What can progressive politicians in Australia can learn from Zohran Mamdani?
If you haven't heard the name Zohran Mamdani, I don’t blame you.
Why should anyone in South Australia care about what happens in the Mayoral race in New York City. Even though this is just the New York Mayoral race, people around the world have been captured by his historic win and overtly progressive campaign.
Mamdani is a 34-year-old state assemblyman representing Astoria, Queens, New York. He is a practicing Muslim that was born in Uganda, to parents of Indian/African heritage. He has most controversially called himself a Democratic Socialist, which he described on FOX TV as a system that allows everyone to have what “they need to live a dignified life; it's the local government’s responsibility to provide that”.
All of these have historically been markers of a candidate that does not win an election or create a successful movement in the US. However, Zohran Mamdani didn’t let that stop him. After over a year of campaigning, he superseded the Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa and the former Democratic candidate, now Independent, Andrew Cuomo by over 10% of the polls. While his age, identity and progressive policies have been questioned, his success has been shown that optimistic and progressive politics can be effective.
Policies we can afford
The core slogan of his campaign has been ‘A city we can afford’, by implementing free universal childcare, fast and free buses and city-run grocery stores across the city. Cost of living and inflation since the Covid-19 pandemic has been an issue that has affected people worldwide. Mamdani's campaign has been built on many policies that are universally applicable, and are going to make a real world impact on the cost of living for New York citizens. These policies have only come about from his pro-activity in listening and implementing policies that make a tangible impact to the working class people of New York. He plans to implement a tax for only the highest income earners of New York at a flat rate of 2%, that will cover these policies in full.
Political strategy must include social media strategy
His campaign has also embraced a social media strategy like no other campaign before. His brand is cohesive, clear and consistent while still feeling authentic. Using short-form video content to spread his message, he was able to reach demographics traditionally left out of politics. His authenticity has been a stark difference to the often bland traditional media normally associated with political campaigns. This is not just a media facade either, his track record has shown that his policies do reflect his personal values. He was the founder of his college’s chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine and has continued to be a vocal critic of Israel’s occupation. Social media strategy backed by authentic personal values gave him an upper hand to opposing candidates that were unable to compete with this strategic combination.
The centre didn’t win this election
These highly successful campaign tactics have discredited one of the most widely repeated ideas in politics, that ‘elections are won from the centre’. This is a trap that Australian progressive politicians have fallen into in recent decades, running campaigns that ‘play it safe’ while sacrificing the wishes of the voters. Mamdani’s campaign has shown that an unwaveringly progressive campaign that is based on optimistic politics and strong social media presence can win over the ‘median’ voter. Australian progressive politicians have often run campaigns that require a policy or politician to be against, as seen in both the Greens and Labor’s campaigning against then Liberal leader Peter Dutton. Mamdani has shown that proactive and feasible policy can also be successful in winning elections
While New York is a very different place to South Australia, the policies and way Mamdani has conducted his campaign is something that progressives across the world should pay attention to. With state elections in Labor strong holds South Australia and Victoria coming in the next year, it will be interesting to see what they might take away from Mamdani’s campaign.