Welcome to Power Players, The i Paper’s opinion series in which our writers and experts take an in-depth look at the key figures in American politics as the US reshapes itself and the world.• The radical philosopher inspiring Vance and Trump’s descent into despotism• The Bronx real-estate hustler who proves Trump is the boss from hell• The most powerful woman in the world you’ve never heard of• The ‘swamp creature’ eclipsing JD Vance in the race to succeed Trump• The white nationalist at the heart of the Trump machine

Welcome to Power Players, The i Paper’s opinion series in which our writers and experts take an in-depth look at the key figures in American politics as the US reshapes itself and the world.• The radical philosopher inspiring Vance and Trump’s descent into despotism• The Bronx real-estate hustler who proves Trump is the boss from hell• The most powerful woman in the world you’ve never heard of• The ‘swamp creature’ eclipsing JD Vance in the race to succeed Trump• The white nationalist at the heart of the Trump machine

In October 2024, the only people who knew the name Zohran Mamdani were local politics geeks in New York and superfans of his mother, filmmaker Mira Nair. Less than two years later, with a stunning insurgent campaign for New York City mayor behind him, Mamdani is one of the most celebrated and admired national Democratic Party leaders, and seems to be pointing the direction for the party in November’s midterms and beyond.

The speed with which the 34-year-old Mamdani has become even more famous than his mother is due in part to his considerable charisma and his ability to communicate in ways that seem beyond many other Democrats. His charming on-the-ground campaign videos, filled with energy, optimism, and Bollywood fonts, were an indelible hallmark of his mayoral victory.

But Mamdani’s success isn’t just because of the style of his messaging, it’s also the content of the message. He’s pointed a way forward for Democrats, and for the country, by promoting three intertwined and galvanizing issues: affordability, anti-Zionism, and multiracial democracy.

Mamdani – an Indian-Ugandan Muslim whose family moved to the US when he was seven – became a New York assemblyman in 2019. He entered a crowded field of New York Democratic primary mayoral candidates five........

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