Mamdani and New York's Mayoral Future (2025) (1)

Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome to the deep dive. Today. We're really getting into
the twenty twenty five New York City mayoral election. It's
already shaping up to be a big one.

Speaker 2 (00:09):
Absolutely, it feels like more than just a local race
this time around.

Speaker 1 (00:13):
Definitely, we're talking about a potentially pivotal moment for the city.
You know, public safety, housing costs, the economy, bouncing back,
social justice issues. It's all on the table, right, And
the main dynamic we want to explore today is between
the incumbent Mayor, Eric Adams and a really significant progressive
challenger is Zoran Mumdani. Our goal here is to, you know,

(00:36):
cut through some of the noise. We've looked at a
lot of material and we want to distill the key
things you need to know to really understand this crucial election.
Give you that shortcut sounds good, So I guess the
first question for a lot of people is who exactly
is Zoron Mumdani. Looking into his background, it's well, it's pretty.

Speaker 2 (00:52):
Unique, it really is. He was born Zoran Kwameia Mumdani
in Kompala, Uganda.

Speaker 1 (00:56):
Right, and his parents are quite well known. His father
is Mahmoud mum Donnie the Ugandan American academic, very sicklish.
And his mother is Mira Naire, the filmmaker.

Speaker 2 (01:06):
Yeah, the acclaimed Indian American filmmaker. It's quite the pedigree.

Speaker 1 (01:10):
And you can see how this sort of global upbringing,
this rich cultural background, it seems to really inform his
progressive worldview.

Speaker 2 (01:17):
It's not just trivia, no, definitely not. And you see
that reflected in how he got into politics. He didn't
just appear right, He started with grassroots organizing, building support
from the ground up.

Speaker 1 (01:26):
And then the assembly race in twenty twenty that was
his breakthrough exactly.

Speaker 2 (01:29):
He ran for the New York State Assembly and actually
unseated a long time incumbent over an Astoria Queens. That
was a big deal. Yeah, And his campaign was very
explicitly based on well democratic socialist principles, you know, thinking
about social and economic equality, stronger government programs, sort of
in the vein of figures like AOC Alexandria Cosio Cortes. Okay,

(01:52):
that when really put him on the map as a
major progressive voice in the city.

Speaker 1 (01:57):
So taking that progressive voice, that Assembly ex sperience, how
does that translate into his actual policy ideas? His platform
for the city. What's he championing.

Speaker 2 (02:09):
Well, this is where you see him pushing for what
he'd call bold structural changes, not just tinkering around the edges.

Speaker 1 (02:16):
Like on housing that's always huge in NYC.

Speaker 2 (02:18):
Absolutely central. He's pushing hard for universal rent control, big
investments in social housing programs too, and much stronger protections
for tenants.

Speaker 1 (02:27):
So trying to fundamentally change the equation on affordability.

Speaker 2 (02:30):
Exactly in a city where, I mean everyone knows someone
struggling with rent. Right, his goal seems to be reshaping
that whole real estate near me dynamic that defines so
much of New York life, prioritizing stability over just market rates.

Speaker 1 (02:44):
That's a big shift from the usual approach it is.

Speaker 2 (02:46):
It's a direct challenge ideologically to the city's powerful real
estate sector. It hints at, you know, shifting economic power.

Speaker 1 (02:53):
Okay, so housing is key.

Speaker 2 (02:54):
What else defines his platform, Well, there's economic equity. More broadly,
he talks about increasing taxes on the wealthy, on large corporations,
redistributing wealth, boosting workers rights, supporting unions, fighting for higher wages,
living wages. Universal healthcare is another big one. He supports
a single payer system obviously that's more of a state issue,
but pushing for it and generally expanding access to affordable

(03:18):
care for everyone.

Speaker 1 (03:19):
In childcare too, I saw it.

Speaker 2 (03:20):
Yes, definitely, he frames universal affordable childcare not just as
a family issue, but as a core economic and social
justice issue.

Speaker 1 (03:28):
Right.

