Rally for mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani energizes grassroots New Yorkers
NYC Mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani joined more than 200 working-class New Yorkers in Jackson Heights, Queens to rally and get out the vote ahead of the June 24 primary.
At the June 21 rally, event organizers noted their long-time support for Zohran Mamdani, saying that the city’s working-class majority, including communities of color and immigrants, have backed Mamdani’s mayoral bid since Day 1 of his campaign.
Mamdani is a Democratic politician born in Kampala, Uganda. His parents are of Indian descent. If elected, he could be the first Muslim mayor of New York City. Mamdani has earned the support of Bernie Sanders, a democratic socialist.
He is currently a New York State Assemblymember representing the 36th district of Astoria and Long Island City. His campaign is advocating for “free city buses and a freeze in rent-stabilized housing,” according to reports. Polls are reporting that Mamdani has narrowed frontrunner former governor Andrew Cuomo’s lead in the race for the primary voting. He is “catching up” to Cuomo, notes Newsweek.
“Working-class New Yorkers have supported Zohran Mamdani since Day 1 of his campaign, and we’re pulling out all the stops to help elect him as our next mayor,” said Alice Nascimento, political director of New York Communities for Change. “We’ve been actively engaging thousands of voters in communities of color since his campaign kicked off in October.”
“We chose to support Zohran Mamdani and will vote for him because we are working class people—it has become hard for us to afford our daily groceries and rent. Zohran Mamdani has committed to cheaper groceries, free childcare for all, a rent freeze and free buses. We must fight for him as a candidate who will serve the people,” said CAAAV Voice leader and Astoria tenant Ayasha Akhter.
Is Mamdani then the better choice?
Yes, said FilAm artist Mona Kuker: “Mamdani is not funded by billionaires. Meaning, he can decide for the people freely like Bernie Sanders. No leash on his neck and not a puppet. Second, he is young with a fresh mind and not a traditional politician. Third, there is no scandal like Cuomo had.”
The event was hosted by Mamdani’s day-one endorsers including CAAAV Voice, DRUM Beats, and New York Communities for Change (NYCC). After the spirited rally at Diversity Plaza, hundreds of rallyists canvassed the neighborhood to urge voters to support Mamdani for Mayor.
Since October, the three organizations have actively expanded the progressive electorate by securing commitments from thousands of working-class and immigrant voters in Chinatown, Flatbush, the Bronx, Sunset Park, Western Queens, and Southeast Queens.
New York Communities for Change (NYCC) is one the largest community-based advocacy organizations in the country. https://www.nycommunities.org/
CAAAV unites working-class, Asian immigrants to build neighborhood power in Chinatown and Astoria. https://caaav.org/
DRUM Beats organizes working-class South Asians & Indo-Caribbeans to transform political systems. https://www.drumbeatsnyc.org/
