The Mamdani Earthquake
Good morning. It's Thursday. Today we'll analyze Zohran Mamdani's upset in the Democratic primary and whether his progressive message will resonate beyond New York.
The results are not official. Not yet. Under the city's ranked-choice voting system, the Board of Elections still has to do elimination-round tabulations. But Zohran Mamdani's all-but-certain upset reshaped the political landscape locally and perhaps nationally.
How did he do it? Mamdani, a democratic socialist, ran up large vote tallies in gentrifying neighborhoods. But he also did well in brownstone-lined blocks of Brooklyn, on diverse blocks in Upper Manhattan and in neighborhoods with substantial South Asian populations in Queens. His apparent defeat of former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who had led in many polls since he entered the race in March, showed why it's hard to poll before a primary.
The aftermath? Cuomo told The New York Times shortly after his concession speech that he was still considering whether to run in November as an independent. He told WCBS-TV on Wednesday that before making a decision, he would take a hard look and see 'what President Trump is going to do. Who knows how he would choose to get involved.'
'It's a national election, not just a New York City election,' the Democratic strategist James Carville said.
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