• by Barbara Lippert , Columnist, July 10, 2025

Donald Trump calls him a “lunatic Communist” and threatens to arrest or deport him.

But DJT is not the only one railing about Zohran Mamdani, a previously obscure, 33-year-old Democratic Socialist Muslim New York state representative who, in a shocker, won the Democratic primary for New York City mayor.

That he pulled off a true David vs. Goliath move against the established and powerful former Governor Andrew Cuomo, 67, is even more astounding.

In that way, the race also became a war of old vs. new.

As a GenZ-er, the charismatic Mamdani understood the value of odd podcasts and the need for virality and 24/7 videography.

But he also glommed on to pressing the flesh.

Beginning in 2024, his team organized tens of thousands of volunteers  -- mostly young people who’d never voted -- to knock on tens of thousands of doors and attract small donors.

By contrast, Cuomo, who had to step down after he was sued for sexual harassment, had a super PAC with heavy hitter supporters that raised $250 million. But he seemed to phone it in, relying on innate privilege and attack ads on linear TV. 

By the time his team put out an ad showing him talking in shirtsleeves on a street corner, it was too late.

Whereas Mamdani’s spotlight on the “struggle” felt fresh and relatable. So did his laser-like focus on the insane cost of living in all five boroughs.

His TikTok, Insta-first campaign (from the now-hot agency Melted Solids) was niche, cool and not typically political.  So much of the campaign showed him walking the city talking to the camera, but mostly listening to diverse voters.

His nitty-gritty of affordability included proposals to increase taxes on the wealthy, freeze the rent for stabilized tenants, expand subsidized childcare and make public buses free.

Of course, his policies were mocked as naïve and impossible to pull off.

But his winset a new paradigm in political campaigning.

It opened a window, and his candor became his signature. He spoke organically, which came across as unfiltered, unafraid to show flaws.

Still, there were issues. His problematic refusal to walk back his previous use of the phrase “Globalize the Intifada,” enraged some in the Jewish community and lost him voters. At the same time, he took advantage of ranked-choice voting rules by cross-endorsing with Brad Lander, a Jewish candidate.

Mamdani’s messaging was not about attacking his competitors but was instead fixed on the everyday problems of New Yorkers.

His breakthrough work should be copied by other politicians and studied by marketers.

Now that Cuomo is eyeing his reflection in the rear-view mirror of his Dodge Charger as he heads back to Westchester (although he insists that he’s still in the game), his campaign became a study in what-not-to-do.

The 67-year-old former governor launched his comeback using a stale political playbook.

Early in the race, a mock-up of a mailer surfaced in the press showing a photo of Mamdani that appeared to thicken and darken his beard, along with assertions that the candidate “rejects Jewish rights” and Israel.

Mamdani maintained the mailer was Islamophobic and played into racist tropes.

The Cuomo campaign responded with a statement from the spokesperson for its super-PAC Fix the City: “The mailer was proposed by a vendor,” the proxy said. “Upon review, it was immediately rejected for production and was subsequently corrected.”

But if it was “corrected,” isn’t that an acknowledgement of intention? 

Then came Cuomo’s ominous TV spot.  It opened with violent black-and-white images from the June demonstrations in L.A.

We see footage of police in riot gear approaching protestors.

“Imagine it’s Times Square,” a gravelly voice-over says. We hear a pop and see smoke.

“Trump’s coming for NY. Who do you think can stop him?”

Cut to a black-and-white photo of Mamdani smiling widely and looking dorky as he digs into a burrito on the subway.

“Zohran Mamdani’s a 33-year-old dangerously inexperienced legislator—who’s passed just three bills with a staff you can fit inside a New York elevator…” 

Then the menacing black and white turns into lit-up color.

“Andrew Cuomo managed a state and managed crises -- from COVID To Trump. Trump’s at the city gates.

We need someone experienced to slam them shut.”

I found the fearmongering gratuitous. We’ve had enough of envisioning the city as a lawless dystopia.

And talk of “slamming shut” the gates conjured up slamming the doors on immigrants, not the invasion of Trump.

The warlike grimness seemed to punish the viewer, not Cuomo’s opponent.

And if anything, the goofy photo of Mamdani eating on the subway would undoubtedly endear him to younger voters. They relate to taco-eating on the fly and saving money by riding the L train.

Mentioning Cuomo’s leadership on COVID also brings to light the accusations against the former Governor’s mishandling of nursing homes, still a sore spot.

Overall, I find the strategy of running against Trump by beating up on weakling Mamdani confusing.

Let’s face it: Cuomo making Trump the enemy is disingenuous, while still accepting a major donation to his PAC by hedge funder Bill Ackman, a Trump supporter known for his opposition to DEI. 

Cuomo used a similarly contemptuous dismissal of Mamdani (a name that he repeatedly mispronounced) during the live debate, listing all the things he’s never done.

Mamdani’s on-the-spot response shut Cuomo right down.

“To Mr. Cuomo, I have never had to resign in disgrace. I have never cut Medicaid. I have never stolen hundreds of millions of dollars from the MTA…. I have never hounded the 13 women who credibly accused me of sexual harassment…I have never done those things because I am not you, Mr. Cuomo.”

Bam!

Still, anything can happen in this race.

But candidate Mamdani is offering fresh air -- and people are taking notice.