Turn Up the Volume

My 2025 election hot takes, mostly on what happened in NYC.. Hey, I'm a Brooklyn girl...

Photo: Elmira Bayrasli

Not sure what feels better — New York electing the first Muslim mayor or watching Andrew Cuomo lose a second time. It’s a close call.

There was also sweet justice in hearing that Dick Cheney, the architect of the “war on terror” died on the eve of Mamdani’s election of the very city 9/11 happened. New Yorkers have said no to scaremongering and Islamophobia. Let that sink in Andrew Cuomo and Eric Adams, both who invoked 9/11 to attack him—because the shorthand of the war on terror still hangs over US politics.

There is a lot to say on this. For now, here’s my takeaway: The real question isn’t whether a progressive Muslim can run New York City. It’s whether Democrats can finally move on—from the politics of fear and the belief that security and inclusion can’t coexist. Until they do, they’ll keep losing more than elections. They’ll lose the moral clarity to lead. Here is my post from the June primary where I hash this out.

That was my first election hot take. Allow me to throw out a few more:

Democrats, the party is over

Congrats to Mikie Sherrill and Abigail Spanberger, governor-elects of New Jersey and Virginia, respectively. I will admit I wasn’t sure how New Jersey would go.

Cast against Mamdani’s win, there will be a lot of wrangling over whether the Democratic Party needs to remain in the center (as Sherrill and Spanberger have) or pivot to the left (a la Mamdani). The ultimate question: What wins elections?

New York is not New Jersey or Virginia. In a city where Democrats outnumber Republicans 6 to 1. Our mayoral contest was about how Democrats feel about the party. Right now, they’re feeling like the old ways of looking at things from the prism of left and right doesn’t work. Mamdani’s affordability message resonated, showing us that the prism has shifted to the haves and the have-nots. Unfortunately, the have-nots have grown and they’re mad. If Democrats want to survive 2028, they need to stop managing politics from the top down and start rebuilding it from the ground up. Go local. Go out and actually TALK to people and LISTEN. Build trust.

Waste of money
The sheer amount of money poured into the elections in NYC, New Jersey, and Virginia is staggering.

The WSJ reports that “roughly $139 million was spent on television, radio and digital ads this year in New Jersey governor’s race alone.”

In New York City, Andrew Cuomo out-raised Mamdani, by $36 million. “Once the independent expenses are added, the total amount backing Cuomo or targeting Mamdani totals $56 million—close to two and a half times of the amount backing Mamdani or attacking Cuomo.”

For those who went in on the negative ads? A total waste. (You could have spent that money on feeding people or supporting women…)

Capitalistic socialism
Oh my god. The number of times we hear about how awful and “dangerous” socialism is. Can we just take a moment to talk about how we provide socialism for the private sector and the rich? We subsidize corporations, cut taxes for billionaires, and bail out industries that fail. The private sector gets safety nets. Regular people get speeches about hard work and personal responsibility. Let’s celebrate Mamdani’s democratic socialism and start scrutinizing the capitalist socialists who are breaking the system. Giving people affordable housing and access to healthcare the very basis for a healthy and prosperous society. Healthy people can work. Also, Staten Island, your ferry ride: it’s free.

Foreign policy, local courage
The mayor of New York does not make foreign policy. But in a city largely made up of immigrants—from every corner of the world—and home to the United Nations, the global is never far from local politics. I mentioned the war on terror above. Here, I want to touch on Mamdani’s stance on Israel’s war on Gaza. He was unequivocal in condemning it, even as many warned that such a stance would cost him votes in a city with the largest Jewish population outside Israel. It did. Jewish voters largely rejected him. But Mamdani didn’t pander or soften his position to win.

That matters and is a signal that it’s time for politicians to evolve with world events.

And let’s be clear: Antisemitism is real, dangerous, and must be confronted. But condemning antisemitism cannot mean silencing legitimate criticism of state violence or erasing calls for Palestinian lives to matter. Mamdani’s win is proof that voters can hold both truths at once—that empathy and accountability are not opposites.

To wrap up!

Mamdani’s acceptance speech was something and worth watching. But this—this I’ve played on a loop since I first saw it. It does seem impossible when you first start. But as I’ve learned from years as a Mets fan—you gotta believe.

That’s all I got for now. See you Friday! —Elmira

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Editorial Team

Elmira Bayrasli - Editor-in-Chief