--:-- [Sound of a podcast intro]
--:-- Leila Fadel: Welcome to Up First from NPR News. I'm Leila Fadel.
--:-- Zohran Mamdani: Thanks for having me on the show.
--:-- Leila Fadel: Today, we're talking with Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic nominee for mayor in New York City. Zohran, thanks for joining us.
--:-- Zohran Mamdani: Thank you.
--:-- Leila Fadel: When you announced your candidacy for New York City mayor last year, it's fair to say a lot of people had no clue who you were and didn't think you had a chance of winning. But the 33-year-old Democratic Socialist is now the Democratic nominee in New York City's mayor's race. It sent a shockwave through our politics.
--:-- Zohran Mamdani: That's right. I think it's fair to say that a lot of people didn't know who I was, and they didn't think I had a chance of winning. But I think that's because they didn't know what I was about.
--:-- Leila Fadel: You're out down with him on Monday, one-on-one for this special episode of Up First from NPR News. Coming up, Zohran Mamdani speaks about what the Democratic Party can learn from his campaign. For far too long, we've thought of politics as removed from people.
--:-- Zohran Mamdani: That's right. I think that's one of the things that's been missing from our politics for a long time. We've been talking about issues, but we haven't been talking to people.
--:-- Leila Fadel: He also talks about the barrage of bigotry he's been getting while running for office. It's been very difficult to see just how much of this hatred has been normalized.
--:-- Zohran Mamdani: Yeah, it's been really tough. I've been getting a lot of hate mail and death threats, and it's been really difficult to deal with.
--:-- Leila Fadel: And I ask him how his faith informs his politics.
--:-- Zohran Mamdani: Well, my faith is very important to me. I'm a Muslim, and I believe in the importance of compassion and empathy.
--:-- Leila Fadel: Thank you for coming in. Thank you very much for having me.
--:-- Zohran Mamdani: It's a pleasure.
--:-- Leila Fadel: So I really want to start with how you did this. I mean, you were a person that most people didn't know your name. They still can't pronounce your name. Struggling. It's spelled like it sounds.
--:-- Zohran Mamdani: Yeah, I know. It's a bit of a challenge.
--:-- Leila Fadel: You did not have the establishment of your party behind you. The paper of record in New York City, the editorial board of that paper, actually asked voters not to rank you at all, and yet you won. How did you do that?
--:-- Zohran Mamdani: Well, I think it's because we were able to connect with people on a personal level. We were able to talk to them about the issues that mattered to them, and we were able to build a coalition of supporters who were passionate about our vision for the city.
--:-- Leila Fadel: And why did voters choose you?
--:-- Zohran Mamdani: I think it's because we offered a clear and compelling vision for the city. We talked about the importance of affordability, and we proposed a number of policies that would help make the city more affordable for working-class New Yorkers.
--:-- Leila Fadel: You know, from the beginning, we wanted to break out of the bubble of New York City politics and into the world of New York City itself.
--:-- Zohran Mamdani: That's right. We wanted to talk to people, not just about issues, but about the way they live their lives.
--:-- Leila Fadel: This is a city that I moved to when I was seven years old. It's where I've grown up. It's where I got my citizenship, where I got married. It's a city that I love.
--:-- Zohran Mamdani: Yeah, I love this city too. And I've been frustrated over many years to see how separate often our politics is from our place.
--:-- Leila Fadel: And we sought especially to increase turnout amongst New Yorkers who hadn't been participating and to register new voters.
--:-- Zohran Mamdani: That's right. We wanted to make sure that everyone had a voice in the city's politics.
--:-- Leila Fadel: And we said that we would do this by espousing a politics of no translation, by speaking directly to the crisis that working people were facing in this city, which is ultimately a crisis of affordability.
--:-- Zohran Mamdani: That's right. We talked about the importance of affordability, and we proposed a number of policies that would help make the city more affordable for working-class New Yorkers.
--:-- Leila Fadel: Because no matter how many politicians try to make it about something else, what we see when we speak to New Yorkers, no matter where they live, no matter who they are, is that they are being pushed out of the city that they love because it's the most expensive city in the United States of America.
--:-- Zohran Mamdani: That's right. We're talking about a city that's becoming increasingly unaffordable for working-class New Yorkers.
