As Mayor Elect Zohran Mamdani prepares for his inauguration, on January 1st, 2026, he will be faced with the difference between campaigning and governing as all candidates have had to do. As he becomes the first Muslim mayor and youngest mayor since Hugh John Grant in 1889, he will be confronted with a myriad of issues that have plagued New Yorkers for many years.

Despite his focus on affordability, Mamdani himself has enjoyed a life of privilege. His mother is Mira Nair who has enjoyed success directing such movies as Mississippi Masala starring Denzel Washington and Monsoon Wedding. His father is a professor at Columbia University and a prominent leader in the field of post colonialism. His parents were close friends of Edward Said.

Despite his meteoric rise, Mamdani has earned the animosity of some business leaders and a Republican Party that will attempt to make him the face of the Democratic Party for the upcoming 2026 midterm elections.

There is no doubt that some of his comments about capitalism has caused alarm among some business leaders. Some have exhibited hysteria about the election of Mamdani. John Catsimaridis owner of Gristedes Supermarkets has threatened to move his operations out of New York despite the fact that Gristedes has been losing money before Mamdani announced his candidacy. David Portnoy owner of Barstool Sports has also expressed concern calling him a “Communist.” In response to his proposal to raise taxes Governor Hochul stated “I don’t want to lose any more people to Palm Beach.” Nonetheless, Quentin Parinello policy director at the EU Tax Observatory responded that “tax induced mobility is not nonexistent, but it’s very small.” It is interesting to note how some business leaders have expressed concern about the socialist leanings of Mamdani but have been silent about what some consider the authoritative tendencies of the present administration.

While a lot has been made about his socialist bona fides, it should be remembered that socialist elected officials is not new. This includes Fiorello LaGuardia who successfully ran for Congress on the socialist ticket. As far as mayors go, there have been over 100 elected to office in the United States.

He will also have his work cut out for him with some segments of the Jewish Community given his remarks about Israel. Anti Defamation League CEO Jonathan Greenblatt, announced an initiative called the Mamdani Monitor, in order to track his policies and appointments. Yet Mamdani had received endorsements from prominent Jewish leaders such as Comptroller Brad Lander, Ruth Messinger and Congressman Jerrold Nadler.

To his credit, Mamdani has attempted to mend some bridges as he is scheduled to meet with President Trump.

The question is whether the policies of his administration can match the rhetoric of his campaign.

Mamdani won on the issue of affordability. Despite his campaign promises, making New York an affordable place to live will almost be a Sisyphus like struggle. The biggest obstacle will be housing. Despite JD Vance’s tenuous relationship with truth, the housing affordability crisis is not due to immigrants but rather a lack of investment by the government. It will take a combination of public and private investment. Given the animosity expressed by the White House towards Mamdani, this will be a tough road.

There is no doubt that Mamdani is a talented and visionary politician who has energized New Yorkers especially young voters. His campaign resulted in the highest voter turnout in decades. Robert F. Kennedy Sr. said “Progress is a nice word. But change is its motivator. And Change has it enemies.” It remains to be seen how much of a honeymoon period Mamdani will have. As Mario Cuomo, father of his one time opponent Andrew Cuomo, said “You campaign in poetry. You govern in prose.” Mamdani clearly passed the first part of that but now he has to pass the second.