Who’s Afraid of an Indian American Mayor of New York City? Mayor Eric Adams, It Appears

The knives are out. New York City’s embattled Mayor Eric Adams is not taking a chance with an insurgent from the progressive left flank of the Democratic Party — Zohran Mamdani. The mayor is already facing a formidable challenge from the center of the party in the form of Andrew Cuomo, the former governor of the Empire State. He doesn’t need a challenge from a young and charismatic ’socialist’ who can attract the restless and diverse electorate.

Without naming Mamdani, the mayor claimed that the Indian American New York Assemblyman is “spewing antisemitism.” “In our great city, with a large population of Jewish residents, one of the candidates running for mayor is spewing antisemitism,” the New York Post quoted Adams as saying at a recent appearance before the Jewish Community Relations Council.

Alluding to Mamdani’s Muslim faith and his fervent support for Palestinian rights maybe a cheap shot but it clearly falls on fertile ground given that New York City has the largest concentration of Jews in America. Mamdani is the son of Indian origin parents with African roots — he is the son of Indian filmmaker Mira Nair and Indian-born Ugandan academic Mahmood Mamdani.

For Mayor Adams, who has been embroiled in a series of ‘dropped’ federal corruption charges, Mamdani has become “a magnet for attention, ascending in the polls and raising money through a mix of social media savvy and a plain-spoken, everyman approach,” the Post said. Most polls place him third, a remarkable achievement for a candidate once considered a long shot, the New York Times reported.

In the crowded landscape of New York City’s Democratic mayoral primary, Mamdani represents a bold experiment in progressive political messaging—a campaign that simultaneously challenges traditional political narratives and attempts to expand the electorate’s boundaries.

Alluding to Mamdani’s Muslim faith and his fervent support for Palestinian rights maybe a cheap shot but it clearly falls on fertile ground given that New York City has the largest concentration of Jews in America.

Mamdani, a 33-year-old assemblyman from Queens, embodies a complex political paradox. He is a democratic socialist seeking to win in a political environment that has increasingly questioned far-left approaches to governance. Despite the challenges, he has managed to create a unique political momentum that has caught the attention of both political insiders and grassroots activists.

The campaign’s core strategy revolves around addressing economic precarity—proposing bold policies like free buses, a rent freeze, and city-owned grocery stores. This approach targets what political strategists call “discontented strivers”—working-class New Yorkers who feel economic systems have failed them but remain concerned about practical governance issues like public safety.

What makes Mamdani’s campaign particularly intriguing is his focus on traditionally underrepresented voter groups. At the MAS Bronx Muslim Center, he explicitly addressed the low voter turnout among New York’s Muslim population—approximately 12% in the last mayoral election despite over 350,000 registered voters.

“We have a chance to tell the world that Muslims don’t just belong in New York City but that we belong in City Hall,” the New York Times quoted Mamdani as telling the congregants, framing political participation as an act of community empowerment.

Mamdani’s campaign is not without significant challenges. His stance on Israel’s actions in Gaza has drawn criticism, with opponents like hedge fund manager Whitney Tilson launching direct fundraising efforts to “Stop Mamdani” by highlighting his “far-left platform.”

Moreover, he faces the perennial progressive challenge: transforming social media momentum and passionate base support into actual votes. In a primary where turnout rarely exceeds 25% of eligible voters, this remains a critical test.

However, what Mamdani represents is larger than a single mayoral race. According to the New York Times, he embodies a political approach that seeks to expand who gets to imagine political transformation. By speaking directly to communities often overlooked—working-class neighborhoods, Muslim voters, young progressives—he is attempting to rewrite the playbook of urban political campaigning.

“Spread glad tidings,” Mamdani tells his supporters, invoking the Prophet Muhammad while discussing his campaign’s core mission of making city life more affordable. It is a message that transforms political rhetoric into a form of hope.

The ultimate success of his campaign remains uncertain. But Mamdani has already accomplished something significant: he has forced New York’s political establishment to listen to voices traditionally relegated to the margins.