New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said Wednesday that Abdul El-Sayed’s Senate win in Michigan mattered deeply to many people.
El-Sayed defeated former Republican Rep. Mike Rogers in one of the election’s most closely watched races. He is set to become the first Muslim elected to the U.S. Senate.
Mamdani said he had not yet spoken with El-Sayed, who was likely busy, but had talked with him before. He called the victory especially meaningful given the money spent campaigning against El-Sayed and the racism and attacks he faced during the race. “The good guys won,” Mamdani said, referring to El-Sayed’s remarks the night before.
Mamdani said the results showed that Americans were frustrated with politicians who dismiss their needs as unrealistic while serving the country’s wealthiest people.
He added that a new generation of leaders had been elected with a mandate to bring down living costs, invest in building rather than bombing, and stand by working people. Mamdani said he often hears that the policies he supports in New York City could not work elsewhere, but argued that working people are a majority in places across the country, from Austin and Ann Arbor to Astoria.
Democrats won control of both the House and Senate in Tuesday’s midterm elections. Mamdani said, though, that winning power was not enough; Democrats needed to use it to make a difference in people’s finances.
He pointed to campaign proposals from other candidates, including James Talarico’s support for universal childcare, Keisha Lance Bottoms’ plans to reduce barriers to housing construction, and Jocelyn Benson’s call for a pause on data centers. Mamdani said he was encouraged by those specific proposals, while stressing that the work was only beginning and that the results needed to reach working people nationwide.
