Premium
Lessons from Zohran Mamdani’s win for young aspirants
Democratic candidate for New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani waves to his supporters after winning the 2025 New York City Mayoral race, at an election night rally in the Brooklyn borough of New York City, New York, US, November 4, 2025.
The election of the 34-year-old Zohran Mamdani as Mayor of New York is not only a history-defining win; the victory should mean something to young people running for office.
One thing it means, is that you should not be discouraged any more by anybody who says that you are too young and that you stand no chance. Mamdani will be the youngest Mayor of New York in more than a century.
Billionaires poured millions of dollars into his competitors to try to stop Mamdani. But he never gave up. He didn’t allow lack of finances to stop him from marching forward in his campaigns.
As a Democratic nominee for mayor, Mamdani went door-knocking, walked and interacted with people in his campaign. All this was new. Mamdani’s style of politics is principled, pocketbook-focused and online — it was electrifying, and energised his own party that was in a lull.
Outdoor diners
As he said, he wants to be a mayor who breaks down barriers between politicians and the public. He challenged his own party to ensure it practiced a politics that is direct, a politics of no translation, politics that when you read the policy commitment, you understand it, as how it applies to your life. According to him, he wanted people to see themselves and their struggles in his campaign. And he connected easily with voters than almost any of his peers.
No doubt, looking at his campaign, it is not hard to say that Mamdani won because he was in touch with the streets. The Friday before the election, Mamdani made an hours-long trek down the spine of Manhattan, dapping up pedestrians and outdoor diners. On some occasions, Mamdani opted for the train en route to an event. Such trains are the city’s public forum, that’s why, he ended up being swarmed.
He assured voters that he would never hide from them and that their concerns would be his. He said he believed in, and was ready to offer visionary, accountable and responsive leadership that addressed the needs and concerns of the people.
Consider this: Mamdani started in single digits, introducing himself via viral videos and cross-borough walkabouts, from conservative precincts to immigrant neighbourhoods to mosques, sharing his vision and agenda. He didn’t let up. Before long, he got traction, and polling started showing Mamdani with double-digit leads over his competitors, mainly Cuomo and then incumbent mayor Eric Adams.
Fresh ideas
Although he was young and less experienced than his predecessors, Mamdani refused to be dismissed as inadequate on account of his age, and insisted that he had fresh ideas. He told people that tackling New York City’s challenges will require top-notch management and fresh approaches, rather than the same old ideas like raising taxes and restricting rents.
No doubt, Mamdani’s election has ushered in a new awakening among the youth as well as power yielders in our society – that the youth are no longer inexperienced learners, and that they are not in the waiting room.
The youth are innovative and creative, dynamic, visionary and knowledgeable for influencing culture and practices at different levels — all levels.
Follow our WhatsApp channel for breaking news updates and more stories like this.
Mr Obonyo is a Public Policy Analyst. Email: [email protected]
