Opinion Zohran Mamdani’s win, at a time when the migrant is under siege in US, is heartening

In America, the barriers to entry in politics can seem impossibly high. There are questions of how to raise funding, find political connections and, for minorities and migrants, the challenge of appealing to voters who don’t look, talk or worship as they do. Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic nominee for mayor of New York and a state representative, was an underdog when he threw his hat into the primary ring against party stalwarts like former NY Governor Andrew Cuomo. If he wins the election, Mamdani will be the first Muslim and person of Indian descent to become mayor of America’s first city. His campaign holds lessons in political communication that liberal politicians might want to heed.

Two of the simplest questions asked of politicians are often the most difficult: What do you stand for? What will you do for me (the voter)? Mamdani, at 33, has been a social democrat through his brief political career: His record is not marked by the compromises that seasoned politicians are forced into. He has made his stand on Israel’s aggression in Gaza clear and asserted that anti-Zionism is not anti-semitism. His promises were criticised as idealistic and populist (free bus rides and childcare, for example) by his detractors but were appreciated by many primary voters caught in a cost-of-living crisis. What has stood out most is Mamdani’s political communication: On social media, his videos were less slick and seemingly more authentic than his counterparts. He leaned into his Muslim and Indian heritage, speaking in Hindi and Bengali. His show of affection for his mother, filmmaker Mira Nair, in his moment of triumph, struck a warm, human note.

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At a time when the migrant is under siege, Mamdani shows there are many ways of being American. The election in November will be a hard-fought one. But the lesson for left-liberals is that, to beat the odds, it’s better to persuade the gallery than play to it.