AILSA CHANG, HOST:
Zohran Mamdani was a young assemblyman in New York City just a year ago, and few people had ever heard of him. But now the 33-year-old Democratic socialist is in the running to become the city's next mayor. Mamdani talked to Morning Edition's Leila Fadel today and explained how he won the Democratic primary.
ZOHRAN MAMDANI: We sought especially to increase turnout amongst New Yorkers who hadn't been participating and to register new voters. And we said that we would do this by speaking directly to the crisis that working people were facing in this city, which is ultimately a crisis of affordability. 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.
LEILA FADEL, BYLINE: You know, typically, the Democratic primary is seen as a done deal, right? Whoever wins this primary becomes the mayor of New York. But after your win, which really stunned a lot of people, the establishment of your party still hasn't really come behind you. What needs to happen for you to get them on side at this point? And why haven't they?
MAMDANI: We have to earn support. We have to earn endorsements. And ultimately, it's been very exciting to see that we've received the endorsements of Congressman Nadler, of Senator Elizabeth Warren. We're seeing our coalition expand, and by building a tent around that affordability, we didn't just win places that were considered to be progressive. We won neighborhoods that voted for Donald Trump, 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.
FADEL: But there are leaders in your party who have been asked directly - Senator Chuck Schumer, Representative Hakeem Jeffries, both from New York - who were asked directly and still didn't endorse you. So what needs to happen for them to come on side? Have you met with them?
MAMDANI: 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.
CHANG: And you can hear the full interview tomorrow on Morning Edition. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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