Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic Party’s nominee for New York City mayor, is no longer finding it as easy to film social media videos that made his name, given his popularity with passersby on the streets of the Big Apple.
Since securing an upset victory over front-runner Andrew Cuomo in their party’s primary last month, Mamdani, 33, has risen to national prominence and is now frequently stopped for selfies and handshakes wherever he goes.
However, the candidate has turned the situation to his advantage, posting an amusing clip on Instagram and TikTok that compiles the many interruptions he experienced from star-struck members of the public as he tried to shoot a campaign promo in Manhattan recently.
Frequently creasing up laughing, Mamdani can barely get his pitch started before being accosted by pedestrians and cyclists who approach him one after another, keen to embrace him, congratulate him, and wish him well.
“I voted for somebody that won something!” one man declares in mock relief as he greets the state assemblyman. “Congratulations!”
The star of the clip is a woman in sunglasses who is so pleased to see Mamdani that she cannot pull herself together sufficiently to take a picture of them together on her phone, forcing the mayoral contender to step in and help her out.
The video drew a warm reaction on social media, with one commentator observing: “This is Obama-level enthusiasm behind this guy. NYC, your future is bright!”
Mamdani will take on incumbent Eric Adams, running as an independent, in November’s election, as well as Republican challenger Curtis Silwa and potentially Cuomo, too, if he ultimately decides to continue his run without a major party affiliation.
The self-described democratic socialist ran on a platform of making New York a more affordable place to live and has pledged to increase taxes for its wealthiest residents to pay for outreach programs, going so far as to tell NBC’s Meet the Press that there should be no billionaires in a fair society.
He has been attacked by conservatives since triumphing over Cuomo, with Adams accusing him of being born with a silver spoon in his mouth and having “manicured nails” and President Donald Trump calling him a “communist lunatic” and threatening to deport him, despite Mamdani being a naturalized U.S. citizen since 2018.
The progressive hit back at Trump by saying: “His statements don’t just represent an attack on our democracy but an attempt to send a message to every New Yorker who refuses to hide in the shadows: if you speak up, they will come for you. We will not accept this intimidation.”
The stage is set for many more battles between the two men should Mamdani continue his rise in November.
