Even for Mamdani supporters, his thin resume is a cause for concern

Many voters struggle with a fundamental question about Zohran Mamdani's candidacy: Is a 34-year-old state assemblyman ready to lead the nation's largest city?

Nicholas Fandos & Katie Glueck

  Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic nominee, sprints toward Election Day on Tuesday, many New Yorkers are still struggling with a fundamental question about his candidacy: Is a 34-year-old state assemblyman who, until recently, managed a paid staff of only five, ready to lead the nation’s largest city? 

From the congested streets of downtown Flushing to the brownstone blocks of Park Slope and across the five boroughs, interviews with more than 50 New York voters revealed neighborhoods, blocks and sometimes even households passionately divided over the answer. 

To Mamdani’s most enthusiastic supporters, his age and youthful energy are as central to his appeal as the promise of free buses and a rent freeze, particularly at a time when Democrats are demanding generational change in the wake of former President Joseph R. Biden Jr.’s failed re-election bid. Yet interviews and public opinion polling suggest that a strikingly broad swath of voters still harbor reservations or outright worries about his ability to step into a role considered to be the second-hardest in American government, after the US presidency. 

 

“I’m not going to lie, I’m a bit nervous,” said Steven Ye, 21, after he voted for Mamdani in downtown Flushing in Queens. “He is not ready,” said Maria Fattore, a voice coach in Astoria, adding that she had “unhappily” switched her vote from Mamdani to former Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo at the last moment. “I agree with the vision. I agree with the fact that your generation needs to be given the reins. But you need to have the ability.” 

Sue Ann Todhunter, a self-described “old hippie,” was inclined to support Mamdani, but admitted to some misgivings. “I’m not sure that he has the experience to deal with what’s going on in this city, of all cities,” she said. “It’s a lot.” 

Mamdani’s democratic socialism and far-left policy positions, have given hope to Mr. Cuomo, 67, as he tries to mount a late-stage third-party comeback after losing June’s Democratic primary. Cuomo has made experience central to his ominous closing message, asserting that Mamdani could “kill New York City,” undermine its finances and be dangerously outmatched by President Trump. 

But even if Mamdani prevails, as the polls suggest, Cuomo’s attack lines foreshadow what may be among the biggest challenges of being mayor: overseeing a city with a $112 billion budget, a 300,000-person work force and a population of eight million people as demanding as they are diverse. 

A Quinnipiac University poll released in October found that close to half of New York City voters had doubts about his qualifications, even as he ran up a strong lead over his rivals otherwise. Asked whether Mamdani had the right kind of experience to be mayor, just 39 per cent said he did, while 47 per cent said he did not. In contrast, 73 per cent said Cuomo had “the right kind of experience” for the job. Twenty-four percent said the same of Curtis Sliwa, the Republican nominee who is polling in a distant third place. 

The stakes are high. The next mayor will take control of a city contending with soaring living costs, a potential budget shortfall and threats by Trump.  To be fair, there may be no perfect preparation to lead New York City, and the office of mayor is frequently won not on the strength of a résumé but on ideas. Still, virtually all of  Mamdani’s  predecessors have arrived with meaningfully more professional, political and life experience.