Mamdani wins New York mayoralty with affordability-focused campaign

“I know you have been disappointed too many times. The entire working class has been disappointed. I hope this time will be different.”

The words appeared as captions on a video of New York mayor-elect Joran Mamdani, 34, carrying a red heart-shaped balloon through the streets of New York. Posted on Instagram on Feb. 7, the video promoted Democratic Party registration ahead of the June 24 primary, noting that the registration deadline fell on Valentine’s Day.

In the video, Mamdani outlined his campaign promises, including free city buses, city-owned grocery stores, rent-stabilized housing, and universal childcare. He focused solely on affordability politics and did not mention his Democratic primary rivals, Republicans, or President Donald Trump.

Mamdani’s victory is credited to his focus on affordability politics, which energized young voters worried about New York’s high cost of living. During the campaign, he conducted street interviews with residents and adopted the slogan “Make New York Affordable Again.” He said, “We asked people what mattered most to them. The answer we heard most was ‘cost of living, cost of living, cost of living.’”

The cost of living in New York remains high. The city’s median household income is $93,400, while the median monthly rent is $3,599, according to Realtor.com. Rent consumes roughly 60 percent of income. A report last year by the U.S. think tank the Institute for Fiscal Studies found that 30 percent of people leaving New York were between 26 and 35 years old. Many young residents cannot afford the city’s rising costs.

Mamdani went all-in on addressing the cost-of-living crisis. On Jan. 1, at the city’s traditional Coney Island New Year’s plunge, he jumped into the sea, shouting, “I’m freezing your rent.” He visited minority-owned supermarkets, freestyle rap battles, church marathon events, and LGBTQ clubs to promote his platform, sharing videos on social media. This approach encouraged voluntary participation from Generation Z and helped his campaign go viral through online memes.

Support from young voters was a key factor in Mamdani’s victory. The median age of early voters fell from 55 three years ago to 50 this year. According to a New York Times analysis, in areas where the median age is under 45, Mamdani’s average margin of victory was 30 percentage points. Many young voters cited his rent freeze plan as a major reason for backing him.

As South Korea approaches next year’s local elections, affordability politics is expected to become essential. Real estate prices and the high cost of living in Seoul and surrounding areas continue to rise. These economic pressures are also linked to the country’s low birth rate, a challenge crucial to national survival. Low voter turnout among people in their 20s and 30s reflects the older generation of politicians’ failure to present compelling issues. To win young voters’ support, Korean politicians will need to follow Mamdani’s example and engage directly with citizens on the streets.