platforms and worked as a tool to inform a varied audience about his candidacy.
“Possibly because he was young, or at least employed a lot of young people, he used the internet very effectively,” Alexandre Bizot (12) said. “Not only was his message something that people cared about and wanted to listen to, but he just used social media effectively.”
Zohran Mamdani distinguished himself through of his unique campaign tactics. They included street interviews, going to places of worship, campaigning at night to be accessible to night shift workers and even going to clubs at the end of his campaign in attempts to reach the widest possible audience.
“I think [the campaign] spread so far because [Zohran Mamdani] was refusing to sell anybody out or exclude anyone and he was constantly focusing on the fact that change is possible and a better future can be made,” Lola Parker (12) said.
Along with the hallmarks of Times Square and Central Park, New York is also notorious for its remarkably high cost, especially for lower-income locals.
“I think it’s sad how people are told that [the] lack of public services or how expensive it is just to be alive in this country is normal,” Parker said. “I think people should be told that they should have access to groceries [and] they shouldn’t have to work forever just to afford to live.”
One policy Mamdani intends to enact to mitigate the cost problem is making five of the city’s bus lines free. Despite this proposed policy inciting controversy, some see it as a positive as it will make the city more accessible for residents.
“I think anything that can make people’s lives — getting to their jobs, getting to their children — easier; making that free is always going to be good, especially with the fact that he’s tested it before and it’s shown good results,” Parker said.
However, considering crime rates and reports of violence on subways and other forms of public transportation in New York, the free buses are up for debate. Risks like these cause worry for some regarding opening up buses to everyone.
“I think it could be a good idea so long as they’re also safe,” Bizot said. “If there are going to be any instances of violence, I think people are going to put even more emphasis on them than usual because obviously if the buses are free, they’re going to be easier to get onto. And so some people say that could encourage anybody to just walk onto a bus.”
In addition to backlash about policies such making buses free and raising taxes on the rich, Mamdani has faced objections of another strand. Much of the criticism towards the mayor-elect has been based on his identity.
“I’ve heard a lot of criticisms that are funded by [and] benefit people in power,” Parker said. “[For example], ‘It’d be bad for landlords,’ when landlords are what’s hurting the city. I would say the majority of criticism I’ve seen about him is just racist remarks about him being a Muslim mayor and an immigrant.”
Atop comments about his identity are worries about his policies themselves, and even those in support of Mamdani wonder whether he will live up to his promises. Because his policies are very different from others including those on the left, people are concerned about whether he will be able to keep them up.
“I hope he doesn’t end up like Trump where he goes back on what he says, he goes back and he can’t actually fulfill anything, [where] he just ends up with a bunch of money and ends up very corrupt,” Bizot said. “And I think that would set back a lot of those policies for a while.”
However, it is uncertain how well he will fare as a leader of the city. He has yet to be sworn in and will not be declared the official mayor of New York until January. As of now, he has been a positive inspiration for some.
“He proves that optimism is one of the most radical things you can have,” Parker said. “[The] belief that people deserve a better future for themselves and their children. And I think that that message spreading is the most powerful piece of his campaign.”