Key Points

Zohran Mamdani’s mayoral win in New York City has sent reverberations across the American political landscape. It is the victory of a youth in an ageing cabinet, a Muslim at the height of Islamophobia, an immigrant amidst rising intolerance, and, most starkly, a democratic socialist in a capitalist landscape.

Mamdani has been unabashed about his identity and his politics – “I am Muslim. I am a democratic socialist. And most damning of all, I refuse to apologise for any of this,” he said in his victory speech. Whether he is up to the task remains to be seen.

What is Democratic Socialism?

Democratic Socialism is a political ideology that melds the concepts of democracy and socialism – essentially, it advocates for a state that prioritizes social and economic equality through collective ownership and popular participation. It stands in contrast to both Capitalism and Marxism-Leninism, arguing that the former prohibits true equality and the latter leads to authoritarianism.

In fact, democratic socialism solidified as an ideology in the 20th century as an alternative to communist states that backslid into autocracies. At the same time, the foundation of the philosophy was collective ownership of the means of production. Its origins stretch back to 19th century working class movements across Europe and the UK, around the time communism was beginning to flourish.

As for a formal definition of democratic socialism – there isn’t one. It is more of an umbrella term with a variety of interpretations: it can advocate for revolutionary or gradual change, focus on collective-ownership or self-management of properties, with a central state or decentralized collectives.

See Also: Mamdani’s Win and the Price of Urban Life: Why City Voters Are Seeking Change

Is Zohran Mamdani a Democrat? A Republican? A Socialist? Or a Communist?

Zohran Mamdani’s Political Views and Policies

Zohran Mamdani declared himself as a Democratic Socialist in the runup to the 2020 New York State Assembly elections. He has referred to himself as a socialist since Bernie Sanders’s 2016 presidential campaign, when he saw his views reflected in the veteran socialist’s political stances.

Mamdani credits his political views to his parents, who often discussed domestic and international issues at home. He has also publicly credited many leaders of the American Socialist Movement for their influences on him, particularly the Sewer Socialists of Milwaukee. During his mayoral campaign, he cited several other mayors as inspiration for his tenure, including Arya Rajendran of Thiruvananthapuram, Fiorello La Guardia of New York, Daniel Hoan of Milwaukee, Brandon Scott of Baltimore, and Michelle Wu of Boston.

Mamdani has been described as a left-leaning progressive. He has advocated for social equality, economic equity, and public services. He has voiced his support for multiculturalism, gay rights, and religious freedom. He has also publicly supported the Palestinian cause and condemned right-wing leaders across the globe.

In 2024, Mamdani backed Proposal 1 in the New York State Assembly – a constitutional amendment which outlawed discrimination based on most identifying characteristics. He ran his 2025, mayoral campaign on affordability and welfare, advocating for a rich tax and higher minimum wage, subsidised healthcare, education, and daycare, and free transport, amongst other agendas. He additionally argued for rent-controlled housing, unionised labour organisations, and social ownership of community property.

Mamdani has said the democratic socialism, to him, is a commitment to dignity and the state’s responsibility to deliver it. At the same time, he has distanced himself from more hardline socialist views like violent revolution and defunding the police – something he had supported in the past, during the George Floyd protests.

Zohran Mamdani’s Inspirations, Supporters, and Critics

Mamdani’s politics have often been decried by his opponents. During his mayoral campaign, US President Donald Trump often disparaged Mamdani as a communist. In reply, he said, “I am not.”

He made the statement during an interview with NPR and went on to elaborate on his politics: “When we talk about my politics, I call myself a democratic socialist in many ways inspired by the words of Dr. King (Martin Luther King Jr.) from decades ago who said, ‘Call it democracy or call it democratic socialism. There has to be a better distribution of wealth for all of God's children in this country.’”

After winning the 2025 New York Mayoral Election, Mamdani quoted Nehru’s famous ‘Tryst with Destiny’ speech, saying, “A moment comes but rarely in history when we step out from the old to the new. When an age ends and the soul of a nation finds utterance. Tonight, we step out from the old to the new.” Nehru himself was a democratic socialist whose influence would linger for decades across India’s political landscape. “All the evils of a purely political democracy are evident in the USA; the evils of the lack of political democracy are present in the USSR,” he once said.

Since early on in his political career, Mamdani has been associated with the Democratic Socialist of America (DSA), the largest socialist organisation in the US. He aligned with the organisation due to its pro-Palestine stance and started by working with them on local level campaigns. In 2020, the DSA endorsed him as a candidate for the State Assembly. During his mayoral campaign in 2025, he was endorsed by both the DSA and the Democratic Party, and supported by socialists like Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. [Rh]

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