Astead Herndon

They're definitely our preferred socks for our daughter.

Yeah, I was in New York City for the last step of what has been a come-from-nowhere political story, a historic moment.

you know, ended the Andrew Cuomo political dynasty and, you know, is going to become one of the youngest mayors in New York City's history and the first Muslim mayor in the city's history.

Mamdani really benefited from a huge voter turnout.

There was almost 2 million voters, similar levels to presidential levels that we saw last year, and the highest turnout in the New York City mayoral race in decades.

We went to Astoria, the neighborhood in Queens that is part of Mamdani's district, but also, I think, a place that represents the hue of the Mamdani coalition.

And we were talking to a lot of folks yesterday who talked about voting for the mayor's race for the first time, talking about being excited by his kind of longstanding advocacy, particularly on the pro-Palestinian cause.

But the thing I most remember is how much the word authenticity came up over and over.

More of the kind of right, left.

Like the backroom wheeling and dealing.

That stuff is over, I think.

honest messaging is important.

I think he was genuine with his intentions and he could understand the general public.

There was a sense that the guy we see is the guy we know and we've known for a long time.

We talked to one person about how she remembers Mamdani years ago when he was working with cab drivers as a state assemblyman.

I think that's beyond right and left, but really having a sense and trust of a person and that really driving your connection to them.

Well, this is something he manifested.

Don't want to ask Dora, I'm Donnie the Run.

He really saw an opportunity to step in to a moment where he felt that his life had kind of built him to being able to bring together these different coalitions.

When I asked Mamdani how did he put kind of particularly his primary rise together, he says he started with three different groups.