In an age of rising costs of living, loneliness and isolation, some Gen-Z Americans have become uninterested or uninformed on the economic political state of the world. When people are in a constant state of survival in a dog eat dog world, community becomes harder and more exerting to cultivate. And with politicians prioritizing partisanship over productivity, Americans have largely felt abandoned by their representatives.
But Zohran Mamdani’s historic November 4th win as New York City mayor challenged what it means to run for office and earn the vote of the people. Arguably one of the most creative and culturally in-tune campaigns of all American history, Mamdani didn’t just idly wait for Gen-Z to come to him; he permeated our social media algorithms. His policies of universal childcare, free transportation, and a rent freeze on 2 million rent stabilized units combined with cinematic campaign videos and a love for his city captured the hearts of millions.
Millions of people all around the world tuned in to the New York mayoral race to see to how the turnout could indicate where the 2026 midterm elections could end up. Alongside the NYC mayoral race was the Virginia gubernatorial race, the New Jersey gubernatorial race, Detroit mayoral race, and Proposition 50 in California, all key races in which Democrats were elected. Alongside Mamdani as newly elected members of government were Mikie Sherril (NJ), Abigail Spanberger (VA) and Mary Sheffield (MI), who is the first Black woman to lead the city.
Long have been the days where Democratic leaders present themselves as the antithesis of Trump and Republicans. Where they fail, Democrats make up for–even if what they wish to implement is insufficient. Gen-Z deserves better than the “lesser of two evils” and honestly, I’m tired of pretending like that isn’t the case. We deserve representatives and government officials who work tirelessly to ensure that the wealth they hold as a public servant is found in their states, cities and districts. We deserve officials whose policies encourage community building, economic literacy and infrastructure that holds all, not just some.
People often complain about how politics is too entertaining, with fiery clapbacks from representatives and social media posts from the president now being the norm. I don’t disagree with them, but there has to be an understanding of how 2016 changed everything. Politics has been weaponized, overloading the nervous systems of millions of Americans, but what if it was used to give us hope and inspire us to fight for each other? There is a way for politicians to be policy first and personality second and Mamdani’s win shows that we need action and care, not capitulation and dishonesty.
With all the upset over Mamdani identifying as a Democratic Socialist, I urge others to wonder why that marriage of words leaves both sides of the aisle uneasy. Is it because someone who is a democratic socialist inherently has malintentions, or is it because we have been pushed to believe that what we’re used to is forever? America is a restless, defiant country. America is a needy, unconventionally diverse country. And in this time where our country is being squeezed into the monoliths of white supremacist archetypes, we need to reject the norm and fight like hell.
And Gen-Z knows this.
The rhetoric of 18-24 year olds being lazy and apolitical will never stick. We are fighting for everyone at the polls while we are in the throes of inheriting a crumbling job market, sky-high grocery and housing prices, and the far-right radicalization of some of our youngest and vulnerable.
America is many things, but she has always been all of ours.
Opinions are those of the author’s alone and do not reflect the views of the Annenberg Media newsroom or its leadership.