NYC’s Future Mayor in the Eyes of Joy and Wonder

Happy Halloween, everyone. I know the political landscape today is incredibly spooky, but at least my social media algorithm has been treating me with a good laugh recently: with content concerning the New York City mayoral election. 

Zohran Mamdani. Andrew Cuomo. Curtis Sliwa. What a race. Before I proceed with further discourse, I would like to provide several disclaimers: I am not a political writer. I am not following this story close enough for my commentary to be taken as anything other than an uneducated opinion. Most of my information comes from Instagram Reels, and I fully recognize that this is an untrustworthy source. Take everything from here on with a large grain of salt. Though I am not in the “Biggest of all the Apples” currently, I can still appreciate and monitor (in the broadest sense of the term) New York City’s mayoral race, with voting set to take place this November. 

While on the trail to the office, 34-year-old Zohran Mamdani has taken advantage of the more youthful social media audience, resulting in online trends reproduced by his campaign. These videos, like “My Gen Z intern edits my speech,” breathe new life into politics — something I, for one, am excited to bear witness to. As an average Saturday Night Live enjoyer, I was pleased to see the parodies roll in on my YouTube recommendations. I watch Jimmy Kimmel, Seth Meyers and Stephen Colbert on a semi-frequent basis, and was delighted to see that they, too, took shots at this political race. It felt like a much-needed break from the slew of bullshit we have all become accustomed to. 

This race, for me, is a glimpse into how the political parties could have evolved: Democrats rallying around civil issues like affordable living, and Republicans fighting that, with an appeal to tradition, Cuomo is technically a Democrat but is running as an Independent in this race. I think, at times, he represents “what could have been” for the Grand Old Party. Sliwa is a different story altogether; perhaps even winning a drastically different race. Despite the reason for this mess, I can appreciate the race for what it has become, as seen on Instagram: Mamdani, proposing reasonable ideas—like universal child care and more efficient public transport—and Cuomo refuting with details that make it sound like he were not from the city, spotlighting the theory that he is an outside hire funded by the billionaires who have financed certain other political figures for their own financial gain. 

Curtis Sliwa—my favorite candidate for nonpolitical reasons that will become clear—kind of comes in from left field as a representative of the Non-MAGA Republican group. Sliwa is a wild card; I don’t believe even he knows what is going to come out of his mouth next. 

However, I do not want this article to delve too deeply into political affairs. In writing this, I choose to focus instead on the components that make this race hysterical. In their debates, Mamdani promotes something normal, something all people of sound mind should agree on. Cuomo then attacks those proposals by expressing something slightly out of touch and partially confusing. Sliwa then intervenes with irrelevant yet hilarious details about his past which leave no doubt that he is a genuine New Yohrkah. Mamdani will say his priority is to stay in NYC and not visit Israel; Cuomo will counter that his favorite New York-style pizza is from Fairfield, Connecticut; Sliwa will say he was shot 47 times in the back of a yellow taxicab in connection with the Russian mob. Mamdani will admit with a smirk that he bought legal pot from a legal dispensary; Cuomo will admit he’s done massive amounts of blow with the higher class; Sliwa and his red beret will reference Crohn’s Disease and him being shot as the reason for his medical marijuana use. Incredible. While this is insane to witness in such an important campaign trail, I have often found myself chuckling at the madness. 

Recently, Cuomo stated that NYC is getting fed over by the state, and Mamdani responded by pointing out that it was Cuomo, as NYS Governor, that had indeed fed over NYC. In the now-infamous “It was you!” uttered by Mamdani, the humor of how this race has evolved shines. It is important to note, however, that I feel comfortable laughing at these campaigns and debates because (as of now) most polls place Mamdani in a significant double-digit lead over Cuomo, who, in turn, leads over Sliwa by quite a bit. 

While I do not agree with Sliwa-ian politics, I do enjoy listening to his enthusiasm and his unbelievable experience with true city culture. The red beret and the subsequent mid-forehead tan line add to Sliwa’s hometown charm. It is as if a distant uncle were speaking in his small-town town council meeting–charming, in one sense, off-his-rocker in another. I think he could serve quite well as the court jester in Mayor Mamdani’s city. 

Again, please do not base your opinions on mine. I recognize my need to do more research, and so should you. Please, inform yourselves before forming a solid opinion, and register to vote if and where you can.