Brown: Zohran Mamdani’s upset win in New York mayor election holds lessons for Minnesota politics

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Zohran Mamdani’s upset victory in Tuesday’s Democratic primary for New York City mayor holds big implications for Minnesota politics, though perhaps not the ones that many partisans might predict.

Sure, Mamdani is a Democratic Socialist, making his campaign a lightning rod for the right and a rallying call for the far left.

And yes, Mamdani, 33, is much younger than his defeated primary opponent, former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, 67, or his opponents in the Nov. 4 general election, so there is a generational aspect as well.

But watching this campaign from a rural township in northern Minnesota reminded me of what really makes a difference in people’s perception of politicians. I don’t agree with my township supervisors about everything, but when my road washed out a couple years ago they were there before I even had to call. Mamdani successfully made a campaign for the top post in the nation’s largest city into a one-on-one conversation with agitated, working-class swing voters.

If that doesn’t sound familiar, you may have been in a coma since 2016.

By now, we should understand that politics creates policy, but policy is only one small part of what shapes politics. Most people don’t spend time parsing the “true meaning” of the words “liberal,” “moderate,” “conservative” or even “socialist” in their heads. Our response to politics is much more visceral than that. Most people would just boil those words down to “good” or “bad” based on general attitudes toward current political trends.

What really matters are the day-to-day concerns that shape our financial and emotional well-being. It’s not a perfect science. “Are you better off than you were four years ago?” is a question that’s easy to manipulate.

In 2024, voters, on average, earned more than they did four years earlier. Nevertheless, they felt that their world was worse off. Former President Joe Biden had surprising success enacting policies that benefited working class people. Nevertheless, those voters turned against Biden’s party last year. The desire for change amid wildly fluctuating household financial pressures proved more potent in the end.

There are a few takeaways from Mamdani’s win that could prove vitally important to upcoming races here in Minnesota.

Most obvious, let’s look at the Minneapolis mayoral race. Ostensibly nonpartisan, the race pits incumbent Jacob Frey against state Sen. Omar Fateh, DeWayne Davis, Jazz Hampton, Brenda Short, Laverne Turner, Howard Dotson and Kevin Dwire in a ranked-choice election this fall.

Notably, Fateh is a Democratic Socialist trying to run in the same lane that Mamdani did in New York. While Tuesday’s result must be encouraging for Fateh, there’s a second part of the process he’d need to duplicate to score the same success.

The best elected officials, no matter their location or party affiliation, engage with what most affects the attitudes of voters.

Of course, every politician says they do, but people notice when that’s actually true. Mamdani spent significant time on the streets after last November’s election talking to Trump voters and nonvoters about why they abandoned the Democrats. He used their input to craft the campaign message he won with this week.

Not only is Mamdani’s message not moderate, it’s fairly radical in some places. He won anyway because enough people think he’ll change things.

The other takeaway is that establishment incumbents — left, right and center — are in danger everywhere. Tim Walz has been a popular governor in Minnesota, even earning a spot on last year’s Democratic ticket. But before he decides whether to seek an unprecedented third term, he’d better have a good answer for how he best connects with younger working-class voters who care less about Minnesota’s democratic traditions and more about their perilous financial situation.

It remains to be seen whether Mamdani’s meteoric rise can sustain itself over almost five months of bitter campaigning against Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa and independent incumbent Mayor Eric Adams. Powerful interests will make sure voters know about his more radical positions and affiliations. Only a small fraction of New York voters cast ballots in Tuesday’s primary. But Mamdani’s opponents have their own flaws, too. In a heavily Democratic city, he remains the favorite.

How can a Democratic Socialist become the frontrunner to become mayor of New York? The same way a reality TV host and controversial billionaire can become president of the United States. If you connect with enough people to win elections, you get to implement whatever policies you want. Anyone who wants better policy should take notice of this fact.

To save democracy, you must be good at democracy.