Zohran Mamdani, the leftwing Democrat not beloved by Wall Street, is the surprise winner of the Democratic race to become mayor of New York. Andrew Cuomo conceded defeat though the final result won’t be known until July 1st. Mamdani ran his campaign on a pledge to make life more affordable for New Yorkers, with promises to raise taxes on the rich to fund free buses and childcare and has criticised US support for Israel in Gaza,. He found a groundswell of support among younger voters, amassing a huge social media following and was backed by Sanders and AOC. The contest was widely seen as a referendum on the future of the Democratic party.
He financed his campaign through small-dollar donors and said Cuomo’s campaign was the “latest example of billionaires and corporations trying to buy an election.” Cuomo in response drew attention to Mamdani’s inexperience in government.
He was born 18 October 1991, Kampala, Uganda into a Muslim family and moved to New York aged 7, becoming a U.S. citizen in 2018. He worked as a foreclosure prevention housing counselor in Queens, an effort focused on helping low-income homeowners of color — a role he has said inspired him to enter politics.
He has a Libra Sun conjunct Mars (and Mercury) in early Scorpio in a hard-edged short-fused square to Saturn in Aquarius with an Aquarius Moon – determined and a thinker and communicator. He has the generational Uranus North Node Neptune in Capricorn – innovative and can-be-opinionated and that trines a charming, light-hearted Venus Jupiter in Virgo.
His Solar Arc Jupiter is exactly square his Uranus at the moment for a lucky break.
His Solar Arc Jupiter chimes with New York’s Jupiter in Libra square Capricorn Sun. Though his Uranus Neptune North Node conjunct the NY Sun could be tricky.
His relationship chart with New York has a composite Pluto trine Saturn and square Mars Sun which suggests an aggravated interface. Similar to Tony Blair and the UK – started upbeat and ended hostile. Whatever plans he has in mind may run into considerable opposition.
Though the New York chart looks in line for relief, a lucky break and potentially positive changes for the next two years with the SA Uranus opposition the NY Jupiter and square Sun.
Isn’t it more usual for immigrant families to become US citizens at the same time?
A Youtube channel that I follow, Let’s talk elections, which is made by a Harvard student, called this the start of the Democratic Tea Party movement.
Is that a good thing or a bad thing? Will the Democratic Tea Party movement be followed by the Democrat equivalent of Trump (nobody expected Trump in 2016 and yet, here we are almost a decade later).
Interesting to see that Zarah Sultana, who seen as a successor to Corbyn in the UK also has Mars (conjunct Pluto) square Saturn – challenging/ fighting authority in some way? Mamdani mobilised a huge volunteer army of campaigners and grassroots funding much like Corbyn did in the past.
Has anyone seen his rap video still on Youtube featuring Madhur Jaffrey? Mr. Cardamom – Nani (starring Madhur Jaffrey) ….ahem.
Well, I just learnt who his mother was, so in some ways a nepo-baby, at least when it comes to contacts in the Indian-American community (not necessarily in the New York context), so not surprised that he would have a video with Madhur Jaffrey.
Going by just his name and looks, I thought he was Middle-Eastern (Iranian/Syrian/Lebanese). Didn’t realise that he was Indian till I googled him.
She is so funny as gangsta nani in the video. Both are very charismatic.
The latest, in response to Virginia’s question, is that some right-wing Republicans are calling on Trump to “denaturalize” Mamdani and deport him. They claim that because he’s Muslim he must be antisemitic, despite his receiving considerable support from prominent New York Jews. Call it what it is — they’re afraid of his charisma and political skills. Antisemitism is their current favorite pretext.
Also, the New York Post is reporting that Cuomo will drop out of the mayor’s race because he doesn’t see a path to victory. In contrast CNN says Cuomo won’t drop out by Friday in time to remove his name from the ballot, keeping his options open.
Put the popcorn on. This will be an interesting race to watch, with many twists and turns.
Thank you Nicole, the plot thickens as they say. I hope he has good security around him, a sign of the times.
