State Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani joins Adams' challengers for NYC mayor

Zohran Mamdani, a progressive state assemblymember from Queens, has filed paperwork to run in next year’s primary race to become New York City mayor. He plans to formally announce his candidacy on Wednesday.

Mamdani is the fifth Democrat to enter the increasingly fluid race to unseat embattled Mayor Eric Adams, and the most left-leaning. The incumbent mayor has said he intends to run for reelection even as he faces a potentially lengthy trial on federal corruption charges. Although Adams has pleaded not guilty, some New Yorkers have called for his resignation, including Mamdani.

In an interview, Mamdani described City Hall as “engulfed in corruption.” But while several challengers have chosen to focus on managerial competence over politics, Mamdani said he was planning to campaign on a progressive and democratic socialist platform.

“New Yorkers are being crushed by rent and child care,” Mamdani said. “Working people are being pushed out of the city that they built, and Eric Adams has no answers to this crisis.”

One of just eight current state legislators endorsed by the Democratic Socialists of America, Mamdani is betting that his support for signature progressive policies will resonate with New Yorkers trying to make ends meet in a notoriously expensive city. He helped lead a pilot program to provide free bus service on one line in each of the five boroughs, and has advocated to freeze New York City rents.

But in a crowded field, he’ll likely struggle with name recognition and have to fight to find a place for the left among the city’s Democratic establishment.

Mamdani is at odds with Gov. Kathy Hochul over congestion pricing — which he supports — and now with city comptroller and fellow mayoral candidate Brad Lander over an income tax hike on the state’s wealthiest residents. Lander once supported higher taxes on the wealthy, but more recently suggested they were unnecessary. Mamdani wants to use both revenue streams to fund the MTA.

“It is part and parcel of my belief that in order to create the dignified life for working class New Yorkers, you need to have additional revenue so that you can make these kinds of commitments a reality,” Mamdani told Gothamist.

Mamdani, 33, is also the youngest of Adams’ five main primary challengers. He was elected to the state Assembly after defeating then-incumbent Assemblymember Aravella Simotas in 2020, becoming one of the first two South Asians and only the third Muslim to serve in the Assembly. His district of western Queens includes Astoria, one of the city’s most diverse neighborhoods, as well as Ditmars-Steinway and Astoria Heights.

Mamdani, an unabashed progressive, was an outspoken critic of Israel’s actions even prior to the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas-led attacks and the ensuing war with Hamas. He sponsored a bill that would penalize New York-based nonprofits that help fund Israeli settlements in the West Bank.

Prior to running for office, Mamdani worked as a housing counselor helping immigrant families facing eviction. He grew up in Uganda and moved to New York City with his family at age 7. He is the son of acclaimed Indian-American filmmaker Mira Nair and Indian-born Ugandan scholar Mahmood Mamdani.

Zohran Mamdani is known for using social media to criticize the mayor. He garnered buzz over the summer for an appearance on the popular TikTok series “Subway Takes,” in which he called Adams a “terrible mayor” who was “single-handedly making life more expensive for New Yorkers.”

But despite his outspoken attitude, he’ll likely need to boost his name recognition, and he may struggle to appeal to more older and more conservative voters. Besides Lander, former comptroller Scott Stringer, state Sen. Zellnor Myrie and state Assemblymember Jessica Ramos are also vying to become mayor.

There’s also the possibility that the city would hold a nonpartisan special election should Adams resign or be removed from office by March 26. New York state Attorney General Letitia James, Public Advocate Jumaane Williams and former Gov. Andrew Cuomo are among those reportedly considering jumping into such a contest. Among Republicans, Gristedes owner John Catsimatidis and Guardian Angels founder Curtis Sliwa have also expressed interest.

Andrew Epstein, a spokesperson for Mamdani’s campaign, said the campaign expects to qualify for the city’s matching funds program by Jan. 11, the next filing deadline. He said Mamdani has solicited pledges and would announce those numbers as early as Thursday.

Adams leads the fundraising so far, with a war chest of more than $3 million and an anticipated $4 million in taxpayer matching funds. But his eligibility to receive matching funds has come under question following a proposed change that would withhold money from candidates who break certain rules. The mayor has been accused of accepting illegal donations and missing disclosure documents during the 2021 campaign.

Should the mayor lose out on matching funds, Lander could amass the highest fundraising total, with a potential of almost $4 million after adding public funds.

Update: This story has been updated with comments from Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani.