Ugandan-born Strides to Mayor of New York

Mention the name, Mamdani, in Uganda, and you are most likely referring to Prof. Mahmood Mamdani. He is a celebrated academic, for many years associated with the renowned Makerere University, a globally recognised institution of higher learning.

Now, in New York (NY), in the United States of America, the name is of Mr. Zohran Kweme Mamdani. Zohran is the son of Prof. Mamdani. The Socialist Democrat is vying for Mayor of New York, the most populous city in the US of 8.5 million people.

In the recent Democratic Party primary election, Zohran defeated eight other candidates who were competing for a slot to stand in November, 2025, to become mayor of NY. Most notably, the 33-year old defeated the veteran politician, 67-year old Mr. Andrew Cuomo. Cuomo, who had been mayor of NY before. Cuomo came second to Zohran. Now, Cuomo, insists that he will again stand for mayor of the city on an independent ticket.

“Tonight, we made history,” Mamdani told his supporters. “I will be your Democratic nominee for the mayor of New York City” — one of the most powerful positions in US domestic politics. The political strategist, Mr.  Trip Yang, called Zofran’s win the “biggest upset in modern NY history”.

“A massive win for Zohran Mamdani shows that when Donald Trump is President, New York Democrats want to see their leaders fight with enthusiasm and courage, and that’s what Zohran showed voters, ” Yang enthused.

Apparently shaken, the day after the NY mayoral hopeful won the surprise victory, Trump in his Truth Social, branded Zohran “a 100% Communist Lunatic”. It is for a number of good reasons.

Mamdani’s campaign platform included promises for affordability: he has proposed free public buses service citywide; universal child-care for children aged six weeks to five years; freezing rent in subsidized units and stricter accountability for negligent landlords; and, city-owned and run grocery stores for people to afford the basic needs – all paid for by new taxes on the rich.

“This is a city where one in four of its people are living in poverty, a city where 500,000 kids go to sleep hungry every night,” he kept on saying in his stumping for votes among the Democrats.

Taxing the rich affects Trump, directly. He is one of NY’s billionaire property owners. When Zohran talks about freezing rent, it goes directly to Trump’s pockets. At least a million landlords would be affected. And when he harangues the voters about tripling the production of rent-stabilized, union-built housing that is where Trump and his associates are. The construction of his hotel and other properties were occasioned by his Mafia-mob dealings and massively expanding permanently affordable housing, affects them seriously.

Zohran’s Parents, Prof; Mahmood Mamdani and his wife Mira Nair

Not only that, in the Democratic nomination, as NY leans towards Democrats, the Zohran election upset, gives him a big advantage in the election this year, to replace incumbent Mayor Mr. Eric Adams. And Trump is not pleased that in last November’s presidential campaigns, Zohran questioned NY voters who voted for Trump.

Zohran has been asking what issues led them to cast their ballots for the Republican president. Those are the issues he based his campaign on. And it has taken them to swing to him in the Democratic primary.

Others, apart from Trump, are not happy with Zohran. He is supported by thousands of volunteers and millions of small-time donors, and he has been propelled by a wave of grassroots support and a bold left-wing platform.

That came from his earlier occupation as a rapper, from 2015 when he adopted the name Young Cardamom. In a nostalgic throwback to his days in Uganda, he released an album in the Luganda language titled “Sidda Mukyaalo”, meaning “I Shall not Return to the Village”.

He has also worked as a housing counsellor, helping low-income homeowners in Queens fight eviction. That was the year he was elected to the New York State Assembly representing parts of Queens. An excited grassroots supporter commented on Zohran: “He understands us. He belongs to us. He’s from our immigrant community.”

But NY is a city with racial and political tensions. Zohran, an ardent Muslim, has received Islamophobic threats, some targeting his family. According to the NY Police, a hate crime investigation is underway. As he has talked, “Racism is indicative of what’s broken in US politics, that allowed for Donald Trump to be re-elected; and fails to stand up for working people, no matter who they were or, where they came from.”

The Trumo-leaning publication, The Washington Post’s editorial board, warned that Zohran’s primary win:”Is not only bad for New York, but also for the struggling Democratic Party.” They argued that Mamdani’s socialist policies will bring the city back to the ‘bad old days’ and discredit the next generation of Democratic leaders.

This has also structured into his stances on the Israel-Gaza war. Zohran has strong support of Palestinians and staunch criticism of Israel that even affects most of the Democratic establishment. As a member of the NY Assembly, he introduced a bill to end the tax-exempt status of the charities with ties to Israeli settlements that violate international human rights law.

Says Yang: “In many ways the issues facing New York Democrats are the same ones the Party faces in future elections, and afterwards. The primary may be dissected nationally for what it says about the Party – and how it should take on Trump.”

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