The young become old . Nobody stays young
Progress. Time.
Conserve. Space.
I’ll meet you at 2. Where are you?, screamed into the void.
I’ll meet you at the Empire State Building. When will you be here?, whispered while you wait.
The young have most of the time. The old own most of the past up to the present. It is a brutal thing to have all that Aquarian air but find it moves very little Tauran earth.
Two questions:
1 Is he possibly a candidate for ICE type deportation
2 His birth in Uganda disqualifies him from becoming president if ever he were to reach such highs, however does it disqualify him from becoming a member of Congress?
He became a us citizen in 2018. The president must be us born otherwise mamdani can be congressman or more likely senator.
My question is will he survive AIPAC (and other lobbyists for Israel) efforts to dislodge him for his support of Gazans/Palestine? Two Democrats from the House of Representatives were taken down by AIPAC money – Jameel Bowman and Cori Bush.
Qatar seems to be providing a considerable counterforce to AIPAC (starting in unis). AIPAC seems to fracturing somewhat as the Israeli position hardens. Money alone won’t bring change unless a coalition as integrated as AIPAC is formed.Will be interesting to see.
@Anits, AIPAC poured money into campaigns against Bowman and Bush, but both of them had ethical, behavioral or constituent service problems that gave AIPAC a cudgel to unseat them.
Bowman famously pulled a fire alarm apparently to delay a vote and was censured for it. But more significantly he was notorious for arrogant behavior in his district and ignoring constituent services, which are key to building and retaining support. Bush had some sort of financial/corruption questions which I don’t recall surrounding her, as well as other issues.
Other controversial congresswomen, including AOC, Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlalib, are staunch supporters of the Palestinians/Gaza have survived, probably because they have tended to their districts’ need.
Tip O’Neill ‘s saying “All politics is local,” still carries weight, if not totally true in the age of Trump.
Anita, I fixed the typo in your name twice and it didn’t hold! Apologies!
Mamdani will have plenty of challenges in running a city as complex and diverse as NYC, especially with little government management experience. Hopefully he’s smart enough to hire competent and experienced administrstors as Obama and Biden did to run the city effectively.
AIPAC’s hard-line positions are also extremely unpopular with many Jewish voters and Democrats.
I’ve always thought that each borough of NYC should be its own separate city since they all have distinct identities and the current multiple layers of government in NYC make it almost impossible for anything to be accomplished.
Zohrani Mamdani is one example of what the future will bring in the USA future, politically and economically. The young voters are the future nation of US, and the direction they are taking is going to define the future of US. This is unquestionable with Pluto transiting Aquarius for many years to come, as I said before it is inclusive, and humanitarian. Not what Trump and his friends are doing of trying to divide the people and the world. I am dead sure Trump is not happy at all wherever he is, with Mamdani’s win. As the saying goes ” Proof is in the pudding”, the youth don’t approve his policies.
From his belief as a Shia Twelver he is naturally preoccupied with issues of justice and order.
Tshele,
The 79 year-old Trump who has engorged himself all his life on cheap fast food and Diet Coke (and probably real Coke too) won’t be around anywhere near long enough to see where all this goes. He can be mad all he wants. Father Time and Mother Nature do not give a damn about the fragile ego of a petty malignant narcissist.
Pluto in Aquarius is indeed coming for the manifest avatar representative of the very worst excesses of the Boomer/Pluto in Leo generation. While I don’t think he will himself see and physically experience the perfection of Pluto’s waxing opposition to his natal Pluto in about 5-6 years, a Tsunami of reckoning for this particular scourge of humanity is nonetheless quietly gathering power and steam. Neither he nor the edifices of ego he has built will weather its landfall.
I believe Mamdani may well be a “messenger” of the shift to come, regardless of the ultimate outcome of the NYC election. The reaction of establishment Dems as well as that of the GOP/MAGA cult speaks volumes. They all fear what he represents: their irrelevance and the exposure of their mendacity.
