Zohran Mamdani’s victory feels novel, even monumental, but he will not be the first mayor of New York City who is a democratic socialist. He will not be the first young chief executive. And he certainly will not be the first progressive to run an American city.
The urban-rural, red-blue divides in the United States have created a class of current and former progressive municipal leaders whose successes and failures can serve as a road map for Mr. Mamdani.
Even before the glow of victory wears off, Mr. Mamdani, 34, will face enormous obstacles when he takes office next year. We spoke to four current or former progressive mayors of cities big and small to take stock of what challenges lie ahead for Mr. Mamdani.
Here is their advice — political and prosaic — for the mayor-elect:
Brandon Johnson, Chicago
A surge of grass-roots fervor and support from politicians like Senator Bernie Sanders propelled Mr. Johnson to a narrow victory in 2023.
His tenure has been bumpy, with a barrage of challenges, attacks by the administration in Washington and missteps at home. But along the way, Mr. Johnson found a way to expand access to mental health care and invest in housing.
Mr. Johnson said that Mr. Mamdani should be “fully aware of how relentless opposition is going to be after the results come in on Tuesday.”
Mr. Mamdani’s organizing efforts should continue full throttle in service of achieving his policy goals, Mr. Johnson said.
“The energy on the ground has to remain just as active,” Mr. Johnson said. “It’s exhausting. It’s heavy, but it’s the surest pathway to keep people engaged and to beat back the onslaught of opposition that is going to come to beat back his policy agenda.”
Managing the stress of a mayoralty must be a priority, he said. Mr. Johnson wakes up and rides a bike — sometimes inside and sometimes outside — eight miles most days.
“Whatever routine he has that keeps him grounded, he should lean into that,” Mr. Johnson said, adding, “It will be the most normal aspect of his day.”
Quinton Lucas, Kansas City, Mo.
Like Mr. Mamdani, Mr. Lucas was 34 when he became the youngest mayor of Kansas City in more than a century in 2019.
A proponent of free public transit like Mr. Mamdani, Mr. Lucas implemented free bus fares in 2020, only to see the program end this year for lack of funding.
Mr. Mamdani’s victory reflects support for many of his policy goals like free transit or free child care, Mr. Lucas said. But he must have a more intense focus on finding sustained revenue streams to pay for the programs.
”On transit, our failure was not identifying a sustainable funding source,” Mr. Lucas said.
Mr. Mamdani has proposed raising taxes; Gov. Kathy Hochul has said that was a nonstarter.
A rabid football fan, Mr. Lucas made peace with the fact that he could not go to Chiefs games anymore “and shout whatever I want, and largely drink whatever I want.”
And then there was the family. Mr. Lucas said he had wished before taking office that he had gotten them off social media.
“My mother would get in Facebook fights,” he said. “It was random.”
Eric Garcetti, Los Angeles
Mr. Garcetti was a longtime member of the City Council who then became the youngest mayor in Los Angeles in a century. More than a decade later, he has a letter he sends to new mayors.
After celebrating victory, Mr. Garcetti said, Mr. Mamdani must resist the urge to hire aides only from his campaign. Competent people with government experience will be essential, he said.
“In the first year, if you show them you can plow the snow, pick up the trash and keep the city safe, voters will reward you with much more political capital to withdraw on progressive risk-taking ambitious goals,” Mr. Garcetti said.
An early focus for Mr. Garcetti was tangible infrastructure — building public transit stations and reconstructing Los Angeles International Airport. Lower-profile social programs will be easier later, Mr. Garcetti said.
Similarly, he said that keeping a tight rein on finances would counter the idea that progressives spend and raise taxes with abandon.
Even so, Mr. Garcetti said that Mr. Mamdani should not shy away from trying to build or implement his big ideas.
“Nobody remembers the costs of projects. They just remember whether it got done. That’s your legacy,” he said.
Michael Tubbs, Stockton, Calif.
Elected at 26, Mr. Tubbs in 2016 became the conservative city’s first Black mayor.
He had a consultant interview old colleagues to assess his strengths and weakness. The findings helped inform the kind of people he hired.
“I learned that I needed a bunch of operational people around me,” he said. “I have enough vision for everyone.”
Mr. Tubbs had a countdown clock installed in his office showing the days, hours, minutes and seconds until the end of his first term. Mr. Mamdani needs to strike fast and use the energy of his victory to get his agenda passed, he said.
“People will be upset you’re moving too fast,” he said, adding that should not deter Mr. Mamdani. “Don’t let the inability to do everything stop you from doing anything. I think people just want to see progress over the status quo.”
But not always. Mr. Tubbs ran on an ambitious plan to implement universal basic income — which at first was a trial to give $500 monthly to dozens of families, no strings attached. A study of the recipients said many of their lives improved.
He never got a chance to expand the program. In 2020, Mr. Tubbs lost his re-election race and is now running for lieutenant governor of California.
Michael Gold contributed reporting.
Benjamin Oreskes is a reporter covering New York State politics and government for The Times.
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