Speaker 2 (03:29):
And finally, climate action. He's proposing some pretty ambitious environmental goals,
big investments and renewable energy infrastructure policies to cut the
city's carbon footprint, really responding to those growing climate concerns.
You know, the weird weather, the occasional earthquake now even wow.

Speaker 1 (03:46):
So putting it all together, yeah, he sounds like a
very clear voice for those wanting a real break for
more centrist politics.

Speaker 2 (03:52):
I think that's fair to say he's a compelling figure
for that wing in the party. If he runs for mayor,
and it looks likely he will, it's going to set
up a really significant ideological debate in that primary.

Speaker 1 (04:03):
Okay, let's broaden out then talk about the whole twenty
twenty five election landscape. First, the incumbent Eric Adams. He
can run again, and everyone expects him to.

Speaker 2 (04:12):
Write yes, absolutely, he's eligible for a second term, and
all signs point to him.

Speaker 1 (04:17):
Running and his platform, it's generally been focused on public safety,
getting the economy back on track, and what he likes
to call pragmatic governance, getting stuff done right.

Speaker 2 (04:28):
He'll run on his record, his handling of the city
post pandemic, his approach to crime. But as you mentioned,
he is a Democrat, but his policies, well, they definitely
get pushed back from the party's progressive wing.

Speaker 1 (04:39):
No question. So, given how heavily democratic New York City is,
the real action is probably going to be in the
Democratic primary.

Speaker 2 (04:46):
Almost certainly. That primary is usually where the election is
effectively decided, and it often gets crowded, lots of candidates
trying to appeal to different parts of that very diverse
Democratic base.

Speaker 1 (04:55):
It's going to be fascinating to watch. Now here's where
it gets really interesting, I think. Yeah, the impact of
ranked choice voting.

Speaker 2 (05:04):
Ah, yes, crucially for.

Speaker 1 (05:06):
Anyone who isn't totally clear on it. Can you just
break down how that works in New York City and
why it matters so much here?

Speaker 2 (05:13):
Sure, it's it's vital to understand this race. So instead
of just picking one person, you rank the candidates first choice,
second choice, third choice, and so on. As many as
you want. Okay, Then if no single candidate gets more
than fifty percent of the first choice votes right off
the bat.

Speaker 1 (05:30):
Which seems likely in a crowded field, very.

Speaker 2 (05:32):
Likely, then the candidate with the fewest first choice votes
gets eliminated. But their votes aren't just thrown out, they
get redistributed to whoever those voters put as their second choice. Wow,
And that process repeats eliminate the lowest, redistribute their votes
based on the next preference until one candidate finally crosses
that fifty percent threshold and has a majority.

Speaker 1 (05:52):
So it forces candidates to think beyond just their hardcore
base exactly.

Speaker 2 (05:56):
It encourages them to build broader appeal. You want to
be people's second or even third choice, not just their first.
For someone like mom Donnie who might have a really
passionate base but needs broader support picking up those second
and third place votes from people who maybe initially preferred
someone else, that could be his path, it's huge.

Speaker 1 (06:16):
That completely changes the campaign strategy. Okay, so besides Adams
and Moundani, who else might jump in? We hear names
like maybe some borough presidents, city council members. Justin Brandon's
name comes up, sometimes.

Speaker 2 (06:28):
Yeah, you'll likely see other established Democrats test the waters
Borough presidents, senior council members like Brannon, maybe others on
the Republican side. Look, you might see names like Andy
Ogles or Charlie Kirk pop up in online searches because
they're national figures, right, But realistically, realistically, any serious Republican
challenger would be a local New York figure, someone focused

(06:50):
on you know, public safety, fiscal issues. But let's be honest,
it's a very steep climb for any Republican in a
citywide race in New York.

Speaker 1 (06:57):
Definitely an uphill battle. Okay, before we get to the
issues themselves, let's clear up some some noise that's out there,
some misconceptions. We see keywords popping up like Guomo versus
Mom Donnie. Okay, let's unpack this. What's really going on?
There is Cuomo running.

Speaker 2 (07:12):
For mayor, right, It's important to be really clear on this.
Andrew Cuomo, the former governor, has given absolutely no indication
he plans to run for mayor of New York City.

