November 5, 2025

That Zohran Kwame Mamdani won an election in New York City with more than 50% of the vote was a smackdown to the vicious campaign of Islamophobia, hatred of migrants and communist-baiting that infested the anti-Mamdani ads, such as those shown non-stop during the World Series. That a camarilla of billionaires, Zionists and real estate moguls wasted $50 million of their ill-gotten profits on those ads was more than encouraging.

The New York City mayoral election had become a referendum on those issues.

Trump called Mamdani a communist, then endorsed Cuomo. Cuomo baited Mamdani about 9/11 and ran AI-generated anti-Muslim ads too disgusting to describe.

That New York’s voters flipped a finger at the vicious attacks on Muslims and the vicious anti-communism is a step forward for the working class.

After the election victory, The New York Post published a caricature of Mamdani holding a hammer and sickle flag and calling New York the Red Apple.

Mamdani is no communist, nor does he claim to be a revolutionary. He declares himself to be a democratic socialist, that is, he supports reforms. His overall strategy is to move the Democratic Party, which is a pro-imperialist party, in a more progressive direction to win more workers and poor and oppressed people to active support.

Mamdani’s mayoral election campaign has made a few very appealing, limited demands. Free and fast buses. Affordable housing. Universal child care. As limited as these demands are, the Wall Street and real estate billionaires who own New York City consider them an existential threat.

There is no way that the demands will be won merely through legislative maneuvering or the words of an individual, no matter how eloquent or charismatic. It always takes struggle. And whether they call themselves reformists or revolutionaries, no one’s aptitude for struggle is known until the struggle breaks out.

But class struggle is possible, and the election victory can create a momentum that makes it more likely. Mamdani said his campaign attracted 100,000 active volunteers, mostly youths. Their activity and their enthusiasm won his election.

In his victory speech, Mamdani, talking about migrants, also said the following: “So hear me, President Trump, when I say this: to get to any of us, you will have to get through all of us.”

This comment sets the stage for a serious struggle. There’s little doubt Trump plans to send his Immigration and Customs Enforcement thugs to go after migrants in New York City as they have in Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., Chicago and elsewhere. An early test of the new administration might be how it helps mobilize to stop Trump from “getting to any of us.”

The only way to defend migrant workers will be by keeping the election volunteers mobilized and recruiting others to join the resistance to ICE assaults on migrants as has already begun with smaller forces. If this is done, those with a more revolutionary and anti-imperialist outlook should join the resistance struggle and, as the opportunity arises, demonstrate how a revolutionary approach makes victory possible.

It’s not by disappointment or disillusionment with reformism that people turn to the necessary revolutionary solution. It’s by revolutionaries showing how to win.