In just a few months, Mamdani, a 34-year-old state assemblyman and Democratic Socialist, has gone from a long-shot fringe candidate to a national figure — securing an upset win in the June primary, where voters 18-29 had the highest turnout of any age group.
Now, on the cusp of Election Day — where polls show him the clear frontrunner over his closest rival, former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo — Mamdani is counting on that youth coalition to show up again. But his pledge to address rising costs appears to be resonating with young people far outside of the five boroughs. It’s a message that many Gen Z and millennials say speaks to their most pressing concerns at a time when many feel hopeless about their leaders and yearn for new voices willing to break with political norms.
“When a candidate is able to speak to the concerns of the populace and validate those concerns … I think that that has a big impact, especially when it comes to young people,” said Ruby Belle Booth, who studies young voters for the nonpartisan research organization CIRCLE.
Well I’m hoping that what Mamdani can prove to the democratic party is that charismatic young leaders with progressive ideas are the way forward. Maybe then a certain monitor brand can get the 2028 presidential election nomination.
Part of me still wants to live and work in the US, NYC in particular. Ain’t gonna happen in this current state of things though. First you guys need a new president, then a huge lack of software engineers and then the country would be ready to receive me lol
But even that aside - some European conservative parties are just mirroring the republican party. I think if they lose power, our conservatives will also lose confidence and pull a bit to the left.