You are spot on…
His mom Mira Nair, is also Libra (born Oct 15). I appreciate her movies. Find his politics disturbing . With all his ambitions , he cant be a president
his dad was my anthropology professor for a term . charming and extremely persuasive he is very definitely go left and keep walking.until the us solves its massive wealth disparity starting with the issues of multi million inheritance tax deductions and hiding everything in trusts nothing will change.redistribution or bust and it’s not just about ‘billionaires’.
As he is not natural-born citizen, he can’t be President (or Vice-President).
But he can rise to be a member of the Cabinet, a senator or a governor (or like Hilary Clinton, a multiple of those offices).
He hasn’t yet won the election though. There is a likely crowded field for the election in November. Cuomo could come back in (and is quite possible he will) to try to capture the conservative and middle of the road voters on a party line other than the democratic line. And then there’s Eric Adams the current mayor on a different independent party line and the republican (but they aren’t running a strong candidate at all). Majorie any thoughts on how Mandoni looks on Nov. 4th?
…and how Cuomo and Adams look…It Ain’t Over til Its Over . And I do think nuclear instability – and the need to get NYC hackles up – could help Cuomo squeak in.
Global hostilities rattle NYC and New Yorkers hard. The strong amount of early voting ( pre Trump b drop) may have helped ZM more than we can know….or can we….have to see if early voter statistics are revealed.
All that said, C did look like he could retire, but I think he’ll make a run for it. I think he is biding his time. When I voted on Election Day I ranked him at the top- b e c a u s e of his corrupt know how and a hope that he would repel terrorist threats and not attract them, the way a young guy like ZM will.
I believe in voting on Election Day ( because of last minute reveals abt candidates), but have succumbed to the convenience of early voting. I question that trend as the world changes so rapidly these days.
He has backing from schumer and now the Clintons- Democrat royalty.
I just realized that his mother is the filmmaker Mira Nair (Monsoon Wedding, Mississippi Masala), from her second marriage to academic Mahmood Mamdani (her first husband was Jewish).
Be fun to Mira’s chart, and influence on her son.
Only hearing of this luminary link on Marjorie’s site.
Hi Marjorie, Zohran’s birthtime is 1.15am
https://www.astro.com/astro-databank/Mamdani%2C_Zohran
In case it’s not clear, he won (pending certification) the Democratic Primary. He will face off against Eric Adams, the current mayor who is running as an independent, and Curtis Sliwa, founder of the Guardian Angels, who won the Republican primary, in the November General Election. I’m reading that Andrew Cuomo (who lost to Mamdani) may run as an independent in November as well.
I got a kick out of hearing Sliwa will be on the Nov ballot.
He could be a winning candidate for a star 4 cast ~~~.
What’s so interesting to me about this result is that his broad support from young people, which seems logical to me since most are so (justifiably) eager for a change, including for the reasons Roderick points out below, is that it runs counter to recent polling of Gen Z.
What I’ve read recently is that politically Gen Z is splitting their support. According to that polling older Gen Z voters (in their mid to late 20s up to 30), at least in the US, are trending more liberal, while younger voters (late teens through early 20s) are trending more conservative. That explains the bump for Trump in 2024, especially among young men. I’ve also read that that ideological split is not “solid” and that a hunger for change can also account for the shift towards a more conservative/Trump viewpoint — or, in my view, more skilled use of social media/podcasts in manipulating voters.
I can also see this as a rejection of Cuomo’s character and perceived corruption along with the need for a change to someone who cares about the concerns of voters and not just billionaires and Wall Street.
Apologies for the lack of astrology.
Nicole, I honestly wouldn’t put too much weight (yet) in the idea that younger voters are dead-set on being politically Conservative. And also. let’s be clear, Trump and MAGA are far-right Reactionaries. There’s nothing remotely Conservative about them in the traditional political sense.
