NEW YORK: President Donald Trump calls him a “communist.” His critics say he wants to defund the police. Zohran Mamdani insists he’s just a guy trying to make New York City more affordable.
Mamdani ‘s meteoritic rise to become the Democratic nominee for New York City mayor has put his past and present policy positions under close scrutiny. If elected, he would be the city’s first Muslim and Indian American mayor. He’d be the city’s most liberal mayor in generations.
But as he tries to broaden his support ahead of the November election, the state lawmaker has shifted more to the center on certain issues — while distancing himself from other potentially damaging political stances.
Mamdani’s opponents — two Democrats, former Gov. Andrew Cuomo and incumbent Mayor Eric Adams, and a Republican, Curtis Sliwa — have cast themselves as moderate alternatives to the 33-year-old.
Some top New York Democrats, including US Sen. Chuck Schumer, have been slow to endorse Mamdani. A few, including the state Democratic Party chair and some suburban members of Congress, have said they won’t back him. But more notable names have thrown their weight behind him in recent days, including Gov. Kathy Hochul and the state’s top two legislative leaders.
