Chapter 1: What significant political event is celebrated in this episode?
Friends, we have toppled a political dynasty.
Zohran Mamdani will be New York City's 111th mayor. He celebrated his win last night by thanking some of his constituents.
I speak of Yemeni bodega owners and Mexican abuelas. Senegalese taxi drivers and Uzbek nurses.
Chapter 2: Who is Zohran Mamdani and what makes his election historic?
Trinidadian lime cooks and Ethiopian aunties.
In other races last night in New Jersey and Virginia, the Democratic candidates weren't firebrands like Mamdani, but they won anyway. Reporters asked President Trump about the little blue wave this morning.
We had an interesting evening and we learned a lot.
Coming up on Today Explained, have the Democrats learned how to stop losing?
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Chapter 3: What factors contributed to Mamdani's voter turnout success?
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Stand clear of the closing doors, please. The next stop will be Today Explained. Today Explained will be next. Vox's Astead Herndon, you were in New York City last night covering everything. Tell me what happened.
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.
Mamdani! Mamdani! Mamdani! Mamdani!
You were talking Mamdani voters last night. You were out in the streets. You were at a couple of parties. Where did you go and what did you hear?
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.
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Chapter 4: How did Mamdani connect with diverse communities in New York City?
So this was one of the first big races since the 2024 election when President Trump won. One of the first big races that we're told can sort of tell us how the Democratic Party is doing. What are the lessons from this race, do you think?
I think there's several. You know, I was really up close to the Democratic Party's retreat from working class Americans. I saw it. I felt it. I could feel them increasingly become obsessed with things that were not tangible to people. Things like representation being there deliverable for Black and Latino communities over kitchen table economic prices style things.
of stepping away from unions, things like that. And I think what Mamdani – one of the lessons of Mamdani is a return to a type of politics that people can feel. And I think beyond the kind of right-left center of it all, that's a lesson that Democrats can take in.
Part of that authenticity that we were hearing people liked about him from the watch party comes not only in the consistency of his beliefs, but the fact that his policies are targeted – at those same communities who powered his rise.
And so more, I think, than even the values that Mamdani holds, I think there is a broader lesson that the way you build trust, the way you build authenticity is by coming from a place where you're shaping your policies around your actual beliefs. What Mamdani does is start from his premise. And so, you know, when I'm at that rally, And he says, freeze the, and the crowd can reply.
Or, you know, make buses fast and they can reply. That reminds me of the moment at the Trump rally where he says, build the wall. There's a tangible expectation that the value itself is what's driving the policy and voters can latch on to it. And I'm saying that's, I think, a lesson is to be able to have things that people can feel and people can be excited about.
Vox is a stead Herndon. You want to stick around for the second half?
Yeah, let's do it.
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Chapter 5: What strategies did Mamdani use to win the Democratic primaries?
Words like the charge of antisemitism was not inherently off-putting. And so those are a lot of methods that the centrist kind of moderate wing is used to having. And so they're going to have to find a different way to win other than just telling people we're more electable. Because I don't think that reasoning has the same validity among Democrats.
Vox is a stead, Herndon. Thanks so much, a stead.
Thank you. I appreciate it.
Ariana Espudu and Miles Bryan produced today's show. Amina El-Sadi edited. Patrick Boyd and Adrienne Lilly are our engineers. And Laura Bullard and Denise Gerachek, the facts. I'm Noelle King. It's Today Explained. Remember, you can go to vox.com slash members to take advantage of our membership sale.