--:-- Leila Fadel: After your win, which really stunned a lot of people, the establishment of your party still hasn't really come behind you. leaders in your party not endorsing you yet?
--:-- Zohran Mamdani: Yeah, I think that's because they're still trying to figure out what happened. They're still trying to understand why we were able to win.
--:-- Leila Fadel: I mean, what needs to happen for you to get them on side at this point?
--:-- Zohran Mamdani: I think it's just a matter of time. I think they'll come around once they understand what we're about.
--:-- Leila Fadel: And why haven't they?
--:-- Zohran Mamdani: I think it's because they're still stuck in the old way of doing things. They're still thinking about politics in terms of party loyalty and ideology, rather than in terms of what's best for the city.
--:-- Leila Fadel: You know, I approach coalition building the way that we've approached every day of this campaign. We have to earn support. We have to earn endorsements.
--:-- Zohran Mamdani: That's right. We can't just assume that people will support us because of our party affiliation.
--:-- Leila Fadel: And ultimately, it's been very exciting to see that since Tuesday, even before these results have been certified, we've received the endorsements of Congressman Nadler, of Senator Elizabeth Warren, of State Senator Brad Holman Siegel, who will be the next borough president of Manhattan, the current borough president, Mark Levine, who'll be the next city controller.
--:-- Zohran Mamdani: That's right. We're seeing our coalition expand, and it's a reflection of the fact that our victory on Tuesday was a decisive victory.
--:-- Leila Fadel: We're seeing our coalition expand. And a lot of it is a reflection of the fact that our victory on Tuesday was a decisive victory.
--:-- Zohran Mamdani: We won with a vision that spoke to every single New Yorker.
--:-- Leila Fadel: And ultimately, what I think binds us together, both the endorsers who began this campaign with us and the ones who are joining us now, is that shared belief that this is a city that should be affordable.
--:-- Zohran Mamdani: That's right. We all agree that affordability is the key to making the city work for everyone.
--:-- Leila Fadel: And by building a tent around that affordability, we saw that in the first round of ranked choice voting. We got more votes than Eric Adams did after seven rounds in 2021.
--:-- Zohran Mamdani: That's right. We were able to win places that were considered to be progressive, but also neighborhoods that voted for Donald Trump.
--:-- Leila Fadel: We won neighborhoods that voted for Donald Trump. We won neighborhoods that voted for Eric Adams.
--:-- Zohran Mamdani: And we did so because ultimately, you can actually win people back if you offer them a vision to vote for, not just something to vote against.
--:-- Leila Fadel: Now, the names you just mentioned, some of them were people that Americans would expect to endorse you within your party.
--:-- Zohran Mamdani: That's right. Some of them are people who are part of the establishment.
--:-- Leila Fadel: But there are leaders in your party who have been asked directly. Chuck Schumer, Senator Chuck Schumer, Representative Hakeem Jeffries, both from New York, who were asked directly and still didn't endorse you.
--:-- Zohran Mamdani: Yeah, I think that's because they're still trying to figure out what happened. They're still trying to understand why we were able to win.
--:-- Leila Fadel: So what needs to happen for them to come on side?
--:-- Zohran Mamdani: I think it's just a matter of time. I think they'll come around once they understand what we're about.
--:-- Leila Fadel: Have you met with them?
--:-- Zohran Mamdani: Yeah, I've had conversations with them. I'm looking forward to sitting down with them again.
--:-- Leila Fadel: I've appreciated the conversations I've had with them and the recognition of our campaign's focus on that affordability as being something that is meeting this moment in time.
--:-- Zohran Mamdani: That's right. They're starting to understand what we're about.
--:-- Leila Fadel: And I'm looking forward to sitting down with both of them because ultimately what we see in this primary election is an example of how we can also start to unite our party and build our party such that we can take on and defeat this right-wing authoritarianism we're seeing in Washington, D.C.
--:-- Zohran Mamdani: That's right. We can use this moment to bring our party together and build a stronger coalition.
--:-- Leila Fadel: And I give you that as an analysis because of the fact that in November, New York was the state that swung most towards Donald Trump, 11 and a half points.
--:-- Zohran Mamdani: That's right. We need to understand why that happened and how we can use that to build a stronger coalition.
--:-- Leila Fadel: And that swing happened far from the caricatures of Trump voters. It happened in the hearts of immigrant New York City.
