As New York City’s mayoral election on Nov. 4 approaches, Democratic candidate Zohran Mamdani’s campaign and policies have aligned with the interests of young voters, which has been largely effective at drawing Gen Z to the polls and encouraging them to engage in local politics.
Mamdani’s identity as a mayoral candidate has centered around connecting with New Yorkers. His policies include lowering the cost of living for NYC’s working class, promises of free universal childcare, making buses free, freezing rent on rent-stabilized apartments and creating city-owned grocery stores to lower grocery costs.
His campaign strategy, focused primarily on building an identity that resonates with the heart of New York City and its people. Mamdani has leveraged social media, campaign rallies and community events to spotlight the intersection of culture and politics.
One of the highlights from his campaign thus far was his scavenger hunt across New York City, spotlighting previous NYC mayors and allowing participants to connect with the city’s history and build community. Though only 500 cards were prepared for participants, thousands of people engaged with the hunt and its seven stops across NYC.
This strategy has already brought Mamdani major success as he received 56.4% of votes in the final round of June’s Democratic primary election. According to a results summary from the NYC Board of Elections, around 40% of early voters in that election were under 40 years old. This is a sharp increase from 26.5% of voters under 40 in the 2021 primary election, according to a voter analysis report from NYC Votes.
Other candidates in this year’s general election include Curtis Sliwa as the Republican candidate, and Andrew Cuomo as the independent candidate. Eric Adams dropped out of the race in September. What has allowed Mamdani to stand out among these candidates is his campaign strategy that is tailored to the culture and experiences of New Yorkers across the city, along with his humor and continuous expression of dedication to improving the lives working class New Yorkers.
As the general election approaches, Mamdani continues to lead the polls. By continuing to focus on his unique campaign strategy, he can generate a similar increase in youth voter turnout for the general election as well. The last day to register to vote in the 2025 general election is Oct. 25.
