The candidate for town hall Zohran Mamdani has daring plans for New York. He wants to establish grocery stores belonging to the city, build more houses, make buses without bus and freeze the rents for subsidized tenants.
But in the conduct of the Democratic primary on Tuesday, his adversaries and his media seemed more concerned about his opinions on the conflict between Israel and Palestine. He is a defender of Palestinian rights who has criticized Israeli abuses and echoed the evaluation of rights groups That the assault of Israel against Gaza is a genocide.
Mamdani did not fall back from his positions, and he won, ahead of former governor Andrew Cuomo, who had more institutional support and was supported by record expenses.
Supporters of Mamdani say that his victory could be an inflection point in the policy of the United States which shows the electoral viability of leftist policies and support for Palestinian rights.
“It’s monumental,” said Usamah Andrabi, spokesperson for the progressive group, Democrats judge.
“The sky is the limit for real progressives who are ready to unite the working class against the billionaires and the super PACs of companies while refusing to compromise problems as big As a genocide. “”
Although the official results are not yet final, Mamdani leads Cuomo by more than seven percentage points with almost every counted vote, almost ensuring the appointment.
Its advance should grow with subsequent counting cycles in the classified choice voting system of the city.
Cuomo conceded the defeat and Mamdani declared the victory, putting it on the way to be the next mayor of the largest city in the United States.
New York is extremely democratic, therefore as a party candidate, it should prevail comfortably in the general elections in November – a result that seemed impossible when it surveyed 1% in February.
‘He refused to go back’
Savy with the digital, charismatic and accessible media, Mamdani – A 33 -year -old legislator – began to develop its base with viral videos and a basic campaign in the streets of New York.
After the November presidential election of last year, Mamdani spoke with the supporters and non-voters of Donald Trump, who expressed his frustration in the face of the policy of the status quo. He then presented his own platform to them. In a video segment He filmed, some said they supported him for the mayor.
Supporters of Mamdani say that he also excelled by aming an army of thousands of volunteers, who struck the doors to get the word on his campaign.
Heba Gowayed, professor of sociology at the University of the City of New York (Cuny), said that many young people had been attracted by Mamdani and got involved in his campaign because of his opposition to Israeli policies.
“The fact that he refused to retreat from his position on Palestine is enormous,” Gowayed told Al Jazeera. “In an atmosphere where we were told that the holding of this position is politically disqualifying, it was a movement that not only insisted on this position but was, in a sense, planned.”
She added that, if Mamdani had overturned to appease the criticism, he would have lost the support and the enthusiasm that put him on the finish line. But Mamdani’s support for the Palestinian “has probably strengthened his campaign,” she said.
Mamdani was apparently faced Insurmountable dimensions in his campaign for democratic appointment. Not only did it lack funding from the start, but its name recognition was also weak. Few voters seemed to know who he was, compared to the candidate against whom he was running: Cuomo, a former governor of a political dynasty in New York.
Cuomo’s father had also been governor and, in Tuesday’s race, he had raised the approvals of key personalities from the National Democratic Party, notably the former president Bill Clinton and the legislator Jim Clyburn.
Mamdani, on the other hand, was approved by the local branch of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA).
This is what makes Mamdani’s victory astonishing for his supporters. He seemed to be a battle of David and Goliath, a confrontation of the old guard and the new.
“The old personified guard was beaten by a democratic socialist, a young Muslim child pro-Palestinian who had a name recognition of 1% in February,” said Gowayed. “It is absolutely phenomenal and remarkable.”
Born in Uganda from parents of Indian origin, Mamdani has been used for the State Assembly since 2021.
Many considered the confrontation between Cuomo and Mamdani as a reflection of the struggle of the arms which lasted years between the progressives and the centrists of the Democratic Party. The Debate on Palestinian Rights and the undeniable support of the United States in Israel was a central question in this fight.
The accent put by Cuomo on Israel
As a state legislator, Mamdani had been expressed in his opposition to the military campaign of Israel in Gaza, who killed at least 56,077 Palestinians. He even led a hunger strike outside The White House In November 2023 to demand the end of the war.
But while he launched his campaign for Mayor, he focused on local questions.
However, Cuomo – who resigned from his post as governor in 2021 harassment allegations – tried to make Mamdani’s position on Israel and Palestine a central campaign problem.
Earlier this month, the former governor suggested The fact that the call of Israeli abuses contributes to attacks on Jewish Americans. The target of his message seemed to be Mamdani.
“Haine Foments of hatred. The anti-Israeli rhetoric of” genocide “,” war criminals “and” murderers “must stop. A fire attack Wounded at 15 people in a pro-Israeli gathering in Colorado.
The former governor is part of the defense team representing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court for accusations of war crimes in Gaza, including the use of famine as a weapon of war.
When Mamdani and some of his candidate colleagues, including the city controller Brad Lander, campaigned jointly against Cuomo, the former governor invoked Israel.
“How … A Brad Lander supports Zohran Mamdani, supports his positions on Israel, supports his statements on Israel?” Said Cuomo.
Lander, who is Jewish, continued Cross-Endobers Mamdani, and the two candidates encouraged their supporters to classify them strongly on their ballots.
A pro-cuto electoral group, known as Super Pac, has also focused on Mamdani’s positions On the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Nicknamed Fix The City, the Super PAC received $ 500,000 from Bill Ackman, the PRO-Israeli supporter and Trump supporter. The former mayor of New York, Michael Bloomberg, another supporter of the faithful Israeli, contributed to $ 8 million to the group.
The media also examined Mamdani’s point of view on Israel. He was questioned several times about foreign policy, especially if Israel has the right to exist as a Jewish state and if he visits Israel as mayor.
‘A turning point’
Beth Miller, the political director of the defense group Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP), said that Cuomo calculated by trying to make the race on the opinions of Mamdani on the conflict of the Middle East.
The democratic base has moved more and more from the unconditional support in Israel, in particular in the midst of the atrocities of Gaza. A PEW Research Center survey in April showed that 69% of democratic respondents said unfavorable opinions on Israel.
“Cuomo is part of an old way to think politics,” Miller told Al Jazeera.
The JVP action approved Mamdani at the start of his campaign. Miller said that, while his campaign was rooted in the meeting in New York, his progressive policy is based on the maintenance of humanity of all people, including the Palestinians.
“Cuomo was on the idea that Zohran’s support Palestinian rights It would be a responsibility for him, but what last night showed is that it is not true, “said Miller.
“And in fact, what I witnessed and what I saw was that his support for Palestinian rights was an asset for his campaign. He mobilized young voters. He mobilized many progressive Jewish voters and Muslim voters and many, many others. ”
In recent years, pro-Israeli groups, including the American Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), have paid Save the amounts Money in democratic primaries to overcome progressives.
During the last electoral cycle, they managed to help two members of the Democratic Congress who criticized Israel: Jamaal Bowman and Cori Bush.
Progressive defenders say they hope that Mamdani’s victory will help shoot the trend in their favor.
“We finally see a turning point,” said Andrabi of the Democrats of the judge. “AIPAC likes to say that supporting Israel is a good policy and a good policy. I think what has become extremely clear at this point is that the support Apartheid Israel is bad policy and bad policy. »»