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@nytmag In less than a month, New Yorkers will cast their ballots in the city's mayoral election. Zohran Mamdani will enter Election Day with a commanding lead, and he feels the pressure of expectation, the natural consequence of the prospect of a weighty title: becoming the first Muslim mayor of the city and one of the few elected officials in the United States who is not just liberal or progressive — but unapologetically leftist. He knows that his success or failure will not be seen as only his own. For months now, Mamdani has been meeting privately with former city leaders and skeptical local Democrats. The talks have helped him present himself as a new type of leftist, focused on fulfilling his policy agenda rather than winning an ideological argument. He has sought common ground, heard out his critics and shared his willingness to grow. The conversations have allowed Mamdani to reframe his previous positions, and these subtle shifts have helped fortify his lead. Get the inside story of the man most likely to be the next mayor of New York City — and the promise and peril that his ascent poses for the Democratic Party — at the link in bio. Story by @asteadwh. Photographs by @paridukovic.
