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Opinion: Gen Z must draw from Mamdani’s bold model of political empathy

Opinion: Gen Z must draw from Mamdani’s bold model of political empathy

Our columnist urges young voters to reject the status quo of political apathy, emphasizing the modern gravity of Zohran Mamdani's campaign, which he built upon strong policy and commitment to the working class. Hannah Mesa | Illustration Editor

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It’s no secret that politicians have been fighting for Generation Z’s attention through modern media. We’ve seen everything from AOC playing Among Us on Twitch during the COVID-19 lockdown and Kamala Harris’ viral “brat summer” to Donald Trump’s manosphere podcast tour.

It’s less likely, though, to see this attention successfully inspire young voters through tangible political policy. That is, until Zohran Mamdani’s New York City mayoral campaign started making waves.

Mamdani, a 33-year-old New Yorker currently representing the 36th Assembly District, has led a campaign largely rooted in affordability and concern for the working class. He identifies as a democratic socialist, and his platform details plans to reform multiple aspects of city life, including housing, public safety and transportation, labor wages and childcare costs.

Don’t get me wrong, while his campaign is policy-strong, it also has its viral media-worthy moments. Mamdani’s Instagram is filled with campaign updates and policy-focused reels, along with uniquely engaging graphics that have reached an audience of 3.7 million followers.

His feature on SubwayTakes, a popular street style interview series on TikTok, has drawn many to follow the NYC election and Mamdani’s campaign. I don’t even live in NYC, and I’ve watched this closer than my own local elections.

The vulnerability and authenticity of Mamdani’s outspoken approach are refreshing — these are qualities that we value in our favorite influencers and celebrities. It makes sense to want these same qualities in our politicians as well.

Mamdani and his team are also interacting face-to-face with potential voters. They’re having conversations with their neighbors and connecting at the NYC Pride March. He’s interviewing Halal street vendors and speaking to voters in their native languages. There’s a noticeable focus on community.

It should come as no surprise that Mamdani’s policy and campaign resonated with young voters. On the point of affordability alone, Gen Z New Yorkers spend 30% of their income on rent, which is insane. Mandami had the largest voter turnout with 25 to 34-year-olds, who on average have yearly salaries of under $100,000.

They helped Mamdani secure the Democratic nomination for mayor. Some were even first-time primary voters, and they were reached by his ability to use canvassing and social media as tools for connection.

But, despite these strengths and moral foundations, many contest Mamdani’s campaign goals. Affordability sounds great — it’s the redistribution of wealth that puts off the older demographic, home to most people with monetary power.

Mamdani plans to fund city reform through increasing taxes on those who make over $1 million a year, which sounds like a no-brainer to me. Although, I also admit to sharing his sentiment that billionaires generally shouldn’t exist at all. I’ll never understand hoarding excessive wealth while your neighbors lack necessities like healthcare, housing and food.

It’s almost as if money and empathy have an inverse relationship. That’s the difference between a progressive politician like Mamdani and his narrow-minded competitors.

Andrew Cuomo, a disgraced former state governor who lost the mayoral democratic primary and is now running as an Independent, said he would move to Florida if Mamdani became mayor. I wouldn’t uproot my life to escape helping my neighbors, but my net worth isn’t an estimated $10 million.

Cuomo’s campaign has seemed like a dumpster fire, but it has the undeniable support of the wealthy. If you don’t believe me, he allegedly paid New Yorkers to walk around in his merchandise. But he’s also having a hard time escaping his sexual harassment scandals and mishandling of the COVID-19 response from his time as governor.

He’s created a rocky relationship with Mamdani as well. While debating, he purposefully pronounced Mamdani’s name wrong, resulting in Mamdani’s response to Cuomo’s bad political track record going viral.

His campaign also faced backlash from a mailer created on behalf of one of his super PAC donors, Fix the City. The ultimately rejected, but not unseen, mailer pictured Mamdani with an artificially lengthened and darkened beard. Mamdani told The New York Times that the mailer was “playing into racist tropes,” which I have to agree with.

And in the broader scheme of things, we’ve recently seen a presidential campaign won on the same empty promises Cuomo brings to the table. We know that Donald Trump never intended to keep the promises he made to the working class. He just wanted affordability for his wealthy friends.

If Trump actually cared about lowering costs for the working class, he’d be endorsing Mamdani. Instead, he’s lying about Mamdani’s citizenship status, labeling him a communist and threatening to arrest him for opposing ICE.

The establishment is so scared of Mamdani and the impact of his policy that Trump’s even floating the idea of taking control of NYC.

With the Trump administration completing goals laid out in Project 2025, and a clear lack of checks and balances from governing bodies like the Supreme Court, 76% of Americans feel that democracy is under threat.

This is the problem with allowing the executive branch to have excess power. We risk the validity and safety of local or state elections. Trump should not have the ability to interfere in NYC politics just because he doesn’t like Mamdani or his policy.

But this is exactly the kind of fire that will make democratic waves in politics. To stand against increasing authoritarianism, we need bold revolutionaries, especially when it puts those in power on edge.

Democrats have played it safe for too long, and they’re now feeling plummeting credibility. It’s about time we see more politicians like Mamdani, those who are willing to be “radical” and stand up for the working class.

I truly hope that Democrats can learn from Mamdani’s campaign. If we have any chance of making it out of the reign of the current administration, our representatives need to radicalize, not fall in line.

Bella Tabak is a senior majoring in magazine journalism. She can be reached at batabak@syr.edu.

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