Just days away from New York City’s mayoral election primary, the socialist underdog who could win it all, Zohran Mamdani, joins Mehdi in a livestream on YouTube and Substack to answer questions from Mehdi and Zeteo subscribers on the state of the race.
From opinion polls to war chests, Mamdani discusses the different factors at play in his race for mayor, including what he calls “Islamophobic campaigning” by former governor and Democratic frontrunner, Andrew Cuomo. “To go to the extent of designing a mailer that artificially lengthens a beard, it is just part of a larger record that Andrew Cuomo has where he refused to visit a single mosque in the more than 10 years he led this state.”
Mehdi and Zeteo subscribers also question Mamdani on the feasibility of his policies, whether he will be running as an independent in the case of a loss in the primary, and if he would endorse Cuomo in the case he wins the candidacy.
The conversation extends beyond the politics of New York as Mehdi asks Mamdani about the state of the Democratic party, a party that Mamdani says is “constructing an ever-lowering ceiling” for itself compared to the Republicans.
Watch the full stream above to hear Mamdani’s answers to those who think rent control could be economically harmful, his response to criticism from The New York Times, and his reaction to the arrest of New York City comptroller and mayoral candidate Brad Lander by masked ICE agents.
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