Run Zohran Run!: Inside Zohran Mamdani's Sensational Campaign to Become New York City's First Democratic Socialist Mayor

A gripping inside look at how Zohran Mamdani's bold, grassroots campaign toppled New York's political establishment and delivered the city's most progressive mayoral victory.

Grounded in firsthand knowledge of an insurgent campaign, Run Zohran Run! charts the unexpected rise of Zohran Mamdani and his victory in New York City's 2025 Mayoral Democratic primary.

Mamdani's straightforward platform--a rent freeze, free buses, universal childcare, and city-run grocery stores--cut through the noise of mainstream politics and resonated with working-class voters struggling in an increasingly unaffordable city.

A 33 year-old immigrant who openly identifies as a democratic socialist, Mamdani drew in Muslim and South Asian voters historically sidelined in city politics. His robust support for Palestinian rights upended traditional politics in New York City, where even the most liberal elected officials refuse to criticize Israel.

The campaign faced relentless institutional resistance--attacks from the New York Times, the New York Post, and vitriol from disgraced former governor Andrew Cuomo and former mayor Michael Bloomberg--but it also demonstrated how Left campaigns can be won.

Whether plunging into the icy water of Coney Island on New Year's Day to promote a rent freeze or letting a Knicks' fan spin a multi-colored basketball on his head at an NBA game, Mamdani's innovative and theatrical campaign captured the public. At the same time, a massive ground operation led by the Democratic Socialists of America mobilized tens of thousands of volunteers to knock on more than 1.5 million doors.

As fast-paced and compelling as its subject, Run Zohran Run! reveals how a charismatic candidate and a vibrant grassroots campaign ended a New York dynasty and set the stage for the first democratic socialist mayor.

Theodore Hamm is the author of Bernie's Brooklyn: How Growing Up in the New Deal City Shaped Bernie Sanders' Politics. He wrote about the 2025 race for The Indypendent and Drop Site, and his articles about New York City politics have also appeared in Jacobin. Hamm is chair of journalism at St. Joseph's University in Clinton Hill, Brooklyn.