Six months ago, many New Yorkers did not know Zohran Mamdani’s name. Now he’s in second place in the mayor’s race.
Mr. Mamdani, a progressive state assemblyman from Queens, has surprised the political world with his strong fund-raising numbers, populist proposals and videos that have gone viral on social media. He has centered his campaign on a pledge to make the city more affordable.
“We live in the most expensive city in the United States of America, and it’s a city that used to be one of dreams that is now just one of struggle,” he said on MSNBC this week.
Mr. Mamdani has been making the case that he is the strongest candidate to beat the front-runner in the race, former Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, who has a well-funded super PAC supporting him.
Mr. Mamdani is hoping that Wednesday night’s debate will allow him to introduce his message to a broader audience and to build on his momentum. He will likely attack Mr. Cuomo and seek to portray him as out of touch with working-class New Yorkers and beholden to wealthy donors.
Mr. Mamdani, a democratic socialist, has proposed establishing rent freezes for the city’s nearly one million rent-stabilized apartments, making buses free and creating city-owned grocery stores. He wants to pay for his plans by raising taxes on the wealthy, alarming business leaders who have donated to Mr. Cuomo.
Mr. Mamdani has secured major endorsements, including being selected as the top choice of the left-leaning Working Families Party. John Liu, a state senator who is a power broker among Asian American voters, recently endorsed him, as did District Council 37, a major union that ranked him second on its anti-Cuomo slate.
Some Democrats have said they were concerned about his youth and limited experience. Mr. Mamdani, 33, who was elected as a state assemblyman in 2020, has a relatively thin legislative record in Albany.
His opponents have also drawn attention to his past support for the “defund the police” movement and his criticism of Israel.
But Mr. Mamdani has forged ahead and run an upbeat campaign. He held a large rally in Brooklyn last month that was packed with younger voters.
“We face a choice in this election — a choice between a disgraced politician of the past, with a government beholden to billionaires and real estate, or our vision for the future,” he said.
Emma G. Fitzsimmons is the City Hall bureau chief for The Times, covering Mayor Eric Adams and his administration.
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