(NEW YORK) — Zohran Mamdani, the presumptive Democratic nominee for mayor of New York City, told ABC News in a wide-ranging interview aired Wednesday that he plans to win over moderate voters — even as a self-identified Democratic socialist — as he runs in the general election.
He said he also believes the Democratic Party needs to refocus on what working-class Americans are going through.
“I think that the Democratic Party must always remember what made so many proud to be Democrats, which is a focus on the struggles of working class Americans across this country,” Mamdani told ABC News Senior Political Correspondent Rachel Scott.
“And I think that there is a need for a new generation of leadership,” he added.
The 33-year-old State Assembly member, who campaigned on a progressive economic platform, declared victory over former Gov. Andrew Cuomo as results in Tuesday’s closely watched primary rolled in.
Asked how he’d respond to voters who are nervous about his age and relative inexperience, Mamdani pointed to his campaign fundraising and sheer number of volunteers, as well as meetings he said he’s had with deputy mayors and commissioners from many mayoral administrations, “all as part of my commitment to building a team that is united, not by ideology, not by past relationship or knowledge, but frankly, by excellence.”
Mamdani also spoke with Scott about addressing concerns from Democrats about the “Democratic socialist” label, when he would be open to collaborating with President Donald Trump and reaching out to Jewish New Yorkers.
Embracing the Democratic socialist label – and winning over moderates
Mamdani has proudly identified as a Democratic socialist — a label that some Democrats have expressed concerns about, especially as some Republicans have seized on the label to claim that all Democrats are socialists or far-left.
“What do you say to those Democrats who have concerns about that term, Democratic socialist, that you so proudly claim you are?” Scott asked.
“I would say that I hear them, because there’s room to have disagreement and tension in any one party. And for too long, we’ve thought of politics as an act of purity, where you only work with those that you agree with on every issue… And there are going to be many Democrats, both here in this city and across the country, who have a different lens of what it is that they see us needing in this moment,” Mamdani said.
“But ultimately, we agree on the importance of addressing affordability, and that’s at the core of our campaign.”
How would he win back voters who may think the policies Mamdani ran on are too far to the left of where they think the Democratic Party should be?
“I would tell them to look at the results of last night,” he said, referring to the primary on Tuesday. He called the results a “clear reflection of a mandate to make this city affordable” and one that showed Democrats united in support of his economic proposals.
“And it shows that for a long time, what we’ve heard in terms of the analysis of this city and its politics is actually out of step with where people are.”
He added later that he hopes to win the support of people who would otherwise vote for incumbent Mayor Eric Adams, who he criticized as “the original architect of this affordability crisis over the last few years.”
As to why voters should support him over Adams, he said, “I’m someone who will make the city more affordable, and because what we’ve seen is that this present has been delivered to us by the policies and the politics and even the politicians of the past. It’s time for a new generation of leadership. It’s time for a politics of the future.”
Adams, speaking on Fox News on Wednesday, criticized Mamdani as a “snake oil salesman,” saying, “I delivered for the city and we’re not going backwards.”
Working with, or opposing, Trump
When asked about comments from President Donald Trump on social media calling him a “Communist Lunatic,” Mamdani shrugged off the epithet, saying he’d encourage Trump to learn about his policies, and that he’d work with Trump on affordability but would resist the president’s deportation plans.
“The next mayor of New York City will have to work with the Trump administration. Are you willing to do that? Will you do that?” Scott asked.
“I will work with the Trump administration when it is to the benefit of New Yorkers,” Mamdani said. “My approach will never be reflexive, whether in agreement or opposition, but if it comes at the expense of the New Yorkers that I’m running to serve, then, no, I will not be working with the administration on harming the people that I look to represent.”
Asked by Scott how he’d manage that relationship, Mamdani reiterated wanting to collaborate with Trump on lowering the price of groceries – pointing to his campaign plan to open “a network of municipal-owned stores” – but also reiterated not wanting to assist the president with immigrant detentions.
Outreach to the Jewish community
Mamdani has faced some pushback, given New York’s large Jewish population, over his history of comments and activism opposing Israel, including his criticism of Israel over the war in Gaza. In response, he has emphasized policies to combat antisemitism and said that he wants to focus on city issues.
“How do you gain the trust of Jewish voters in New York City?” Scott asked.
Mamdani brought up his campaign plan to increase funding for anti-hate crime programming, but acknowledged a divide between his views on Israel and those of many in the Jewish community.
“Ultimately, my comments have been on critiques of the Israeli government’s policies, and I know that there are many New Yorkers who may disagree with me on those same critiques,” Mamdani said. “And yet that disagreement is still rooted in the shared sense of humanity.”
As for his strategy to reach out to Jewish voters, Mamdani said he was ready to “to introduce myself again and again” to every New Yorker, including Jewish New Yorkers, given the low name recognition he started out with in the race.
ABC News’ Brittany Shepherd contributed to this report.
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