Mamdani Is the Right Leader For NYC. I Should Know—I Had the Job.

Every poison has its antidote. The glaring unaffordability of New York City can be confronted by policies that prioritize the needs of working people. The confounding inertia of the Democratic Party can be reversed by bold new progressive leaders. Trump’s assault on our freedoms can be resisted by popular movements connected to people where they live. To my view, the mayoral campaign of Zohran Mamdani offers New Yorkers a remarkable, if not unprecedented, opportunity to act on all three of these at once.

Almost 100 years ago in New York, the greatest progressive engine of the past century arose from the ashes of the Red Scare, the Roaring Twenties, and the Great Depression. Labor organizers, urban reformers, and progressive visionaries experienced repeated setbacks early in the 20th century, but they kept organizing. When they found the right moment and the right leaders, magic happened.

The extraordinary human qualities and political skills of Franklin Roosevelt and Fiorello La Guardia created much of what has been good and progressive and lasting about New York, our party, and our nation. And we may be on the verge of a golden moment again.

Yes, this fall’s mayoral election is firstly about the immediate challenges facing our city, and specifically the issue that matters most to voters: affordability.

And here the contrast between Mamdani and his chief rival, Andrew Cuomo, is clearest. Cuomo was one of the architects of today’s highly stratified NYC. His bottomless capacity for “talking left while acting right” as governor gave us a city where wealth ruled. Rather than using the ample power of New York State to boldly address the affordability crisis, Cuomo consistently stayed within limits set by big donors and business-as-usual politicians.

Mamdani is striking for his independence from the very forces that nurtured and constrained Cuomo. That fact alone offers hope, but it is married with Mamdani’s ability to present a clear, substantive vision, communicate it with emotion, and connect with people in neighborhoods across the city.

Mamdani’s relentless focus on free buses, affordable childcare, and a rent freeze made immediate sense to many working New Yorkers. Since his primary win, he has deepened support in parts of the city that did not initially support him—building an ever-­expanding coalition.

This combination of personal strengths and political vision is rare, and it makes me reflect on my own journey. When I was elected mayor in 2013, I knew there was one progressive mayor to fully emulate, and I thought I knew the lessons of La Guardia. Older members of my family had spoken about him with such reverence that following his example felt like an ancestral mandate to me.

But I realized too late that trying to be a latter-day La Guardia required an unapologetic message and a ubiquitous presence. It necessitated a firm hand on the wheel of government while still connecting constantly with the lives of everyday New Yorkers.

My administration achieved many important progressive goals (pre-K for all, paid sick days, the $15 minimum wage, and the end of Bloomberg’s stop-and-frisk policy). But I often mistook good policy for good politics, a classic progressive error.