--:-- Zohran Mamdani: That's right. We need to understand the concerns of working-class New Yorkers and how we can address them.
--:-- Leila Fadel: And when I went to Fordham Road in the Bronx, when I went to Hillside Avenue in Queens a few days after that election, and I asked Democrats, who did you vote for and why?
--:-- Zohran Mamdani: Yeah, I went to those neighborhoods too. And what I heard was that people voted for Trump because they felt like they were being pushed out of the city.
--:-- Leila Fadel: They told me again and again, they voted for Donald Trump because they remembered being able to afford their life four years ago more than they could today.
--:-- Zohran Mamdani: That's right. People are feeling the pinch of affordability.
--:-- Leila Fadel: They cited their rent, their groceries, their childcare.
--:-- Zohran Mamdani: Exactly. These are the issues that we need to address.
--:-- Leila Fadel: And I asked them, what would it take to bring you back?
--:-- Zohran Mamdani: Yeah, I asked them that too. And what they said was that they needed a relentless focus on an economic agenda.
--:-- Leila Fadel: And that's what we've led with, with freezing the rent for more than 2 million rent-stabilized tenants, taking the slowest buses in the nation, making them fast and free, and delivering universal childcare.
--:-- Zohran Mamdani: That's right. We're talking about a comprehensive economic agenda that addresses the needs of working-class New Yorkers.
--:-- Leila Fadel: And showing that voters in the same places that had been written about as being lost to the Democrats forever, in places like Diker Heights and Bath Beach and Bensonhurst and College Point across the city, are voters that can still come back if you offer them a vision that they see themselves in.
--:-- Zohran Mamdani: That's right. We're talking about a city that's becoming increasingly unaffordable for working-class New Yorkers.
--:-- Leila Fadel: Let's talk about your policies, Because one of the criticisms that your detractors have is that they sound great.
--:-- Zohran Mamdani: Yeah, I've heard that criticism before.
--:-- Leila Fadel: It sounds great to have free childcare and free buses and groceries that you can afford.
--:-- Zohran Mamdani: That's right. These are all great ideas, but they're not just ideas. They're policies that we need to implement.
--:-- Leila Fadel: But a lot of what you're promising is out of the mayor's hand.
--:-- Zohran Mamdani: That's right. Some of these policies will require state or federal action.
--:-- Leila Fadel: It will have to happen at the state level.
--:-- Zohran Mamdani: That's right. We'll need to work with Albany to make these policies a reality.
--:-- Leila Fadel: Absolutely. Absolutely.
--:-- Zohran Mamdani: What we've seen in our history of our city is, especially since the fiscal crisis, the city is a creature of the state.
--:-- Leila Fadel: Any mayor that has an ambition that meets the scale of the crisis of the people that they're seeking to represent will have to work with Albany.
--:-- Zohran Mamdani: And the reason that I put forward this agenda is not only because it's urgent, but because it's feasible.
--:-- Leila Fadel: And it's just a question of putting in the work and building the coalition.
--:-- Zohran Mamdani: That's right. We need to build a coalition that's strong enough to make these policies a reality.
--:-- Leila Fadel: The same people who will tell you that making every bus free in New York City is a non-starter are the ones who would described my campaign eight months ago as a non-starter.
--:-- Zohran Mamdani: That's right. We've shown that we can build a new kind of politics.
--:-- Leila Fadel: We can build a new kind of coalition and we can deliver actual results.
--:-- Zohran Mamdani: One of the ways or the way that you say you're going to pay for these programs is by increasing the corporate taxes on corporations.
--:-- Leila Fadel: By matching New York State's top corporate tax rate to that of New Jersey.
--:-- Zohran Mamdani: That's right. We are at 7.25 percent. They are at 11.5 percent.
--:-- Leila Fadel: Okay. And then also an income tax on anybody who makes over a million dollars, right? Two percent.
--:-- Zohran Mamdani: That's right. We're talking about a tax on the wealthy and corporations.
--:-- Leila Fadel: The top one percent of New Yorkers.
--:-- Zohran Mamdani: That's right. We're talking about a tax on the top one percent.
--:-- Leila Fadel: Again, that's a non-starter for the governor, Kathy Hochul. She said that.
--:-- Zohran Mamdani: Well, I've appreciated my conversations with the governor, and I'm excited to work together because ultimately we haven't seen enough of that between city and state over many years.
