It's a rallying cry across politics: “Young voters have the most power we need to energize them!” However, it seems no one caters to them in a way that gets them excited. Erin Hayes from the Berkeley Institute for Young Americans states that “Millennials and Gen Zers are generations unlike any other because of the risks they face….and are disillusioned with a political system that is unresponsive to their needs”. Both sides of the political spectrum have frustrated and tired out new voters. The younger generation needs something new—a breath of life where politics have gone dusty and dreary, and recently we’ve seen how far that can go.

In the recent New York City mayoral primaries, a small election people across the country ignore or remain uninformed about, arose a new figure for young voters. No, it wasn’t Cuomo despite the rallying support he received from the Democratic party, it was someone else—Zohran Mamdani. 

Mamdani is a democratic socialist, someone who believes in combining democratic governance with socialist economic policies. This itself is a taboo topic and is surrounded by misinformation like battleships at sea. However, as voters took in Mamdani’s policies, they were entranced. 30$ minimum wage by 2030? Building more affordable housing? Tax increases on people and corporations earning more than a million dollars? It seemed more like a fever dream than a promise, but in a city where wealth inequality is so persistent… it became hope. Policies such as these appeal to the younger generation who are currently swamped with issues such as saturated job markets and increasing house prices. Mamdani’s commitment to affordability directly appeals to young people who are crushed by student debt and looming threats of unemployment. 

Not only did his policies attract the thousands of young voters, who found that neither party represented their ideology, but one of his stances, starkly different from every politician, irrespective of their party, sparked his support. Mamdani openly declared that he was pro-Palestinian. According to the Pew Research Center, within the groups of 18-29, 33% of Americans sympathized with the Palestinian people compared to only 14% with the Israeli people, however many more popular politicians do not share the same ideas. Such views have energized voters who have not been active in voting or those who aren’t registered yet, for example, the New York Times found that in the 14 days leading up the the primary election, 37,000 people registered, highlighting the high contention this primary held. However, despite the fresh ideas brought and the amount of people engaged, Mamdani is facing backlash from his own party and what seems like threats from the other. 

For example, Adam Smith, a Washington Democrat vehemently opposes Mamdani and in a statement, “Mamdani isn’t speaking for our party, any more than I’m speaking for our party. It’s a big tent. It’s a big coalition”. However, it seems that he’s trying to push back against all the enthusiasm Mamdani has brought, concerned about the “reputation” of the party being stained. The Democratic senator of New York has also called Mamdani an “anisemite” for his propalestinian comments, further alienating him from the party. The Democratic party itself had backed Cuomo rather than Mamdani for the primaries meaning he didn’t have much support from them.

Furthermore, they have not done much against the vicious threats that Mamdani is facing from right-wing politicians and supporters. Representative Andy Ogles of Tennessee has called for him to be denaturalized and deported for being a “communist” even President Trump himself has made derogatory and demeaning comments towards Mamdani. 

However, at this point, whether or not one agrees with Mamdani’s views isn’t the point of contention. He’s made a name for himself, he's mobilized voters, and made young people feel seen and heard. When the political system has become so disheartening for young people to engage in, he has brought in young voters like a moth to a flame. GenZ is speaking, and they want change, and to win their vote, the system has to listen.