We have an unprecedented chance to elect a mayor who can prioritize the needs of working people.
Every poison has its antidote. The glaring unaffordability of New York City can be confronted by policies that prioritize the needs of working people. The confounding inertia of the Democratic Party can be reversed by bold new progressive leaders. Trump’s assault on our freedoms can be resisted by popular movements connected to people where they live. To my view, the mayoral campaign of Zohran Mamdani offers New Yorkers a remarkable, if not unprecedented, opportunity to act on all three of these at once.
Almost 100 years ago in New York, the greatest progressive engine of the past century arose from the ashes of the Red Scare, the Roaring Twenties, and the Great Depression. Labor organizers, urban reformers, and progressive visionaries experienced repeated setbacks early in the 20th century, but they kept organizing. When they found the right moment and the right leaders, magic happened.
The extraordinary human qualities and political skills of Franklin Roosevelt and Fiorello La Guardia created much of what has been good and progressive and lasting about New York, our party, and our nation. And we may be on the verge of a golden moment again.
Yes, this fall’s mayoral election is firstly about the immediate challenges facing our city, and specifically the issue that matters most to voters: affordability.
And here the contrast between Mamdani and his chief rival, Andrew Cuomo, is clearest. Cuomo was one of the architects of today’s highly stratified NYC. His bottomless capacity for “talking left while acting right” as governor gave us a city where wealth ruled. Rather than using the ample power of New York State to boldly address the affordability crisis, Cuomo consistently stayed within limits set by big donors and business-as-usual politicians.
Mamdani is striking for his independence from the very forces that nurtured and constrained Cuomo. That fact alone offers hope, but it is married with Mamdani’s ability to present a clear, substantive vision, communicate it with emotion, and connect with people in neighborhoods across the city.
Current Issue
Mamdani’s relentless focus on free buses, affordable childcare, and a rent freeze made immediate sense to many working New Yorkers. Since his primary win, he has deepened support in parts of the city that did not initially support him—building an ever-expanding coalition.
This combination of personal strengths and political vision is rare, and it makes me reflect on my own journey. When I was elected mayor in 2013, I knew there was one progressive mayor to fully emulate, and I thought I knew the lessons of La Guardia. Older members of my family had spoken about him with such reverence that following his example felt like an ancestral mandate to me.
But I realized too late that trying to be a latter-day La Guardia required an unapologetic message and a ubiquitous presence. It necessitated a firm hand on the wheel of government while still connecting constantly with the lives of everyday New Yorkers.
My administration achieved many important progressive goals (pre-K for all, paid sick days, the $15 minimum wage, and the end of Bloomberg’s stop-and-frisk policy). But I often mistook good policy for good politics, a classic progressive error.
I failed to keep my personal connection with many New Yorkers, as when I mounted a presidential bid in 2020 that—instead of productively framing the national debate—left people in my own city feeling neglected. I inadvertently missed one of La Guardia’s central lessons: Always show the people you’re on their side.
There is no guarantee that Mamdani will govern as well as he runs, although the quality and consistency of his campaign surely gives reason for confidence. But, clearly, he gives NYC an opportunity for a political and governmental reset that is profoundly necessary and that cannot wait.
Popular
“swipe left below to view more authors”Swipe →
As for Cuomo, his sullen and negative campaign is the residue of entitlement and a proclivity for clinging to the past. He epitomizes the Democratic Party that so many Americans have soured on, one that tolerates corruption and embraces self-dealing. That is the party that unwittingly gave us President Donald Trump, and that is the party that must be radically changed if we are to stop him.
Zohran Mamdani is reminding Democrats who we are supposed to be, both philosophically and strategically. For decades, we were the party of working people in both style and substance, and we must be again. Despite the right’s attempts to other him, Mamdani has practiced a politics of respect and service for the people at the grass roots that New Dealers would recognize.
I have been asked by breathless hosts on right-wing television whether Mamdani spells the death knell of the Democratic Party. My response: Mamdani represents a necessary return to our roots. Indeed, I strongly believe that if Kamala Harris had spoken about affordability in 2024 with the passion and relentlessness that Mamdani does in 2025, she’d be president today.
It’s time for NYC to offer our beloved, beleaguered nation a lesson again, with the hustle and energy only a true New Yorker brings.
Donald Trump wants us to accept the current state of affairs without making a scene. He wants us to believe that if we resist, he will harass us, sue us, and cut funding for those we care about; he may sic ICE, the FBI, or the National Guard on us.
We’re sorry to disappoint, but the fact is this: The Nation won’t back down to an authoritarian regime. Not now, not ever.
Day after day, week after week, we will continue to publish truly independent journalism that exposes the Trump administration for what it is and develops ways to gum up its machinery of repression.
We do this through exceptional coverage of war and peace, the labor movement, the climate emergency, reproductive justice, AI, corruption, crypto, and much more.
Our award-winning writers, including Elie Mystal, Mohammed Mhawish, Chris Lehmann, Joan Walsh, John Nichols, Jeet Heer, Kate Wagner, Kaveh Akbar, John Ganz, Zephyr Teachout, Viet Thanh Nguyen, Kali Holloway, Gregg Gonsalves, Amy Littlefield, Michael T. Klare, and Dave Zirin, instigate ideas and fuel progressive movements across the country.
With no corporate interests or billionaire owners behind us, we need your help to fund this journalism. The most powerful way you can contribute is with a recurring donation that lets us know you’re behind us for the long fight ahead.
We need to add 100 new sustaining donors to The Nation this September. If you step up with a monthly contribution of $10 or more, you’ll receive a one-of-a-kind Nation pin to recognize your invaluable support for the free press.
Onward,
Katrina vanden Heuvel
Editor and Publisher, The Nation
More from The Nation
In their social circle, Trump and Epstein were so identified as predators that the pair’s trafficking of young women would be instantly recognized as fodder for a joke.
Community embroidery action, with PueblaXPalestina collective, Pyramid Park, Cholula, Mexico, August 2025.
Changes to the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program could deem organizations and governments “ineligible employers” if they don’t align themselves with the president’s agenda.
New legislation could accelerate a growing movement of tenants who refuse to be at the mercy of developers and want to take ownership of their communities’ resources.