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By winning the Mayoralty of\u00a0New York<\/a>,\u00a0Zohran Mamdani<\/a>\u00a0didn\u2019t just beat a rival.<\/p>\n The self-described Democratic Socialist beat an entire brand of centrist, steady-as-she-goes politics<\/a>\u00a0that implies voters are frightened little birds who can\u2019t take harsh realities, espoused by his rival Andrew Cuomo.<\/p>\n Instead, Cuomo and other centrist Democrats think people must be coaxed along with buzzwords and a tried and tested platform \u2013 something we see all too frequently in the UK, too.<\/p>\n Working on Kamala Harris\u2019 2024 presidential campaign, I argued that voters wanted someone to\u00a0\u2018flip the f****ng table\u2019.\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n No one cared whether the table-flipper came from the right like Trump or the left like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.<\/p>\n Voters wanted an outsider<\/a>\u00a0\u2013 they just cared about change, because the whole damn system \u2013 from healthcare to cost of living and immigration to transport \u2013 wasn\u2019t working for them.<\/p>\n It\u2019s easy to run on fear and provocation, and just hope voters will fall in line.<\/p>\n But Mamdani ran on something different: Hope, with a clear and present plan for change \u2013 and his win gives politicians on this side of the Atlantic a lesson, if they are bold enough to embrace it.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Make everyday life cheaper and easier, and do it like you mean it.<\/p>\n Mamdani\u2019s key pledges \u2013 homes people can actually afford, freezing rent, expanding tenants\u2019 rights and free buses paid for by a hefty tax on the wealthy \u2013 spoke directly to New Yorkers\u2019 lives.<\/p>\n That clarity delivered a major upset against a three-term governor and the incumbent mayor in the primary, then a\u00a0sweeping victory<\/a>\u00a0in the general election.<\/p>\n Unlike Cuomo, Mamdani named the villains, and was vocal in his opposition to them.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/badvibes.live\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/GettyImages-2245071726-300x200.webp\")
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