Hope 2025
CC BY-SA 4.0 — Dmitryshein
It is easy to get submerged in negative news: there are plenty floating around right now, from Trump’s repeated assaults on intelligence and reality to environmental concerns and economic turmoil. Also, our brains are wired to focus on the negative: it is what it is, we should try and remember that more often…
Still, some days shine brighter than others: New York has a new mayor and he’s 34, Muslim, foreign born, a socialist (!) — and he actually loves music. Not just dancing along to “YMCA” or whatever Trump thinks he’s doing to that song.
Zohran Mamdani’s win over former governor Andrew Cuomo (accused of multiple instances of sexual harassment, lest we forget) and outgoing democrat Eric Adams (impeached for blatant acts of corruption) was not a sure thing, up until the very end. If world politics have taught us anything since 2016, it is that we must not assume events will unfold “as they should”. Ever.
Mamdani winning the democratic primary was the first major surprise back in June: decisively beating polls favorite Cuomo as a much lesser known, first time candidate with a grassroots campaign sent shockwaves through New York politics — and society. Then beating Cuomo — now an independent supported by Donald Trump — again in the actual election felt like the logical conclusion to a particular chapter in the fraught book of (US) contemporary politics.
Many things stand out about this win:
Mamdani’s age: he is “only” 34, which makes him the representative of an entirely new generation of leaders with the likes of AOC and James Talarico (look him up), otherwise known as the new guard. Because he’s young, his way of dressing up, talking, effectively moving around, all feel markedly different: less vague statements, more concrete assertions. Less frills, more action. It’s real.
His religion: he is Muslim, the second major leader of that religion to lead a major Western city after London — another watershed moment in and of itself. It is important because this very clearly shows a dynamic towards openness that current US leadership has been trying its hardest to curtail, even though I content that the United States are still in many ways a country of open borders and minds. For one, jus soli, a concept often brandished in my native France, is actually far less systematic over here than (currently) stands in these United States…
The fact that he was not born in the US: which makes him a non-contender for the Presidency, barring a currently unlikely amendment to the constitution. The message here is clear: Mamdani is not just trying to make a career out of this, he got elected with a clear mandate that he is now going to try and execute. He could perhaps become governor one day, help (re)shape the democratic party along the way (please), but he may never be its absolute leader. And that’s fine.
The clarity of his program: being a professional communicator, I always study these things with particular interest. Mamdani did just about everything right on that front: a clear core message (affordability) based on select key talking points (such as freezing rent and free buses), down to a slick and recognizable visual style. Nothing ostentatious, no 100-point program no one reads (French specialty), a program that is based instead on a concern New Yorkers actually share (the fact that the city is becoming difficult to afford living in) backed by a couple of key easily trackable action plans. Exactly what you want.
The authenticity of his message: this is the real kicker. No matter how you look at it, everything points to the fact that Mamdani actually believes what he is saying. You can find him talking about affordability years ago online, while first talking on public stages, then getting elected as a state assemblyman. You heard him over and over on TV over these past few months hammering the same key topics topics in specific detail every time. My personal favorite is his podcast self, like on the infamous Flagrant show that did quite a bit to raise Trump’s likability factor last year: in there you can see that the man is incredibly quick witted, funny and grounded — and, above all, that the talking points in his program are not just that, that they actually mean something, that they are based on facts, laws and events, and that he is very well versed in those.
There you have it folks: in 2025, the best way to get elected is to have a clear message — and mean it. Who knew? Other (democratic) leaders across this big, wide world of ours take notice!