The Kingmaker Behind Zohran Mamdani's Upset (ft Brad Lander)

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In this exclusive interview, NYC Comptroller Brad Lander reveals how he became the kingmaker behind Zohran Mamdani's shocking primary victory over Andrew Cuomo. While mainstream media missed the story, we dive deep into the political strategy that helped Mamdani defeat establishment candidates in the race for NYC mayor.

Zohran Mamdani's upset victory on his way to possibly becoming the next New York City mayor may have come as a surprise to everyone except Brad Lander. Mamdani, a Queens assemblyman, and Lander, the city’s comptroller, cross-endorsed each other in NYC’s ranked-choice primary voting system for the Democratic mayoral nominee. Mamdani and Lander found common ground in their progressive values and their mutual commitment to defeating the status quo in disgraced former New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo, a billionaire-backed “Democrat” with multiple workplace s*xual harassment allegations in his rearview mirror. With Mamdani on his way to defeating scandal-plagued NYC Mayor Eric Adams and becoming the city’s first Muslim and South Asian and Ugandan mayor, Lander is contemplating his next move.

This week, Katelyn and Christine spoke at length with Lander about how he helped Mamdani overcome the Cuomo machine, his controversial ICE arrest and how it changed the primary race, and the political and media discourse over antisemitism after Mamdani’s win. What is Lander’s next move? Katelyn asks!

Brad Lander breaks down the progressive cross-endorsement strategy that centrist politicians like Andrew Cuomo and Eric Adams never saw coming. From behind-the-scenes political maneuvering to the future of NYC, this conversation exposes what traditional media won't tell you about New York City politics.

Key Topics Covered:

-How Brad Lander's endorsement strategy changed the NYC mayor race

-Zohran Mamdani's path from outsider to primary winner

-The political calculations that shocked Andrew Cuomo supporters

-The Media's reaction to Zohran Mamdani's win in the NYC mayor race and the weaponization of antisemitism

-Brad Lander's vision for New York City's political future post-Eric Adams

Links:

• Follow Brad Lander on Bluesky: @bradlander.bsky.social and Instagram: @brad.lander
• No, it is not misspelled. It’s “Comptroller.”—New York’s neighbor at NJ.gov
• Gwynne Hogan, Ben Fractenberg, and Rachel Kahn for The City: Brad Lander Detained by Masked Federal Agents and Accused of Assault — But Released With No Charges
• New York State Attorney General Letitia James: Transcripts and Exhibits from Independent Investigation into Sexual Harassment Allegations Against Former Governor Andrew Cuomo
• Zohran Mamdani’s Queens assemblyman biography
• Mamdani, in his own words, on being called an antisemite
• Justin Baragona for The Independent: Anti-woke activist applauds his ‘friends’ at the New York Times for Zohran Mamdani college application ‘scoop’

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