What Christians Need to Know about New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani
Claiming to be all about fighting for the rights of the working class, getting New York’s “cost-of-living crisis” under control, and making New York City streets safer were the centerpieces of New York’s Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani.
His campaign website made some impressive promises that also included freezing the skyrocketing rent costs, building affordable housing, cracking down on negligent landlords by acquiring their properties in the event of refusing to make repairs, city government owned grocery stores that would allegedly help lower food costs, free bus fair, free child care for children ages newborn through 6 years old, taking climate change seriously, improving the education system, improving the healthcare system while lowering the cost of healthcare, and making it easier to start and run a business in New York City.
In addition to all these golden eggs, Mamdani also promised to increase New York’s minimum wage to $30 per hour by 2030, protect New York’s illegal immigrants and the LGBTQ+ community by strengthening New York as a sanctuary city for these special groups, make obtaining an abortion easier, but also providing “free baby baskets” for all newborns whose parents and/or guardians decide to keep their babies.
How all of New York’s New Benefits will be Funded
The primary ways Mamdani has claimed he will pay for all these benefits and plans is by raising the corporate tax rate to match New Jersey’s 11.5 percent, which will bring in in $5 billion, and taxing “the wealthiest 1 percent of New Yorkers – those earning above $1 million annually – a flat 2 percent tax,” according to his campaign website.
Mamdani hasn’t hidden the fact that he’s a democratic socialist. He quoted well-known 19th and early 20th century socialist Eugene Debs in his Tuesday night victory speech, and he’s been a member of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) for many years, according to NPR.
In a nutshell, the DSA aims to forge a more socialist, European-style of government in which healthcare is considered “free for all,” but the taxes of working citizens take a significant jump to cover that benefit. In addition, education is considered “free for all,” and there are special housing programs that offer “free” or low-cost housing to those who qualify, according to AlJazeera. The problem is that socialism isn’t friendly to the middle class because they typically end up getting hit with a significant increase in taxes to pay for all the socialist programs, and socialism often devolves into communism, according to The Heritage Foundation.
Mamdani Embraces the Muslim Religion
Mamdani also hasn’t hidden the fact that he is a Muslim, and wove that into his campaign. There were several mosques that he regularly visited, and he released a campaign video in Urdu, which highlighted the city’s cost-of-living crisis, according to the BBC. He is New York’s first Muslim Mayor.
“We know that to stand in public as a Muslim is also to sacrifice the safety that we can sometimes find in the shadows,” Mamdani said at a rally, according to the BBC.
Mamdani also believes that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza, and that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should be arrested. However, such accusations are rejected by Israel, according to the BBC.
What New Yorkers and Trump Think about Mamdani
New Yorkers have mixed feelings about Mamdani as their new mayor, which are detailed here. However, President Trump has not held back in regard to his disdain for Mamdani and his policies, even stating that he would withhold federal funding to New York if necessary, according to the BBC.
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Photo Credit: ©Getty Images/Michael M. Santiago/Staff
Originally published November 10, 2025.