Granted, the earliest of the Pluto in Capricorn generation is not even of voting age yet (18) in the US, so we are still dealing with the late Pluto in Sag cohort in their 20s who also have Neptune in Aquarius and Uranus in Pisces. So we haven’t even seen what a truly Conservative-leaning cohort may be like. I suspect the Uranus-Pluto square energy signature—Aries to Capricorn—is going to considerably offset whatever conservative tendencies there may be in this group, however.
Moreover, Trump has done absolutely nothing to help the current crop of 20 somethings. They can’t find even starter jobs, much less afford to buy homes or even rent a modest apartment in even a third tier city, but he and his ilk believe another tax cut so billionaires can go buy their fourth and fifth yachts is exactly what the country needs. That won’t carry any weight with anyone in 2028. When you can’t even find work or a place of your own to sleep in, people could care less about the typical culture war canards of abortion, marriage (e.g. “tradwives”) etc.
I do think you’re right about younger voters, Clarence. I can’t see them supporting Trump and the right-wingers in future, after how he’s damaged the country and their future. And what he’s done in Gaza, enabling and encouraging Netanyahu in his horrific killing spree and wanting to take over Gaza for his own greed,.is not going to play well with younger voters. I suspect those polling results are transitory, but still interesting.
I don’t think young voters are turning conservative. I think young voters, especially young men, are turning against a liberal party/faction/side that disregards them.
Liberals/progressives are focused on women’s rights, trans rights, ethnic minority rights, etc. Guess whom they are leaving out; young white men. You can’t really blame them for not voting for a party/faction that does not care for them.
Trump and the populists offered them a voice and they took it. I don’t think they are natural conservatives.It is more like the current generation of young white men are alienated from a progressive party that holds them responsible for the sins of dead white men who are no longer there to bear punishment for their sins.
Nicole, I do agree with you regarding Cuomo. His collapse is indeed indicative of a new trend, and I believe it will extend to Trump and all associated with him, who is Cuomo on steroids as far as corruption and amoral character are concerned.
One element of it is that many young people are horrified by the ongoing slaughter in Gaza. In general the Democrats have veered towards supporting Israel, while Mamdani’s pro Palestine stance is far more appealingto young people. For Generation Z, Gaza is to them what Vietnam was to the Boomers.
Zohran Mamdani seems like a pragmatic progressive and his campaign focused strictly on economic and social issues that people from all ideological backgrounds are dealing with right now…rather than focusing on polarizing cultural issues that many progressives tout. So, perhaps Mamdani will be more effective.
I assume New Yorkers were tired of the Cuomo Dynasty and Andrew Cuomo is a highly controversial figure.
His economic covered in socialism policies will end up fiasco as in Indian state Karnataka. All this socialism ends up taxing not the rich but working class and that leads to losing as incumbent.
That sounds like the trickle-down economics that we’ve experienced for the better part of the last 50 years which has resulted in the largest stratification of wealth in modern history.
@Rachana, come on, not comparable, really, given the economic and social structure. I’d rather look at European metropoli for a comparison. Capital cities tend to be progressive and left leaning. My hometown Helsinki has been held by a Center Right Coalition Party (named so since formed by several liberal leaning rightists parties in 1918) since the 1970’s, first with a Council nominated and now with the largest party getting the seat model. This year, Social Democrats who’ve been distant thirds behind the Green Party too, came within a couple of thousand votes, with the Left party also doing well. Social Democrats took another Coalition Party stronghold and retook Tampere, where the mayor is now a 34-year-old gay bestie of Sanna Marin, Ilmari Nurminen. It was a landslide overall, and they have been polling 5 points ahead the Coalition Party nationally now for a year despite people barely recognizing the leader when shown the picture.
Since Finland tends to be a bell weather country for European politics (what would be the astrology, maybe Gemini rising?), I think there might be a true turn towards economic populism
@Chris Romero, he participated in demonstrations for trans healthcare rights when the first Trump EOs came in and is pro-Palestine, a thing Cuomo advisors tried to unsuccessfully use against him. I think it’s a demonstration one can be for socially progressive things and win some more socially conservative voters if one also truly stands for the often conservative immigrant populations.