Speaker 1 (07:20):
None.

Speaker 3 (07:20):
None.

Speaker 2 (07:21):
When you see things like Cuomo concedes election or talk
about his concession speech, that all refers back to his
resignation as governor in August twenty twenty one. That was
amidst multiple scandals. It has nothing to do with a
mayoral race against Mom Donni or anyone else.

Speaker 1 (07:38):
So no secret Cuomo mayoral campaign.

Speaker 2 (07:40):
No, and there haven't been any legitimate Quomo versus Mom
Donnie pulls for mayor because while it's not a thing,
Eric Adams is the current mayor.

Speaker 1 (07:48):
Good to clarify, and along those same lines, we sometimes
see questions like did Mombani win or who won New
York mayor as if the election's already done.

Speaker 2 (07:56):
Yeah, that's just way premature. It's crucial for everyone to
remember today is June twenty eighth, twenty twenty five. The
election hasn't happened yet.

Speaker 1 (08:04):
The Democratic primary is still months away than the general
election after that, So any talk about Noriik mayoral election
results twenty twenty five or who won, it's purely speculation
right now. The campaigns are really just getting started.

Speaker 2 (08:17):
Okay, And one last bit of noise clearing. We see
other names sometimes associated vaguely with this, like Emily Rattachowski,
Laura Gillen, Robert Reich, Cynthia Nixon, even athletes like Natasha
Cloud or Brandon Johnson.

Speaker 1 (08:31):
Yeah, it's look, those individuals, for various reasons, might pop
up in related searches or discussions, but they aren't expected
to be actual candidates or major players in this specific
NYC mayoral election. Of course, Zordian's father, Mahmoud Mamdani, is
relevant context for his background, but the others not really
direct factors here, got it?

Speaker 2 (08:51):
So let's pull this all together. Then, what's the big picture?
What does a contest like this Adams the incumbent versus
Mamdannie the progressive challenger. What does it really mean for
New York's city's future.

Speaker 1 (09:00):
I think you said it earlier. It really is shaping
up as a referendum on the city's direction. You're going
to have very different visions for New York's future laid out,
and the core issues aren't going away, not at all.

Speaker 3 (09:10):
They'll be front and center. Public safety obviously, how do
you balance effective policing with criminal justice reform? How do
you build community trust? That's a huge debate always is
then affordability and not just housing though that's massive, but
also job creation, support.

Speaker 1 (09:27):
For small businesses, just the insane cost of living here.
We'll also hear a lot about infrastructure, the subways, bridges,
dealing with climate change impacts, investing in that aging infrastructure
versus other priorities. Education two, the school system is enormous, huge,
the future of public schools, tackling those deep inequalities that'll
be a major battleground. And sort of overarching all of

(09:49):
this is governance itself. Leadership. Who do voters trust to
actually manage this incredibly complex city, its massive budget and
try to unite, you know, a very diverse population.

Speaker 3 (10:01):
It's a massive job. And we'll see things like primary polls,
maybe those polymarket prediction markets, trying to gauge the sentiment
as things heat up.

Speaker 2 (10:08):
For sure, people will be looking for any indicator. And
of course the NYC Board of Elections will be overseeing
the whole mechanical process, registration, early voting, the count itself.
They've got a big job too.

Speaker 1 (10:19):
So wrapping up the twenty twenty five New York City
mayoral election really does feel like a critical juncture for
the city. With Zoron Mamdani stepping up as this strong
progressive voice challenging Eric Adams, it seems like you the
voter are geting to get a very clear choice between
quite different philosophies of governing.

Speaker 2 (10:39):
Absolutely, and maybe a final thought to leave people with,
really consider how ranked choice voting plays into all this.
It's not just a technicality. It could genuinely shape how
candidates campaign, who they try to appeal to be on
their base, maybe even the kinds of alliances that form.
It could fundamentally change the outcome and therefore the future
direction of this iconic city. Something to definitely keep in

(10:59):
mind as this race unfolds.

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Mamdani and New York's Mayoral Future (2025) (1)

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