--:-- Leila Fadel: Especially when former governor Cuomo was leading the state.
--:-- Zohran Mamdani: It was often a relationship of animosity and one where New Yorkers didn't even have clarity as to what was a state function or a city function.
--:-- Leila Fadel: Some may remember the fact that the former governor refused to acknowledge that the MTA was actually something that the state was ultimately responsible for.
--:-- Zohran Mamdani: That's right. We need to build a better relationship between the city and state.
--:-- Leila Fadel: I am confident of building that coalition.
--:-- Zohran Mamdani: And the reason is also my own experience as an assembly member.
--:-- Leila Fadel: When I went into Albany in 2021, representing Astoria and Long Island City, I found a different governor there, Andrew Cuomo.
--:-- Zohran Mamdani: And he did not want to raise taxes on billionaires and corporations, the very people who funded his campaigns over the years, to fully fund the public schools that he had starved.
--:-- Leila Fadel: And through the coalition that we built, of which I was one part, we were able to overcome his objections and raise $4 billion in new taxes that would then fund those schools.
--:-- Zohran Mamdani: That's right. We were able to build a coalition that was strong enough to make that happen.
--:-- Leila Fadel: And one thing that I really appreciate about our current governor, Kathy Hochul, is she is laser focused on affordability.
--:-- Zohran Mamdani: That's right. We're talking about a governor who understands the importance of affordability.
--:-- Leila Fadel: And what we've seen is that these policies I'm speaking to you about, they are not just policies that people are voting for incidentally while they're voting for me.
--:-- Zohran Mamdani: That's right. These policies are at the heart of our campaign.
--:-- Leila Fadel: They're voting for this platform.
--:-- Zohran Mamdani: That's right. We're talking about a comprehensive economic agenda that addresses the needs of working-class New Yorkers.
--:-- Leila Fadel: I go around New York City. If I'm at events, I start saying the platform and people finish my sentence.
--:-- Zohran Mamdani: That's right. People are excited about our platform.
--:-- Leila Fadel: I say we're going to freeze the rent, make buses fast and free, deliver universal child care.
--:-- Zohran Mamdani: That's right. These are the policies that we're talking about.
--:-- Leila Fadel: And that's because people know what exactly it is that they deserve.
--:-- Zohran Mamdani: That's right. We're talking about a city that's becoming increasingly unaffordable for working-class New Yorkers.
--:-- Leila Fadel: And I'm confident of being able to deliver on that agenda.
--:-- Zohran Mamdani: That's right. We're talking about a comprehensive economic agenda that addresses the needs of working-class New Yorkers.
--:-- Leila Fadel: But again, what makes you confident about the coalition building when you're hearing the governor say it's a nonstarter?
--:-- Zohran Mamdani: The experience that I've had.
--:-- Leila Fadel: You know, over this campaign, there was a time when many of the ideas we were putting forward were considered to be distinct to our campaign.
--:-- Zohran Mamdani: That's right. Some of these ideas were considered to be radical.
--:-- Leila Fadel: And yet as we built it, more and more candidates started to embrace those same policies.
--:-- Zohran Mamdani: That's right. We've shown that our ideas are not just radical, but they're also popular.
--:-- Leila Fadel: And I am confident of seeing that happen across the political spectrum.
--:-- Zohran Mamdani: That's right. We're talking about a city that's becoming increasingly unaffordable for working-class New Yorkers.
--:-- Leila Fadel: Even Andrew Cuomo in his own transportation plan said that he wanted to explore making buses free.
--:-- Zohran Mamdani: That's right. We're talking about a comprehensive economic agenda that addresses the needs of working-class New Yorkers.
--:-- Leila Fadel: That wasn't a recognition of me as an individual.
--:-- Zohran Mamdani: That's right. It was a recognition of the popularity of that as a proposal.
--:-- Leila Fadel: And when you look at the polling, whether it's for making buses free, whether it's for freezing the rent for rent-stabilized tenants, whether it's even for a network of municipal-owned grocery stores, you see that it has support not just among Democrats, but oftentimes even among independents and Republicans.
--:-- Zohran Mamdani: That's right. We're talking about a city that's becoming increasingly unaffordable for working-class New Yorkers.
