Free buses, more housing, taxing the rich: how Zohran Mamdani has gone viral in the New York mayor’s race

A group of supporters with Zohran Mamdani as he strolls through Manhattan, New York, on 17 June. Photograph: Thalia Juarez/The Guardian

Zohran Mamdani trailed Andrew Cuomo, the frontrunner to be the next New York City mayor, by 30 points just a few months ago.

Now, just ahead of the Democratic primary on Tuesday, the 33-year-old democratic socialist has bridged the gap with Cuomo, a politician so of the establishment that a giant bridge north of New York literally bears his last name.