“And furthermore, the name is Mamdani. M-a-m-d-a-n-i. You should learn how to say it, because we’ve got to get it right,” says Zohran Mamdani in a mayoral debate clip that went extremely viral on social media. The 33-year-old is running for mayor of what is arguably the most influential city in the United States—New York. He gained a significant amount of popularity in a very short amount of time this summer thanks to the help of news coverage and viral videos on social media.

Mamdani has promoted policies that would increase New York’s minimum wage to $30 an hour and increase childcare accessibility. One of his more polarizing plans is city-owned grocery stores, which some view as an infringement on society. Mamdani also wants to cap rent prices through freezing them and further taxes on New York’s significant wealthy population. His policies are extremely popular with a significant number of New Yorkers, who see Mamdani as a politician working for the people rather than the elite and corporations. They also see his policies as a strong demonstration of action rather than simply empty promises, which both the Democratic and Republican parties are often criticized for. 

Mamdani’s campaign exploded this past summer with the advent of his dynamic, attention-grabbing social media videos and the support of various sub-groups in New York, one being Hot Girls for Zohran. Celebrities like Emily Ratajkowski have been a part of this campaign, influencing and encouraging others to vote for Mamdani. He boasts more than 4 million followers on Instagram and more than 100 thousand YouTube subscribers, and his videos have gone extremely viral. One of his most popular videos showcases him talking about the price increases of Halal carts, which is a problem most affecting average individuals. People seem to admire his promise to help regular New Yorkers and his honesty, which is further demonstrated by him asking people to refrain from donating more money to his campaign after reaching the desired amount of money from fundraising. Even with his popularity amongst large swaths of the general public, it remains to be seen if he can maintain his campaign’s momentum and win the Mayoral election.

Incumbent Eric Adams was favored to win the mayoral race until he was indicted in 2024 on counts of corruption. After being dis-indicted when Trump returned to the Oval Office, Adams started to campaign as an Independent rather than a Democrat for the election. The fight in the Democratic primary, which narrowed down mayoral political candidates, was very competitive, with eight candidates—including former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, who had significant financial backing from New York power brokers. Shockingly, as he was not nearly as well known as candidates such as Cuomo and is fairly young, Mamdani won the primary, illustrating the power of social media and power of the mass public. But the race is still not over. There is still time and the possibility of an upset. President Donald Trump strongly opposes Mamdani, calling him a “communist,” while Mamdani in actuality is a Democratic Socialist. Trump has also strongly endorsed candidate Andrew Cuomo. 

Mamdani was born in Uganda and moved to New York at the age of seven with his family. He is currently an Assemblyman for New York City’s District 36. His father is a professor at Columbia University, and his mother is prominent in the entertainment industry as an Oscar-nominated filmmaker. Mamdani recently received backlash for not denouncing the phrase “globalize the intifada” and for his opinions on the Israel-Palestine conflict. He also has been hit with criticism for identifying as African-American, as he is of South Asian descent even though he was born in Uganda, on his application to Columbia University. Additionally, Mamdani has been faced with a slew of racist remarks and Islamophobia—one example being rumors that Mamdani is in the United States illegally. 

Information retrieved from NPR, Politico, CNN, Rolling Stone, New York Post, Zohran for New York City, Hot Girls for Zohran, New York Assembly, and City & State New York.