Will NYC Mayor-Elect Zohran Mamdani Uphold Socialism In A Capitalist World?
Zohran Mamdani, a 32-year-old Ugandan-born Indian American, has become the first South Asian candidate to win the official nomination of the Democratic mayoral primary. His nomination is seen as a landmark moment in the city’s evolving political landscape.
On November 4, Zohran will face the Republican challenger Frank T Donovan, a former police commissioner, against the NYC Mayor position.
Born in Kampala, Uganda, and raised in New York City, Mamdani is the son of famous filmmaker Mira Nair and academic Mahmood Mamdani.
Read also: The Director Who Raised A Mayor: Meet Mira Nair And Her Quiet Revolution
The NYC Mayor Elect is no stranger to political activism. A democratic socialist and a sitting New York State Assembly member of Astoria, Queens, has been an ardent supporter of housing justice, fair public transport, police accountability, immigrant rights, and climate justice. His slogan – ‘A City for the Many, Not the Few’ – encapsulates his support for equity-driven policies.
Zohran has faced criticism from centrist Democrats and real estate lobbyists for supporting socialist ideals. However, the question is whether the newly appointed Democratic nominee will navigate the capitalist pressure to stand by his values.
As per the analysts, ‘to win elections in the US, one has to get the support of capitalists who try to change the politics of the candidates’. Another significant point is that Zohran is a Democrat who is already liberal and not a socialist. The adherence to the values the NYC candidate supports depends on his ability to defy the pressure to change his stand to survive in American politics.
The analysts say that in American politics, an individual can be a socialist or a communist; however, American politics in general does not support socialist ideas and policies. In order to win elections or to stay in power, people make compromises. That would mean candidates might not remain socialist at the end of the election cycle to survive. Mamdani is notably not the first socialist candidate in US history. Roosevelt and Obama have been clear examples of Democrats who emerged from the left.
The upcoming elections on November 4 will decide the further course of action of Zohran Mamdani and his adherence to the socialist principles.
