New York City just elected a progressive, immigrant, Muslim, democratic socialist as its next mayor. Our movements did this.
JVP Action endorsed Zohran on day one of his campaign in October 2024, and we have been mobilizing toward this victory every step of the way. Over the last year, our canvasses sent out over 5,000 people and knocked on 200,000 doors. Now, we continue the fight for a better future for all, from New York City to Palestine.
Our fight is only growing from here — and we need you with us. Will you support our work to defend and elect champions for Palestine and the working class?
Zohran’s campaign was about lifting up and listening to the communities across NYC that are too often ignored and oppressed, including working class, Muslim, Palestinian, Arab, immigrant, Black, Latinx, trans and queer people. Now that Zohran has been elected, it is our job to keep organizing to actually build a New York City for the many, not the few.
Here’s what Zohran had to say about our work in this historic campaign:
“I’ve been so proud to have the support of my friends at Jewish Voice for Peace Action since day one of this campaign. JVP Action has been mobilizing mass support to knock doors across this city, and they’re showing that every New Yorker can unite around our agenda of affordability and safety. This campaign is about creating a NYC for all and demonstrating a politics of consistency. JVP Action is a core part of this fight and the work ahead.” — Zohran Mamdani
It’s no coincidence that JVP Action has been throwing down throughout his entire campaign. We’ve built a years-long relationship with him as part of our work backing electeds who back Palestine — from launching the Not On Our Dime legislation in 2023 to cut the tax-exempt status of groups funding violent Israeli settler groups, to him joining our sister organization JVP’s historic Grand Central Station and Wall Street shutdown protests to demand a ceasefire in Gaza.
As Zohran’s support skyrocketed, mainstream politicians and media tried desperately to torpedo him with blatantly Islamophobic smear campaigns. JVP Action led hundreds of canvasses and launched “Jews for Zohran,” exposing the lie of the false and weaponized allegations of antisemitism he faced over his uncompromising stance on Palestinian humanity.
Together, we showed loudly and clearly that New York Jews support Zohran, not in spite of, but because of his support for Palestinian rights and commitment to ending U.S. complicity in Israel’s apartheid and genocide. We fought back against the racist and Islamophobic smear campaigns run by Andrew Cuomo and his Trump-supporting billionaire backers. And we proved that Palestinian rights are popular.
Onwards,
Beth Miller
Political Director
(Taken from an email sent to me by Jewish Voice for Peace Action. Emphasis original.)
I’ll give him this, he is certainly quite charismatic. His victory speech definitely had some parts that those further left than him can build on for agitation and propaganda, as the talking points and the language he uses become more normalized as a result of this victory.
As for how successful he will actually be at governing that remains to be seen. There are a lot of possibilities for sabotage and obstacles to be thrown in his way from both the Republicans and the Democrat establishment. How much power does his position really have in the face of the city’s entrenched power structures?
Plus his policy agenda as far as i can tell right now seems very moderate even for a social democrat. When i hear talking points like a 2% increase in taxes on the rich that just makes me laugh. Even a 20% increase would still be modest, but 2% is almost nothing. I hope some of his other policies are a little more ambitious.
It also remains to be seen how much of an opportunist he will be when it comes to US imperialism. Now that he has won his campaign, will he turn into another AOCIA, or will he choose to be more principled and less of a coward on certain issues than he was during the campaign? Time will tell.
i don’t really understand why people ask this. the difference in their branches, offices, and powers are so vast that comparisons don’t make sense. a civic executive is not at all like congress.
AOC’s shortcomings and capitulations are of words, Mamdani’s will be of deeds.
It’s true that they are very different positions. As mayor he has a much more limited focus and probably won’t engage much with foreign policy at all. Still, opportunism and capitulation to the establishment on one issue only opens the door to more of the same on other issues. I don’t think AOC’s shortcomings are only in rhetoric, they are also reflected in her pro-imperialist voting record.
Yup, AOC always appeared to me as an imperialist. Same with Bernie Sanders. I think Parenti broke with Sanders in the 90s when Sanders voted in favor of Yugoslavia’s bombing campaign.
I think the point is that voting is an act of speech. Mayor’s have executive power.