Set to take office on January 1, 2026, the Mamdani administration augurs a new era of democratic socialism in the heart of America’s capitalist mecca.

Initially, many jaded observers ignored Mamdani’s campaign– until he won the Democratic primary in June 2025, defeating former governor Andrew Cuomo and was elected mayor in the November general election. 

As a one-time New Yorker, I see it as the first campaign in decades that actually reflects the full diversity of the city where almost 40 percent of the residents are foreign-born.

In a time of cold conservatism, deep divides and blood-thirsty xenophobia, Zohran Mamdani’s campaign proved triumphant. He offered an entirely new economic blueprint and a sense of unity across class, gender and race. 

New York City exhibits extreme income inequality, perhaps highest in metropolitan America, characterized by a wide gap between high-wage earners in sectors like finance and a large portion of the population struggling with the city’s high cost of living. In such an environment, Mamdani’s message on affordability resonated widely.

During the campaign, he faced huge political obstacles. NYC’s billionaires and business leaders contributed over $40 million to anti-Mamdani political action groups, including $8.3 million by former Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

But even the billionaire class is no longer united. Some figures, such as the hedge fund hawk Bill Ackman and Jamie Dimon, CEO of JPMorgan Chase, have publicly offered to work with the new administration, suggesting a split in the unified opposition.

Impressively, Mamdani campaigned on socialist........

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