Cometh the Hour, Cometh the Zohran

"My sense of Zohran Mamdani came through two windows: First, his positions, which are a combination of softcore socialist (more free stuff from city government) and harder-edged Third Worldist positions like his anti-Zionism, which he never tried to downplay or temper. And, second, his campaign demeanor as seen through his various social media videos, which seemed light-hearted and whimsical, products of a charismatic young man able to enjoy life."

"Sohrab Ahmari focuses on this in his depiction of Zohran as part of the "gentry left"-something middle-class New Yorkers are very familiar with. With his upper-class, private-school background, Zohran has came across as so personally unthreatening, so similar to guys one has met at a hundred parties, that it not only blunted the charges (from Trump and some edges of the Cuomo campaign) that he was a communist and radical jihadist but made those charges seem somewhat ridiculous."

Zohran Mamdani blends municipal-oriented soft socialism — advocating more public services from city government — with firmer Third Worldist positions, including outspoken anti‑Zionism. His campaign social media presented a lighthearted, whimsical, charismatic young persona. His upper‑class, private‑school background and relatable demeanor deflected charges of extremism. His victory speech adopted aggressive, hard‑edged rhetoric aimed at Trump, Cuomo, and the 'despots' blamed for hurting working‑class New Yorkers, contrasting sharply with his cheerful campaign image. His narrow but decisive win — slightly over 50 percent in a three‑candidate race — marks a historically significant ascent for a Muslim DSA candidate in New York politics.

Read at The American Conservative