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Zohran Mamdani, Trump’s ‘worst nightmare’, may really be a gift to him
The young socialist could exemplify the sort of leader the Democrats need. He also offers Republicans an easy target.
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Mr Zohran Mamdani and Councilwoman Carmen De La Rosa (right) take photos with supporters in the Inwood neighbourhood of New York on June 23.
PHOTO: SHURAN HUANG/NYTIMES
The Economist
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Four days before New York City’s Democratic mayoral primary, Zohran Mamdani, a 33-year-old Democratic socialist assemblyman who represents part of Queens, walked the length of Manhattan, 21km from Inwood Hill Park to the Staten Island Ferry terminal. “New Yorkers deserve a mayor that they can see, they can hear, they can even yell at,” he said.
It was reminiscent of Ed Koch, a charismatic mayor in the 1970s and 1980s. Mr Koch would often ask his constituents: “How’m I doin’?” He was greeted by cheers or jeers, depending on the year and the neighbourhood. By that standard, Mr Mamdani, who beat the Democratic establishment to win the primary on June 24, already looks mayoral.
