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Dear John,

Zohran Mamdani’s victory last night in New York City was nothing short of historic. Rising from just 1% in early primary polls, he will now become the city’s first Muslim and first South Asian mayor - and the youngest elected in more than a century.

New Yorkers turned out in record numbers. Mamdani swept younger generations, winning young men - a key Trump demographic in 2024 - by an astonishing 40 points. His triumph came amid a broader wave of Democratic victories across the United States, suggesting the public is quickly turning on Trump.

For years, politicians like Trump and Farage have thrived on fear and division, blaming minorities, migrants, and multiculturalism for society’s problems. Mamdani’s campaign faced the full force of that playbook. Team Trump called him a “jihadist,” warned of “sharia law,” and hurled every racist trope imaginable. But it wasn’t enough.

Even his Democratic opponent, former Governor Andrew Cuomo, resorted to similar tactics - laughing when an interviewer claimed Mamdani would have “celebrated” the 9/11 attacks. A member of a political dynasty who resigned amid serious scandals, Cuomo embodied much of what voters on both sides of the Atlantic have come to resent about the political establishment: entitlement, condescension, and the belief that power is something owed, not something earned.

Mamdani offered the opposite. He built his campaign around the idea of community - celebrating New York’s diversity and focusing on what unites people across class, culture, and faith. He spoke about real issues that affect everyone: the cost of living, housing, and public transport. As he told supporters in his victory speech:

“This city is your city, and this democracy is yours too.”

This is Trump’s worst nightmare, and his furious response was predictable. He had already threatened to deport Mamdani and pull federal funding from New York. There’s no doubt: tough challenges lie ahead for the city and its new Mayor.

But the campaign seems to have sparked something. Perhaps politicians will learn that bending the knee to hate isn’t something you have to do to win. That politics can be about material issues that impact everyday people - groceries, buses, and rent - rather than a never-ending culture war.

All the best,

Matt Gallagher

Communications Officer

Open Britain
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