Mamdani's Rise In Nyc Reflects Generational Fight Within The Democratic Party - Beritaja

Andrew Cuomo, New York City mayoral candidate, left, and Zohran Mamdani, New York City mayoral candidate, shingle hands during a mayoral statement successful New York Thursday, Oct. 16, 2025. Angelina Katsanis/Bloomberg

Angelina Katsanis/Bloomberg

When authorities lawmaker Zohran Mamdani and erstwhile Governor Andrew Cuomo faced disconnected successful the first New York City mayoral statement of the wide election, the generational conflict wrong the Democratic Party was connected afloat display.

Cuomo was agelong a personnel of Democratic royalty, starring New York arsenic politician for about eleven years aft serving successful the Clinton administration. His precocious begetter Gov. Mario Cuomo was a Democratic Party icon.

Again and again, Cuomo hammered the thought that his heavy resume makes him uniquely qualified him to lead America's biggest city.

"This is nary occupation for on-the-job training," Cuomo said during the Oct. 16 exchange, coating Mamdani arsenic a governmental novice pinch left-leaning ideas extracurricular the mainstream. "He ne'er has had a job. On his resume it said he interned for his mother. This is not a occupation for a first-timer."

But Cuomo is moving successful this title arsenic an independent aft Mamdani, who turned 34 past weekend, trounced him during the Democratic Party primary. Mamdani was an chartless extracurricular his authorities Assembly territory until this year, but has led consistently successful the wide predetermination by double-digit margins, according to polls.

"What I don't person successful experience, I dress up for successful integrity," Mamdani said during the debate. "And what you don't person successful integrity, you could ne'er dress up for successful experience."

That barb pointed to the downside of Cuomo's agelong way grounds successful office: it comes pinch immoderate gritty governmental baggage, including a intersexual misconduct ungraded that led Cuomo to resign arsenic politician successful 2021.

Cuomo has denied immoderate wrongdoing. But Andres Bernal, a governmental expert who lectures astatine the City University of New York, thinks galore young voters look astatine Cuomo's history of contention and are reminded of the Democratic Party constitution that has near them disillusioned.

"It's a revolving door, pinch a batch of firm America, a batch of funders, and lobbyists," he said.

Bernal says Mamdani overcame Cuomo's attacks complete his comparatively bladed resume by offering large progressive ideas, for illustration freezing flat rents and offering free metropolis autobus service, that entreaty to galore young voters.

"Be eager and look for basal changes that I deliberation animate a batch of group and I deliberation are associated pinch Mamdani's youth," Bernal said.

It seems to beryllium working. The latest poll by AARP and Gotham Polling shows complete half of Mamdani's support comes from young New Yorkers, nether property 50. For Cuomo, meanwhile, 76 percent of his support is complete property 50.

But it's not only superior argumentation issues that group these men apart. It's besides lived acquisition and style. When asked during the statement whether they've bought marijuana successful New York City's ineligible cannabis shops, Mamdani laughed and said Yes. Cuomo offered a terse No.

Their starkly different tones person played retired successful societal media, wherever Cuomo offered accepted run ads, often attacking Mamdani. Mamdani's campaign, meantime posts upbeat, often funny and hopeful videos that regularly spell viral.

"Zohran Mamdani is correct now the epitome of what you're going to spot each different campaigner trying to do," said J.C. Polanco, a governmental expert and professor astatine the University of Mount St. Vincent successful the Bronx.

Polanco is captious of galore of Mamdani's left-leaning argumentation ideas. But he says Mamdani's usage of societal media to scope young voters is simply a game-changer, allowing him to flooded his comparative deficiency of experience.

"He has rewritten the book, I emotion his style, he's a happy warrior," he said.

During past week's debate, Cuomo said his campaign's societal media messaging has gotten amended since he mislaid the Democratic primary, but he acknowledged playing catch-up. "I did not do capable connected societal media, which is simply a very effective mean now," he said.

While Cuomo and Mamdani person sparred, often bitterly, crossed this generational statement divide, the Republican successful the race, Curtis Sliwa, has suggested they're person connected argumentation issues than their run rhetoric suggests. "We person the designer and the apprentice," Sliwa said during the debate.

Early voting is now underway. If Mamdani holds onto his lead done predetermination time connected Nov. 4, he will correspond 1 much large generational change, serving arsenic the first Muslim politician successful a metropolis that's location to the largest Jewish organization extracurricular Israel.

Cuomo has attacked Mamdani many times for criticizing Israel, but that hasn't appeared to slow Mamdani's momentum. Mamdani has picked up immoderate key endorsements from Jewish leaders successful the metropolis and a New York Times-Siena canvass past month recovered about young voters successful New York City sympathize much pinch the Palestinians than pinch Israel complete the warfare successful Gaza.