Paths Magazine

Zohran Mamdani Will Spark a New Movement for Change 

Photo Credit: Michael M. Santiago

By Angus Allan

As I watch the mayoral campaign of Zohran Mamdani this October, I can’t help but think back to last year, when I was casting my mail-in ballot for Kamala Harris. Although I was hopeful that my vote would make a difference in the fight against Donald Trump, I was not altogether confident in my support for her. Like millions of others, my vote was a choice between the lesser of two evils. With her loosely defined plans for alleviating the affordability crisis, her repeated concessions to corporate donors and neoconservative Republicans, and her continued support for the State of Israel’s actions, I was not exactly thrilled that she was the better option. While there were still reasons to support Harris, the more I learned, the more disillusioned I became. Who could fight the ever-tightening grip of oligarchy and late-stage capitalism on our nation’s throat, and win? Who could remind people that what limits us is not a manufactured culture war, but real, astronomical inequality in wealth and power between the working-class and the one percent? Who could inspire hope and joy in Americans instead of doubt, fear, and despair?

Then came Zohran Mamdani.

Zohran Mamdani and Decentralized Power

In the past months, none besides Donald Trump has captured the attention of Americans so much as Zohran Mamdani. The thirty-three-year-old Democratic nominee for New York City mayor is a self-described democratic socialist and a fresh but powerful force. Mamdani, who will face off against Independent candidate Andrew Cuomo and Republican Curtis Sliwa in November, is polling nearly 50% of the electorate at the time of writing. Mamdani’s popularity is clear, but Democratic leadership seems bewildered as to why New Yorkers and Americans across the country love him. Hakeem Jeffries and Chuck Schumer might not understand this, but when a likeable candidate – with a genuine love for their community and sensible, people-oriented policies – runs, they can actually win. The solution to Democrats’ unfavorability isn’t dressing up status-quo neoliberalism in a new suit, but listening to the needs of constituents and addressing them in the best way possible – without the influence of corporations or elites. 

Clearly, Democrats need a leader with a spine. Yet Mamdani, born in Uganda and naturalized as a U.S. citizen, cannot hold the presidency, raising doubts about his ability to head the party. But why do we feel that the presidency is a necessary condition for leading a movement? This assumption fails to recognize the value in decentralized power and emphasizes the persona and policies of an individual over the platform of a movement. 

Mamdani’s rise to prominence teaches us a valuable lesson –the leader of a movement can come from anywhere. If the New York City mayoral primary has shown us anything, it’s that you can run and win on the things Americans actually need. Mamdani has inspired and influenced numerous others to run on a simple but undoubtedly impactful platform: affordable goods, healthcare, and housing, and a fight with anyone who seeks to rip our rights away. Further, combating billionaire oligarchs and fascist federal agents isn’t just common-sense policy; it’s popular. People don’t want culture war or nonsense, media-driven scandals; working Americans want their rights safeguarded, their future secure, and their country free from the increasingly authoritarian, capitalist elites.

Socialism: A Not-So-Scary Word

Campaign strategists and politicians alike have long avoided the word “socialism” in their rhetoric. For generations, this word has conjured horrifying images of famine, oppression, censorship, and erasure of the individual. Socialism is, in short, a no-no. However, in the face of far-right Trumpism, it is not surprising that the pendulum has swung and the hearts are beginning to soften towards socialism. An August poll by Gallup showed that 66% of Democrats now favor socialism over capitalism, and only 37% of Americans feel positive about big business. Clearly, there is momentum for change. By employing a disdain for billionaire oligarchs, far-right MAGA politicians, and the spineless neoliberal Democrats who enable them, Mamdani and others are galvanizing support for a popular movement. It may not be orthodox socialism, or even Socialism-with-American-Characteristics, but it will be a vanguard driven by the working people. Crucially, we cannot rely solely on voting. If we are to realize the dream of a better, fairer America, we must utilize all available means to help people, fight Trump, and expand the movement. That means voting, yes, but also protesting, mutual aid, civil disobedience, community-building events, and anything that will make working Americans’ voices heard. Focusing on only one aspect will lead us nowhere; balancing them will build a successful united front. 

Where We Go From Here

The United States is a dying empire, and our militant domination of the globe post-World War II is ending. Our goal as conscientious, progressive-minded Americans is not to salvage this empire by reviving the institutions that MAGA has so gleefully destroyed, but to build a new and better America, unshackled by the egregious inequalities and exploitative hierarchies of the past. In order to do so, I believe that we need a decentralized, truly grassroots movement to replace the politicians and structures of the corrupt establishment with effective representatives of the American people. Clinging to a demagogue for guidance and leadership is unwise–it risks the movement failing should the leader retire, pass away, or otherwise leave their role, and places too much confidence in the moral clarity of one person. While Zohran Mamdani is poised to lead the nation’s largest city, he cannot directly determine policy nationally. Despite this, the success of Mamdani’s campaign has inspired dozens of energizing and altruistic individuals to run for office, organize workers, and get involved in their communities. Their victories will, in turn, inspire more people to join this movement, catalyzing a chain reaction. Good governance and popular support go hand in hand. That is why Mamdani’s campaign is the spark of a greater movement, a fire that will burn down the establishment that has failed everyday Americans time and time again. Out of its ashes, we can build an America where our industry and institutions serve the many, not the few.