How did a 33-year-old Assemblyman beat Andrew Cuomo, a disgraced politician titan who had the weight, money, and power of the entire Democratic establishment at his disposal?
How did Zohran Mamdani, a Muslim American son of African immigrants, overcome the avalanche of racist attacks, bad faith smears, and double standards to win the Democratic primary and come close to becoming the mayor of NYC?
How did Mamdani win without throwing Palestinians, immigrants, Muslims, workers, or LGBTQ communities under the bus? After all, the Democratic establishment didn’t even invite a Palestinian speaker to the DNC, and they have used right-wing talking points to attack “the woke” after Trump’s victory in 2024. Democrats have also sided with Republicans to punish undocumented immigrants with the Laken Riley Act to not appear weak on crime. They’ve also largely supported Israel’s genocide against Palestinians and the crackdown on pro-Palestinian activists to avoid being painted as anti-semites or pro-terrorism.
Is Mamdani a jinn? Is he a unique outlier? What’s the magic sauce? What did he do that was so radically different? According to media maven Kat Abughazaleh, who is running as a Democrat to represent Illinois’ 9th District, Mamdani did the basics, which meant reaching out to people, communicating his message, and leading with his principles. He actually put people first, ahead of corporations, and he articulated their needs without fear or compromise.
Mamdani didn’t need to spend millions of dollars to find “the liberal Joe Rogan,” or workshop every talking point to death through overpaid corporate consultants. He won based on sincerity, authenticity, and passion, which are more coveted than age and experience for a disillusioned majority who no longer believe their institutions are meant to help or save them.
Kat is running a similar campaign in Illinois. She’s a Gen-Z, Palestinian American woman without any political experience who decided to throw her scrunchie in the ring because she believes America can do better for the majority of working-class people who, like her, are desperate for affordable health care and housing. She has no qualms saying “Abolish ICE,” or “Free Palestine,” or “Medicare for All.” She also has no problems criticizing the 1% or the Democratic establishment. After starting as an unknown in March, Kat is now only behind her opponent by single digits.
(GQ)
She joins me to discuss why Mamdani’s message resonates and what the Democratic establishment must learn from his win if they want to remain a relevant political party.
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