Don’t mess with the Zohran

Let’s talk about the political outsider who defeated an established political dynasty. No, not Trump. 

Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic candidate for New York City Mayor, has emerged victorious, defeating establishment favourite Andrew Cuomo, taking City Hall. In the lead-up to election night, think pieces flooded the press dissecting his Democratic Socialist credentials, ambitious reform agenda, and proposals for handling Trump-era policies in America’s cultural capital. 

What caught the attention of the SAS Group in the land down under, however, wasn’t ideology but execution — the way Mamdani, like Trump, bridged traditional grassroots politics with modern digital fluency, reigniting civic participation in a city long numbed by political fatigue. 

Mamdani’s campaign was anchored in the lived experience of New York. His footage shows him steering clear of the postcard landmarks—Times Square, Wall Street and the Empire State Building—and instead walking the pavements of Queens, Brooklyn and the Bronx—the boroughs that reflect the city’s diversity and grit. While Andrew Cuomo’s campaign leaned into AI-generated slop and million-dollar marketed slogans, Mamdani took the opposite route, relying on volunteers willing to doorknock, talk to strangers and keep the constant energy. His base, motivated by a shared sense of disruption and possibility, did much of the heavy lifting early in the campaign. 

If his ground game gave the campaign its backbone, social media gave it its pulse. The son of Oscar-nominated filmmaker Mira Nair, Mamdani understands the power of storytelling. Rather than relying on polished, corporate-style messaging, his online presence feels unfiltered and real. That sense of genuineness – of speaking directly rather than through handlers – has built a sense of trust amongst supporters and amplified his reach. His short, candid videos broke through the noise of political advertising; they were raw, conversational and fluently demonstrated the various textures of daily life. He spoke directly to migrant and diverse communities, offering a tone that felt both inclusive and unvarnished.

At the heart of his message was a unifying issue: affordability. Mamdani recognised that every political fissure is rooted in cost of living – survival in a city increasingly unaffordable. His pledges to freeze rent for millions, make buses faster and free, and lower everyday costs through city-owned grocery stores were tangible responses for the everyday New Yorker. In a city where more than thirty percent voted for Donald Trump in 2024, Mamdani’s message reached beyond party lines, appealing to those disillusioned by a lack of movement from establishment politicians. Like Trump, he gave name to a common pain and gave it direction. 

For all the talk about Mamdani’s politics, his victory was about method – meeting people where they are and choosing to listen rather than lecture. In an age of cynicism and spectacle, he offered something refreshingly old-fashioned: hope. 

In today’s volatile political climate, Mamdani emerges as a trailblazer of a new campaigning era—one that echoes, in its own way, the surge that once propelled Trump to power, fuelled by a sharp anti-establishment tone that resonates with a generation weary of political spin and feeling the pinch.