--:-- Leila Fadel: And that's what's so exciting about this moment is that we're reshaping the political map and we're showcasing a way that we fight for our democracy not just in opposition to authoritarianism but also by increasing New Yorkers' faith in the ability of that same democracy to deliver to the problems that they're facing on a daily basis.
--:-- Zohran Mamdani: That's right. We're talking about a city that's becoming increasingly unaffordable for working-class New Yorkers.
--:-- Leila Fadel: Do you have a plan B to pay for your policies?
--:-- Zohran Mamdani: Absolutely.
--:-- Leila Fadel: I mean a state cannot go into debt.
--:-- Zohran Mamdani: That's right. We need to make sure that we're paying for these policies in a responsible way.
--:-- Leila Fadel: You have to be able to pay for what you've promised.
--:-- Zohran Mamdani: That's right. We're talking about a comprehensive economic agenda that addresses the needs of working-class New Yorkers.
--:-- Leila Fadel: Again, Governor Hochul has said raising taxes is an onstarter.
--:-- Zohran Mamdani: Well, I am wedded to the outcomes that I spoken about.
--:-- Leila Fadel: The first thing is that we launched this campaign on October 23rd was how we would make this city more affordable freezing the rent making buses fast and free delivering universal childcare.
--:-- Zohran Mamdani: That's right. We're talking about a comprehensive economic agenda that addresses the needs of working-class New Yorkers.
--:-- Leila Fadel: If there are other means by which you can pay for that beyond the taxes we've proposed, by all means, I am ready for that discussion.
--:-- Zohran Mamdani: That's right. We're open to exploring other options.
--:-- Leila Fadel: But ultimately, what I will be judged by is the delivery of these commitments to making the city affordable.
--:-- Zohran Mamdani: That's right. We're talking about a city that's becoming increasingly unaffordable for working-class New Yorkers.
--:-- Leila Fadel: And to me, there are other means by which you can raise revenue.
--:-- Zohran Mamdani: That's right. We're talking about a comprehensive economic agenda that addresses the needs of working-class New Yorkers.
--:-- Leila Fadel: We have looked at a number of different things at city and at state level.
--:-- Zohran Mamdani: That's right. We're exploring all options.
--:-- Leila Fadel: But ultimately, the ones that I think make the most sense are by matching the corporate tax rate of our regional neighbor and by increasing income taxes on the top 1%.
--:-- Zohran Mamdani: That's right. We're talking about a tax on the wealthy and corporations.
--:-- Leila Fadel: In part because even after you accomplish those things, both of those groups of New Yorkers who make a million dollars or more a year or corporations that make millions in profits would still pay less in taxes than they did before Trump's tax cuts in his first administration.
--:-- Zohran Mamdani: That's right. We're talking about a tax on the wealthy and corporations.
--:-- Leila Fadel: And I say that because too often it's described as unrealistic when you have an ambition for working people and the way in which you'll pay for it.
--:-- Zohran Mamdani: That's right. We're talking about a comprehensive economic agenda that addresses the needs of working-class New Yorkers.
--:-- Leila Fadel: But it's actually firmly grounded in our precedent.
--:-- Zohran Mamdani: That's right. We're talking about a city that's becoming increasingly unaffordable for working-class New Yorkers.
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--:-- Leila Fadel: You describe yourself as a democratic socialist.
--:-- Zohran Mamdani: You embrace that label wholeheartedly, and I think that scares some of the people within your own party.
--:-- Leila Fadel: And I think it scares some American voters.
--:-- Zohran Mamdani: How would you explain democratic socialism to American voters?
--:-- Leila Fadel: You know, as a Muslim democratic socialist, I am no stranger to bad PR and having to explain these labels and terms, which many have been taught to fear for many years.
--:-- Zohran Mamdani: This is a language that I learned from Bernie Sanders' 2016 run when he ran for president.
--:-- Leila Fadel: And I understood, in fact, that this was what described my politics.
--:-- Zohran Mamdani: And ultimately, his focus in that time was on income inequality.
--:-- Leila Fadel: And that is my focus in this time.
--:-- Zohran Mamdani: And I think about the words of Dr. King decades ago who said, call it democracy or call it democratic socialism.
--:-- Leila Fadel: There must be a better distribution of wealth for all of God's children in this country.
--:-- Zohran Mamdani: And I find that when I speak to New Yorkers, no matter how they may describe themselves or their politics, they do believe that dignity should be a reality for each and every person that calls the city home.
