Zohran Mamdani's Magnificent First Two Weeks
The new mayor is living up to his promise: the left can govern
The biggest risk to the American left wasn’t that Zohran Mamdani would lose the race for mayor of New York City. The biggest risk was that he would win and fail to govern. If Mamdani had lost to Andrew Cuomo, anti-leftists in the media and political establishment would have gloated for a bit. But then they’d have moved on, and the socialist would have become a forgotten footnote in New York political history. However, if Mamdani won and became an ineffective mayor who was blocked by Albany, embarrassed by the NYPD, and resented by New Yorkers, the damage would be extensive. Tales of a struggling administration would dominate local and national media for four long years, permanently staining the left’s reputation. Any time someone to the left of Elizabeth Warren ran for office, they would be rebuked by cynical opponents who would point to New York City and say, “They tried socialism there, and it didn’t work.”
That is why the first two weeks of Zohran Mamdani’s mayoralship have been a long sigh of relief. Right from the closing remarks of his inaugural speech, America’s Mayor has taken this burden head-on:
“What we achieve together will reach across the five boroughs and it will resonate far beyond. There are many who will be watching. They want to know if the left can govern. They want to know if the struggles that afflict them can be solved. They want to know if it is right to hope again.
So, standing together with the wind of purpose at our backs, we will do something that New Yorkers do better than anyone else: we will set an example for the world.”
Recognizing that a leftist like himself would have a shortened honeymoon before establishment forces counterattacked, Mamdani wasted no time in showing New Yorkers that they were correct to elect him. What he has accomplished in his first two weeks dwarfs what some politicians achieve in two decades.
Hours after being sworn in, Mamdani signed an executive order restating the Mayor’s Office to Protect Tenants. Described as a coordinating body that directs city agencies to protect tenants’ rights and “stand up to landlords,” the MOPT will hear claims from renters and pursue legal action to address unsafe and illegal living conditions — the very kind Mamdani spotlighted during his first act as mayor.
After Cea Weaver, an acclaimed tenant organizer and DSA member, was announced as the MOTP’s leader, conservatives tried to unseat her with a smear campaign. Hoping to sink the commissioner they knew would hold landlords to account, the real estate lobby tried to do cancel culture on Weaver by dredging up old tweets. (The hypocrisy is laughable.) But Mamdani told them to kick rocks with open-toed shoes and stood by his appointee — a win for mistreated renters and a good sign of the new mayor’s spine.
During his campaign, Mamdani’s three policy pillars were derided by the political elite as impossible and unserious. Here’s how Annie Lowrey, the spouse of Abundance author Ezra Klein, disparaged them in The Atlantic.
“[Mamdani] is a leftist in the Bernie Sanders mold, with a raft of great-sounding policies. Free buses! Free child care! Cheap groceries! Frozen rents! But a lot of these are impractical at best. Free buses would deprive the MTA of needed revenue. Free child care would require a mammoth tax hike that Albany would need to approve, which it has shown no interest in doing.”
Before he had even moved into Gracie Mansion, Mamdani and New York Governor Kathy Hochul announced the launch of free child care for two-year-olds. Called 2-Care, the program will launch with two years of state funding, providing free childcare for 2,000 families, with plans to extend across the city by the fourth year of operation. 2-Care complements New York’s existing childcare programs for three and four-year-olds, bringing working families closer to the ultimate goal of universal childcare. It took Mayor Bill de Blasio months to win a less-progressive version of childcare from former state governor and current unemployed sex pest Andrew Cuomo. Mamdani won a more significant program in a fraction of the time.
A less-glamorous policy came in the announcement of new public restrooms across the five boroughs. Though unlikely to generate the social media attention Zohran is known for, something as simple as public infrastructure serves as an ever-present reminder that the mayor is committed to improving his constituents' lives. As Mamdani said at the potty press conference, public restrooms provide New Yorkers an alternative to the over-commercialization of capitalism.
“In the greatest city in the world, you should not have to spend $9 to buy a coffee just to be able to find a little relief.”
