Astead Herndon

He thinks about his association with the Democratic Socialists of America.

Call it democracy or call it democratic socialism.

He also talks about his association with the Muslim Democratic Club of America, that campaigns he's been a part of throughout that group had taught him about reaching out to Muslim and South Asian groups.

And that kind of growing coalition, that growing community in the city, he felt was an untapped political resource and a place that could really rally around him.

The third thing I think is important is what he calls the root of his political formation, which is his pro-Palestinian advocacy.

This is someone who started a chapter for Students for Justice in Palestine in college.

This is someone who has been part of those organizing efforts over the year and most recently was part of the Democratic movement to push back against Joe Biden in terms of voting uncommitted in New York.

Because he is an early advocate for a ceasefire, because he is an early critic of Democrats standing with Netanyahu, that drives people toward him in the early stages of that primary in the way that other folks really weren't able to do.

The other way that Mamdani stuck out, of course, is through his use of social media.

My team says I move my hands too much in these videos.

So for this one, they're staying in my pockets.

And I would say it's important to note that this was very intentional.

When I talked to people who were connecting with Zoran during his kind of early stages of the race, he was saying, I know I'm going to be outraised in terms of money.

I'm going to have to create a movement that also exists online.

He studied AOC and her digital communication.

This is someone who is the son of a filmmaker, was really interested in the ways of those early storytelling films.

Someone who had a previous rap career and has thought about music videos and things like that.

And he was really coming into this race thinking, how do I make sure I'm not just creating a field organization, but a digital organization?

It is undeniable that Andrew Cuomo was able to drive up votes, particularly among the kind of Republican or more conservative strongholds in New York City, in the Orthodox community.

It's true that among kind of younger Jewish voters, particularly in places like Brooklyn, there were a lot of voters who saw no problem with their own faith and identity and voting for Zohar Mamdani.