--:-- Leila Fadel: And sometimes when we just break it down into the ways we interact with our city, libraries and sanitation and public schools, then you realize that, in fact, those are necessary for a dignified life.
--:-- Zohran Mamdani: So is public transit. So is housing. So is child care.
--:-- Leila Fadel: These are not negotiable things or luxury items. They are the building blocks of any person's life in this city.
--:-- Zohran Mamdani: And even with public transit, for example, $2.90 may not seem like a lot to many who are listening.
--:-- Leila Fadel: It's out of reach for one in five New Yorkers.
--:-- Zohran Mamdani: And if it's out of reach for the very New Yorkers for whom we are intending to lift up with so much of our social programs, then we have to interrogate whether this current model is serving that intent.
--:-- Leila Fadel: You made some waves this weekend when you said that you didn't believe that billionaires had the right to exist.
--:-- Zohran Mamdani: What does that mean exactly?
--:-- Leila Fadel: I mean, are you talking about redistribution of wealth where you take money from these billionaires and give them to Americans who make less?
--:-- Zohran Mamdani: I was speaking about the stark nature of income inequality in this city and in this country.
--:-- Leila Fadel: And ultimately, I think the better question is whether working people have the right to exist.
--:-- Zohran Mamdani: Because what we've seen in this city is that more and more working people are being pushed out.
--:-- Leila Fadel: And the vision that I'm speaking about, it's a vision that I want everyone to enjoy and benefit from, including billionaires.
--:-- Zohran Mamdani: And I say this often both in meetings and also in conversations, that though my taxes that I'm proposing are ones that would be on the top 1% of New Yorkers, on the most profitable corporations, it's not taxes that will detract from their life.
--:-- Leila Fadel: It's in fact taxes that will benefit everyone across the city, including those who are being taxed.
--:-- Zohran Mamdani: And we need a better quality of life for all New Yorkers.
--:-- Leila Fadel: And ultimately, this is not an interest in taxation in and of itself.
--:-- Zohran Mamdani: It's an interest in finding revenue to pay for something that will transform life in the city.
--:-- Leila Fadel: So you weren't proposing that your policies would ultimately lead to a New York with no billionaires?
--:-- Zohran Mamdani: No, that's not what I was proposing.
--:-- Leila Fadel: Do you think your views as a democratic socialist is why some of your own party is distancing itself from you, despite this win that you had in New York City?
--:-- Zohran Mamdani: I think people are catching up to Tuesday.
--:-- Leila Fadel: And it may take some people time because what we saw on Tuesday is in many ways in tension with what we've been told about politics for a long time in this city and even in this country.
--:-- Zohran Mamdani: You know, the general conventional wisdom is that the left can only win low turnout elections.
--:-- Leila Fadel: We saw that the top three ages that turned out were 18 to 24, 25 to 29, 30 to 34.
--:-- Zohran Mamdani: That is unlike anything we've seen in this city and in this country.
--:-- Leila Fadel: And coming to terms with something that really reshapes what's possible and what a coalition looks like, it may take some people time.
--:-- Zohran Mamdani: And what's so exciting to me is that this was a campaign that was laser focused on an economic agenda and on making clear that every New Yorker belongs in this city.
--:-- Leila Fadel: They deserve the same respect, the same recognition.
--:-- Zohran Mamdani: And ultimately, what good is it if we call this the greatest city in the world if the people who built it can't afford to live here?
--:-- Leila Fadel: And the increased turnout, it's not just generational.
--:-- Zohran Mamdani: I also say this as the first South Asian elected official, the first Muslim elected official to ever run for mayor.
--:-- Leila Fadel: The turnout in those same communities has been incredible to see.
--:-- Zohran Mamdani: Is your party maybe refusing to learn any lessons from your win?
--:-- Leila Fadel: I mean, are you frustrated at all with your party in the sense that you did something that a lot of people thought was impossible, whether they like your candidacy or not?
--:-- Zohran Mamdani: I'm not frustrated.
--:-- Leila Fadel: I think that what we're seeing now is less than a week since those results.
--:-- Zohran Mamdani: And it sent a shockwave through our politics.
--:-- Leila Fadel: And I think that it will take people time to digest those results.
--:-- Zohran Mamdani: And the fact that so much of this analysis that we have treated as fact is actually out of step with where New Yorkers are.
