The Take: How Zohran Mamdani shocked New York

Why everyone is talking about New York City’s new mayoral frontrunner.

Zohran Mamdani gestures as he speaks during a watch party for his primary election.
Zohran Mamdani gestures as he speaks during a watch party for his primary election, which includes his bid to become the Democratic candidate for New York City mayor in the upcoming November 2025 election, in New York City, US, June 25, 2025 [David 'Dee' Delgado/TPX Images of the Day via Reuters]

Thirty-three years old, socialist, Muslim – and now, the likely Democratic nominee for mayor of New York City – Zohran Mamdani was barely known a few months ago. Today, he may be the most popular political voice of a generation. How did he get here – and could he be here to stay?

In this episode:

Episode credits:

This episode was produced by Ashish Malhotra, Sonia Bhagat, Amy Walters, with Phillip Lanos, Spencer Cline, Melanie Marich, Remas Al Hawari, Kisaa Zehra, Mariana Navarette, and our host, Manuel Rapalo. It was edited by Kylene Kiang and Noor Wazwaz. 

Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Our video editor is Hisham Abu Salah. Alexandra Locke is The Take’s executive producer. Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera’s head of audio. 

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Source: Al Jazeera

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