Staff Writer Aleesha Naqvi analyses Zohran Mamdani’s New York mayoral election alongside the rise of Zack Polanski’s Greens and a new trend towards hope in politics.
This may be what hope feels like. Zohran Mamdani, a Muslim democratic socialist, just became the Mayor of New York. Zack Polanski and the Green Party have surpassed the membership numbers of the Conservatives.
Zohran Mamdani led a legendary political campaign for the 2026 New York mayoral election, and his social media presence was a significant contributor to his success. Similarly, since Zack Polanski won the Green Party internal elections at the beginning of September, membership has surged, making it the third-largest political party in the UK.
Young Voters and Policy-based Politics
Mamdani and Polanski identified how to convince young voters to show up for them, and it’s working. Through the use of social media and highlighting issues and specific policies instead of blanket statements and manifestos, these left-wing politicians are speaking directly to Gen Z voters and convincing them to take action. All the way in London, I could tell you the five key promises Mamdani made to New York voters due to his comprehensive and wildly successful social media strategy: freezing rent, public groceries, childcare, free buses, and affordable living. His face is all over my Instagram feed, and his campaign was watched by news outlets and young people all across the world with bated breath.
A key component of Mamadani’s and Polanski’s campaigns is hope; they lead and speak through inspiring hope. Mamdani’s campaign rested on ambitious, utopian promises that many deemed unrealistic. However, within a news feed about Trump’s latest tariff, the climate problem, and the cost-of-living crisis, it’s a refreshing contrast.
Polanski and Mamdani have both denounced the genocide in Palestine, in accordance with the findings of a United Nations commission of inquiry, and have called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. Polanski directly pointed to the current administration as being complicit in war crimes against Gaza at the Next Gen 2025 conference I attended a few weeks ago, conveying his anger and disappointment with the Labour government. At the conference, Polanski mentioned in his keynote speech that his team had been in conversations with Mamdani’s, pointing to an international alliance of the Left against far-right ideologies and politicians such as Donald Trump and Nigel Farage.
Mamdani and His Opponents
Zohran Mamdani was asked in debates how he would react if Donald Trump deployed the National Guard in NYC, as already seen in Los Angeles and other cities that resisted the ICE raids and mass deportation policies of the Trump administration. Mamdani answered that he would not be intimidated by Trump, and would resist to protect the citizens of New York. He also mentioned earlier in the election that he would join the lawsuits launched by Washington DC against the administration.
A key aspect of Left-wing ideology centres on the working class and the class divide, an element that has become increasingly apparent through the NYC election. At least 26 billionaires and billionaire families donated to Mamdani’s opponents, primarily Andrew Cuomo. For example, Michael Bloomberg donated $8.3 million to a Cuomo-aligned super PAC, and the Lauder Family gave $2.6 million to the same super PAC and another anti-Mamdani group. Mamdani ran on a campaign aimed to unite the majority, and it worked. Experts have analysed the voting statistics and identified that many neighbourhoods leaning towards Trump in the presidential election swung towards Mamdani. In the Presidential race, Trump promised affordable living; Mamdani is promising the same, from a vastly different side of the political spectrum. Political Science Professor John Mollenkopf mentioned that many Latinx communities, especially in Washington Heights, voted for Trump in the election, and have now voted for Mamdani. Since taking office, many of Trump’s policies have directly affected people of colour, potentially causing communities to turn to the Left instead.
Hope On Your Left
Mamdani’s win is historic to say the least: he broke voter turnout records, became one of the youngest Mayors in America, and is the first Muslim mayor of New York. He also broke out of the right-wing noise and was unapologetic for his socialist politics. Zack Polanski has lifted the Green party from irrelevance to become the hope of left-wing politics in the UK, a worthy opponent of Farage’s Reform UK party. Jeremy Corbyn’s Your Party seemed to be a contender for left-wing British voters; however, after the drama and infighting over the past few months, voters are turning to the Green Party instead. Polanski’s leadership transformed the Green Party from a background player to the forefront of social justice and left-wing politics, boosting the membership to over 150,000.
It feels nice to have hope grace our news feeds again.
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