Who Is Zohran Mamdani? AOC Backs Democratic Assemblyman In NYC Mayoral Race - Black Promoters Collective (BPC)
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Who Is Zohran Mamdani? AOC Backs Democratic Assemblyman In NYC Mayoral Race

June 5, 2025
Home > News > Who Is Zohran Mamdani? AOC Backs Democratic Assemblyman In NYC Mayoral Race

Ocasio-Cortez confirmed her vote for Mamdani, a democratic socialist, in a Thursday interview with The New York Times, saying the race would intensify in the final weeks leading up to the June 24 primary as they work to defeat former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

What did AOC say about Zohran Mamdani?

“Assemblymember Mamdani has demonstrated a real ability on the ground to put together a coalition of working-class New Yorkers that is strongest to lead the pack,” Ocasio-Cortez said. “In the final stretch of the race, we need to get very real about that.”

Mamdani speaks out on social media

Early Thursday morning, Mamdani took to X, formerly known as Twitter, and praised Ocasio-Cortez for her ongoing contributions to their shared political movement.

“Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is a once-in-a-generation leader who has led the fight for working people in Congress. In 2018, she shocked the world and transformed our politics. On June 24, with @AOC’s support and this movement behind us, we will do the same,” he wrote.

Ocasio-Cortez, 35, of the Bronx, and Mamdani, 33, of Queens, are millennial progressives who share core values on key issues aimed at advancing the interests of all New Yorkers. Community-focused matters, such as transportation, affordable housing and child care, are just some of the priorities these politicians share.

Who is Zohran Kwame Mamdani?

Mamdani was elected to represent District 36 in the New York State Assembly in 2020 and took office the following year. Born in Uganda and raised in New York City, he has built his political career on advocating for working-class communities, as stated on his website.

In recent years, Mamdani has played a key role in securing over $450 million in debt relief for taxi drivers and delivering more than $100 million in state funds to improve subway service and pilot fare-free bus programs. He also helped lead community efforts to block the development of a polluting power plant.

Mamdani has outlined a plan for each of the following issues that continue to affect New Yorkers:

  • Freeze the rent on all rent-stabilized apartments.
  • Fast, fare-free buses — make transit access affordable for city residents.
  • The Department of Community Safety — ensure safety in all communities by implementing mental health programs and crisis response with outreach workers, medical services and more.
  • No-cost child care — relieve the financial burden on mothers and families who cannot afford proper care for their children.
  • City-owned grocery stores — help keep prices low and affordable for New Yorkers to have access to food items.
  • Housing by and for New York — continue to focus on affordable housing and combat discriminatory actions.
  • Cracking down on bad landlords — hold homeowners accountable for lack of repairs, proper utilities and other issues that affect tenants.
  • Tax on big corporations — bring down the cost of living and inflation by tackling wealthy companies.

Cuomo takes the lead in latest poll

Mamdani has built his campaign around these issues as he seeks to become New York City’s next mayor. However, a recent Marist poll shows him in second place with 18%, trailing Cuomo, who leads with 37%.

Cuomo also takes a sharp lead in four out of the five boroughs:

According to the poll, Brooklyn had the tightest race, with Cuomo and Mamdani tied at 25%. Cuomo led in every other borough, including the Bronx (50%), Queens (48%), Manhattan (32%) and Staten Island (48%), while Mamdani consistently placed second or third behind him.

Other Democratic candidates, such as City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams and former City Comptroller Scott Stringer, had some support in certain areas.

What happened at the Democratic mayoral debate?

On Wednesday night, the Democratic candidates held their first New York City mayoral debate, with all nine primary contenders sharing their plans for New Yorkers as the city’s next mayor. At the event, both Mamdani and Cuomo traded jabs in how they would handle President Donald Trump.

“Donald Trump would go through Mr. Mamdani like a hot knife through butter. He’s been in government 27 minutes. He passed three bills, that’s all he’s done. He has no experience with Washington, no experience with New York City. He would be Trump’s delight,” Cuomo said, according to CBS News.

Mamdani responded, touting his success rate fighting for New Yorkers and the issues that matter most to them.

“Look, it’s true that I don’t have experience with corrupt Trump billionaires who are funding my campaign. I don’t have experience with party politics and insider consultants. I do have experience, however, with winning $450 million in debt relief for thousand of working class taxi drivers,” Mamdani said, per the outlet.