Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) called New York state Assembly member Zohran Mamdani “more than charismatic” following his apparent win in the Democratic primary for New York City mayor.
“What Zohran understood, is that in order to win, you got to be more than charismatic, and he is,” Sanders said on MSNBC’s “All In with Chris Hayes” Wednesday.
“You got to be more than smart, which he is. You got to build a strong grassroots movement around a progressive agenda. He had thousands and thousands of people knocking on doors because they were excited about his message.”
Sanders on Wednesday told Politico that had former Vice President Harris used a similar playbook in the 2024 presidential race, she would be in the White House now.
American political observers were shocked Tuesday as Mamdani, a democratic socialist, seemed to be on the path to winning the Democratic nomination for the Big Apple’s mayor over former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo. Mamdani immigrated to the U.S. from Uganda as a child and has spent most of his life in the nation’s biggest city.
If Mamdani clinches New York City’s top job, he would be its first Muslim and Asian mayor.
“In the words of Nelson Mandela: it always seems impossible until it’s done. My friends, it is done. And you are the ones who did it. I am honored to be your Democratic nominee for the Mayor of New York City,” Mamdani said in a post on the social media platform X early Wednesday.
Mamdani said that his platform would be successful with candidates outside of New York City.
“I think ultimately, this is a campaign about inequality, and you don’t have to live in the most expensive city in the country to have experienced that inequality, because it’s a national issue,” Mamdani told MSNBC’s Jen Psaki on Wednesday night.
