When American politics feel venomous and nearly hopeless, Zohran Mamdani’s campaign and million-dollar smile are refreshing. With offbeat ads, clever videos and unconventional events, he is tapping into a lost local tradition and showing that politics, despite the best efforts of most politicians, can actually be fun. The idea might seem simple and frivolous, but it communicates something bigger: in the nation’s biggest media market, a place renowned for its outsized characters and frenetic pace, politics should, like the city itself, never, ever be boring.
A recent social media video featured Mamdani musing that if voters think 33 is too young an age for a potential mayor, he was, fortunately, about to turn 34. His citywide scavenger hunt drew thousands of participants to neighborhoods they might have otherwise never visited. And supporters of the Democratic nominee threw a Mamdani look-alike contest in Prospect Park. The tone and tenor of Mamdani’s effort lie in stark contrast to the lumbering sobriety and narrow vision of former Governor Andrew Cuomo.