While I’m the first to start debates, it’s crucial to remember that intellectualism and theory alone won’t convince the working class to choose socialism over capitalism. That can only be done by proving to them that the collective, de-commodified existence is preferable to the capitalist hellscape. Public toilets and other minute benefits might be a small stone paving the road to socialism. But they are a stone nonetheless.
On the labor front, Mamdani gave full-throated support to the largest nurses’ strike in New York City history before security pulled him out to avoid being mobbed. The video of him leaving is more akin to a rockstar meeting fans than a politician greeting constituents.
To help combat the hyper-exploitation of the gig economy, the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection sued food delivery app Motoclick for stealing wages and tips from delivery drivers. Two days prior, the Mamdani administration released a report accusing DoorDash and Uber Eats of “tricking” workers out of $550 million in tips. No lawsuit has been filed against the two delivery behemoths yet. But the report and subsequent press conference are a clear warning shot to the exploitative tech industry from the mayor: respect your workers or else.
“This is an indicator of the new era that we are here in New York City, and that is a new era where it’s not just holding Motoclick to account, but it’s holding any app company to account if they are operating outside of the rules and the laws of New York.”
In addition to the camera-catching moments of Mayor Mamdani’s first two weeks, there has been a constant stream of lesser-known but equally awesome developments. He canceled all executive orders issued by Eric Adams on or after September 26, 2024, the day the former mayor was indicted on federal corruption charges, and established a commission to curb excessive fees on small businesses. The Taxi and Limousine Commission is rarely newsworthy. But the appointment of Midori Valdivia captured the media’s attention by bringing Mamdani’s career-long support of taxi drivers, who he joined on a 15-day hunger strike to fight medallion debt in 2021, full circle. Apparently, the mayor became the God Emperor of NYC’s biking community when he paved over what the local press called the “notorious Williamsburg Bridge bump.” As I said, sometimes the little things make all the difference.
While municipal officials hold zero sway over foreign policy, Mamdani has brought his commitment to Palestinian liberation into New York City law. Day one executive orders revoked an Adams-era prohibition on city agencies boycotting and divesting from Israel, while another rescinded the adoption of the IHRA’s definition of anti-semitism that includes criticism of Israel. The Mamdani camp exceeded my expectations when the New York Attorney General announced that she had disbanded the Zionist hate group Betar, which routinely harasses and assaults pro-Palestine demonstrators. However, this area has also been the first point of friction for the Mamdani administration. A court struck down his attempt to block an Israeli real estate company’s $451 million acquisition, and Palestinian activists have called for him to move against Synagogues selling stolen Palestinian land. I’m unsure what avenues the mayor would have to stop these sales. But if they exist, he should pursue them to the best of his ability to live up to his promise to ensure New York City follows international law.
An outstanding question remains about NYPD Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch, whom Mamdani kept on despite the wishes of some of his supporters. The mayor curbed the commissioner’s power with a first-day executive order that demoted Tisch to report to a deputy mayor. However, when later asked, Mamdani said Tisch would report “directly to him.” It’s unclear whether this was a declaration to amend the order or a throwaway line to get the media off his back. Currently, the order still stands, so Tisch is still technically two levels beneath the mayor’s office. Time will tell if she remains there.
It is important to call out these hiccups for two reasons. First, we should constructively criticize socialist elected officials. (Though I must reiterate the “constructive” in constructive criticism.) Second, I don’t want to create the illusion that Zohran Mamdani’s mayorality will be without mistakes, misteps, and missed opportunities. The job of a left-wing activist is very different from that of an elected politician. It will take time and practice to learn how to govern. Not just for America’s Mayor, but for the American left. There will be growing pains during Mamdani’s administration. But those are good problems to have.
If Zohran Mamdani’s remaining weeks are even a fraction as good as his first two, he’ll achieve his goal and prove the left can govern effectively. More effectively than anyone else, perhaps.
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In Solidarity — Joe
You left out the part of his response to having Tisch report to a deputy mayor that it referred to everyday stuff that didn’t require his input. In that light, it’s actually common sense.
We are all hoping he succeeds!