When Zohran Kwame Mamdani, a socialist state assemblyman from Queens, launched his campaign for New York City mayor, most political observers were skeptical that he’d get very far. City politics is typically dominated by real estate and finance money, and Mamdani had little name recognition.

And while the organization he is a member of, New York City Democratic Socialists of America (NYC-DSA), has seen many of its endorsed candidates win victories in the city and state over the last seven years — the election of Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in 2018, plus three state senators, six state assemblymembers (including Mamdani), and two city council members, as well as policy reforms that include tenant protections and publicly funded renewable energy, all won as part of broader left-progressive coalitions — even most within DSA thought that a campaign for executive power was a heavy lift.

Yet over the last couple months, Mamdani has become a genuine political phenomenon, moving from quixotic noble effort to a transformative event in New York City politics.