World citizen: Ugandan-born Mamdani inspires fellow New Yorkers with primary victory

He’s not the first immigrant to succeed in American politics but Zohran Mamdani’s presumptive victory in New York City’s Democratic mayoral primary is proving to be an inspiration to his fellow New Yorkers - particularly those from Muslim and South Asian communities.

Mamdani is a true citizen of the world. His family is from India but his early years were spent in Africa. Born in Uganda, his parents gave him the middle name Kwame, after the first president of Ghana. The family later moved to South Africa before finally relocating to United States.  

Now he’s in the running to be New York City's first Muslim and first South Asian mayor.

While the results are not yet finalised, Mamdani’s expected primary victory has jolted the Democratic establishment, leaving many astonished that a 33-year-old democratic socialist outmaneuvered the better-funded and more experienced former state governor, Andrew Cuomo.  

Army of volunteers

Mamdani's surge to the top in New York City's Democratic mayoral primary came with the help of an army of volunteers who set a goal of knocking on one million doors to get votes.  

Those close to the Mamdani campaign credit a seemingly omnipresent candidate devoted to speaking directly to New Yorkers, along with a sprawling field operation that helped excite new voters.

Win or lose, he has already changed the political dynamics of America's largest city, says lawyer Jowel Uddin:

"I think Zohran's campaign has inspired a lot of South Asians to run for office, but also just to be involved in politics. Just to be involved in what's happening in our neighbourhoods, making sure that the policies that we want are implemented, because we grew up in New York, we built New York and we deserve to stay in New York and we deserved to have a dignified future in the city that we built.

"So Zohran's inspired people to run the office, whether that's city council, for the mayor, the senate, or potentially the presidency. But also inspired us to get involved in politics and make sure that our priorities are met." 

'Unabashedly Muslim'

Mamdami's Muslim faith was also a factor for some voters, says software engineer Tanzeela Rahman:

"When Zohran first came onto the scene, a lot of people were very sceptical, but also a lot people were drawn to the fact that he was unabashedly Muslim and unabashedly brown. Like he was putting out campaign videos of him walking around in a ghutrah, right?

"And there are so many Muslim men who try to be incognito or try to make themselves more palatable for I guess the larger sanitised version of the world. And Zohran straight up like. I'm here, I'm brown, I am Muslim, I am proud, I think I deserve to be seen as his whole being and you can too."

The mayoral election is scheduled for 4 November, when Mamdani is expected to face incumbent Eric Adams and Republican Curtis Sliwa.