Zohran Mamdani, a 34-year-old democratic socialist, won New York City’s mayoral race after running a highly energized campaign promising to freeze rent, make childcare free and make the city more affordable.

His victory over former Governor Andrew Cuomo marked a major shift within the Democratic Party and inspired a wave of progressive political engagement nationwide.

As Mamdani prepares to take office in January, he faces the challenge of delivering on his ambitious agenda amid resistance from state leaders and potential opposition from the federal government.

“Mamdani’s got to get his ideas realized in policy, and New York is notoriously difficult to govern. It’s arguably the second hardest political job in the United States, after the president. So whatever he’s able to accomplish, it won’t be easy,” Grant Reeher, professor of political science, tells The Guardian.

In the Newsweek article, “How Will Trump Respond to Mamdani’s Election Win? Five Potential Scenarios,” Reeher says, “politically, the main idea would be to complicate Mamdani’s efforts as mayor, so that his administration is perceived as failing by the 2026 midterms.” 

But he adds: “Strategically, I think this is ill-founded. Mamdani is going to have his hands more than full, absent complications from the administration. Trump might consider just letting it go, and counting on normal NYC politics and challenges to create havoc in a new Mamdani administration. If he gets too involved, it gives the Democrats a foil to point to in explaining why things in New York aren’t going well.”

Reeher was also quoted in the Agence France Presse articles “New York set to elect socialist Mamdani as mayor, setting up clash with Trump” and “NY elects leftist mayor on big election night for Democrats,” along with The Hill article, “Ocasio-Cortez faces critical moment with Zohran Mamdani.”