American Defense
Date of Event:
Nov 5, 2025
NEW YORK — Zohran Mamdani defied the odds, defeating former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Tuesday night and becoming mayor in an election that saw 2 million voters cast ballots.
Just months ago, when Mamdani entered the race, he was polling in the single digits and few believed he could defeat Cuomo.
In the end, Mamdani defeated him twice.
And in a year when Democrats have largely been floundering, Mamdani electrified the party and managed to draw new voters to the polls too.
So why did he win so decisively?
Here are five reasons:
At campaign rallies, Mamdani frequently stood in front of signs reading, “A City We Can Afford.” A visit to his website also plainly states that Mamdani is “running for Mayor to lower the cost of living for working class New Yorkers.” His supporters also carried placards reading “Build Affordable Housing” and “Childcare for all.”
Morris Katz, who served as a strategist for the Mamdani campaign, told The Hill in an interview that the broader narrative for Mamdani’s campaign was “Life doesn’t have to be this hard. New York can be more affordable and it’s government’s job to deliver that.”
Mamdani never had that problem.
“When you have Trump voters supporting a democratic socialist, you are communicating something pretty clearly and consistently,” said Democratic strategist Eddie Vale.
“If you watch Zohran’s launch video, and then you watch the first ad of the primary campaign and then if you look at our messaging in the general, it has been the same campaign the entire campaign,” Katz told The Hill.
Even in his final ad in the election, he underscored his executive experience while also highlighting Mamdani’s inexperience.
Just months ago, when Mamdani entered the race, he was polling in the single digits and few believed he could defeat Cuomo.
In the end, Mamdani defeated him twice.
And in a year when Democrats have largely been floundering, Mamdani electrified the party and managed to draw new voters to the polls too.
So why did he win so decisively?
Here are five reasons:
Affordability trumped all
While Cuomo focused his primary campaign on issues like crime and safety, Mamdani homed in on affordability in a city that has long been viewed as way too expensive. And his campaign ran so hard on that issue, it became synonymous with his campaign from start to finish.At campaign rallies, Mamdani frequently stood in front of signs reading, “A City We Can Afford.” A visit to his website also plainly states that Mamdani is “running for Mayor to lower the cost of living for working class New Yorkers.” His supporters also carried placards reading “Build Affordable Housing” and “Childcare for all.”
Morris Katz, who served as a strategist for the Mamdani campaign, told The Hill in an interview that the broader narrative for Mamdani’s campaign was “Life doesn’t have to be this hard. New York can be more affordable and it’s government’s job to deliver that.”
His message was consistent
In the aftermath of last year’s elections, Democrats have spent a considerable amount of time thinking about messaging. One of the criticisms of Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign and Kamala Harris’s 2024 presidential campaign was that voters couldn’t figure out what each candidate stood for and what rationale they had for running.Mamdani never had that problem.
“When you have Trump voters supporting a democratic socialist, you are communicating something pretty clearly and consistently,” said Democratic strategist Eddie Vale.
“If you watch Zohran’s launch video, and then you watch the first ad of the primary campaign and then if you look at our messaging in the general, it has been the same campaign the entire campaign,” Katz told The Hill.
Experience didn’t matter
Cuomo spent a lot of time touting his own experience as New York governor and his familiarity with the levers of power on a local and national level.Even in his final ad in the election, he underscored his executive experience while also highlighting Mamdani’s inexperience.
