The Democratic revolt: Mamdani invokes Obama in a charm offensive to lead New York mayoral primary

JUST a few months ago, it would have been difficult to imagine that a 33-year-old Muslim Democratic Socialist – a little-known assemblyman who represented Queens, has never held a job in the private sector and who vowed to impose more taxes on businesses – could potentially be New York City’s next mayor.

But Zohran Mamdani did what would have been considered impossible: beating the Democratic establishment’s candidate, former New York governor Andrew Cuomo in the party’s mayoral primary on Jun 24.

This is despite Cuomo, a business-friendly political centrist, having the support of his party’s ageing establishment figures, including former president Bill Clinton and former New York mayor Mike Bloomberg, as well as financial backing from the city’s ultra rich, such as hedge-fund manager Bill Ackman.