--:-- Leila Fadel: And I'm excited to earn the support of those that I have spoken to and those that I haven't even met yet.
--:-- Zohran Mamdani: And I think that that's at the core of my desire is not to win an argument or represent the people who've already voted for me, but rather to lead this entire city.
--:-- Leila Fadel: That's eight and a half million people.
--:-- Zohran Mamdani: And I know that I could you know can win this general election with the same number of voters that we had in the primary but that's not the way that you govern.
--:-- Leila Fadel: You govern by ensuring that you look to every New Yorker especially the ones who had questions or doubts or suspicions and you give them the time to actually speak to them.
--:-- Zohran Mamdani: Because what's more New York City than that?
--:-- Leila Fadel: I was having an appreciation dinner for our team.
--:-- Zohran Mamdani: I was in a backyard giving a speech about the incredible work that so many of our team members made.
--:-- Leila Fadel: And then there was a guy who put his head out the window.
--:-- Zohran Mamdani: He said, shut up.
--:-- Leila Fadel: I was like, this is New York City.
--:-- Zohran Mamdani: I'm likely going to be the Democratic nominee of this city.
--:-- Leila Fadel: And I'm appreciating the work that changed politics in this city for a long, long time.
--:-- Zohran Mamdani: And this guy just doesn't have the time for it.
--:-- Leila Fadel: And that's the place that I love.
--:-- Zohran Mamdani: Let's talk about that broader appeal because your campaign appealed to voters who were registered as Democrats.
--:-- Leila Fadel: Now you are going to appeal to a larger city, independents, Republicans, and you struggled in places to get older black voters.
--:-- Zohran Mamdani: You struggled with lower income voters during the primary.
--:-- Leila Fadel: How are you going to appeal to those voters and that broader, the broader political landscape?
--:-- Zohran Mamdani: You know, I had a young man who came up to me with about an hour left before Election Day.
--:-- Leila Fadel: He was on his motorcycle, came up with his helmet, he took it off, and he said, I want to vote for you, but I don't know if I can.
--:-- Zohran Mamdani: And we pulled out his phone, we found his voter registration.
--:-- Leila Fadel: I was ready to get on the back of his motorbike and go to a poll site with him.
--:-- Zohran Mamdani: And we found out that he was a Republican.
--:-- Leila Fadel: And to me, it was just one example of how if you keep that door open to each and every New Yorker and you ask them for one thing, which is to believe in a city that everyone can afford, you will find far more interest than just those who belong to one party.
--:-- Zohran Mamdani: And there are so many New Yorkers who I heard of who went to vote into the polls and were turned away because they didn't know that they were an independent.
--:-- Leila Fadel: They didn't know that they were unaffiliated.
--:-- Zohran Mamdani: They didn't know that they were able to be part of that political process.
--:-- Leila Fadel: And I excited that in November they will have a chance to cast that same vote.
--:-- Zohran Mamdani: And ultimately what we saw for example with black voters in New York City you know Andrew Cuomo had a sizable advantage from the beginning of this race.
--:-- Leila Fadel: At some points we managed to close that gap immensely.
--:-- Zohran Mamdani: And we managed to win young black New Yorkers, who were a real core part of our campaign.
--:-- Leila Fadel: Now, my job is to earn the trust and support of older black New Yorkers.
--:-- Zohran Mamdani: And I'm going to do that by respecting them and the work that they have done and going to meet with them.
--:-- Leila Fadel: And what I'm excited by is that whereas for the first three, four months of this campaign, I couldn't get into a church because nobody knew who I was.
--:-- Zohran Mamdani: You know, I began this campaign at 1% name recognition, and that's being charitable to myself.
--:-- Leila Fadel: And then by the end of it, I was double booked on Sundays.
--:-- Zohran Mamdani: And now we have more months to have those same kinds of visits, to introduce myself again and again.
--:-- Leila Fadel: And I know that in this last race, I wasn't just running against Andrew Cuomo.
--:-- Zohran Mamdani: I was also running against the legacy of Mario Cuomo because so many voters told me I'm voting for Mario's son.
--:-- Leila Fadel: And ultimately, there's only so much you can do over eight months.
--:-- Zohran Mamdani: And I'm excited to have more time to talk about how this agenda that I am so excited by is
