New York City is on the cusp of a political transformation as Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani prepares to take office in January 2026. His rise has been anything but conventional, marked by grassroots energy, bold policy promises, and a transition team that is already stirring controversy and debate across the city’s political spectrum.
On November 24, 2025, Mamdani’s transition team made headlines with the appointment of Lumumba Bandele, a Black nationalist and prominent member of the Malcolm X Grassroots Movement, to the Committee on Community Organizing. According to The New York Post, Bandele’s selection has drawn sharp criticism from Rep. Elise Stefanik, a Republican with her sights set on the 2026 gubernatorial race. Stefanik did not mince words, stating, “Kathy Hochul’s endorsed Mayor-elect, Zohran Mamdani, just picked a man who supports the killers of cops in New York and New Jersey to serve on his transition team.” She further urged Governor Hochul to pressure Mamdani to remove Bandele, adding, “Mamdani’s vision for New York is getting very clear and it’s starting to look like a nightmare.”
Bandele’s activism is well documented. In March 2018, he attended a rally advocating for the release of Herman Bell, a former Black Liberation Army member convicted of killing two NYPD officers in 1971. Bandele has also met several times with Assata Shakur, who escaped prison after being convicted of killing a New Jersey police officer and now lives in Cuba under political asylum. On Veterans Day 2024, Bandele publicly saluted both figures, calling them “soldiers that served valiantly in the people’s military to defend our communities.”
Despite the uproar, Bandele is just one of more than 400 community members and stakeholders participating in 17 transition committees, all tasked with shaping Mamdani’s approach before he officially takes office. As of November 26, neither Mamdani’s transition campaign nor Governor Hochul’s office had responded to requests for comment, and Bandele himself has remained silent on the controversy.
The debate over Bandele’s appointment is just the latest flashpoint in a transition period that’s already redefining New York City’s political landscape. Alongside the furor, Mamdani has made another headline-grabbing move by appointing Alex Vitale, a Brooklyn College sociology professor and author of The End of Policing, as a community safety adviser. Vitale is a leading figure in the “Abolish the Police” movement, arguing that the core problem is not police training or diversity but policing itself, which he believes has grown excessively over the past four decades.
Vitale’s philosophy is clear: “The problem is not police training, police diversity, or police methods. The problem is the dramatic and unprecedented expansion and intensity of policing in the last 40 years, a fundamental shift in the role of police in society. The problem is policing itself.” While most progressives advocate for police reform rather than abolition, Mamdani’s decision to bring Vitale on board signals a willingness to entertain more radical changes to city policing. Critics have pointed to research, such as a 2018 article in Review of Economics and Statistics, which found that increased police presence correlates with reduced violent crime. Yet, Mamdani’s camp appears undeterred by such arguments, emphasizing a vision of community safety that challenges longstanding assumptions.
Mamdani’s campaign, which culminated in his historic win, was built on a platform that resonated with many New Yorkers—especially younger and marginalized voters. As reported by The Silhouette, his use of social media platforms like TikTok allowed him to connect authentically with Gen Z without relying on gimmicks or pandering. His promises to freeze rent, make city buses free, and increase funding for hate crime prevention were not just campaign slogans; they were rallying cries for a diverse coalition of supporters who felt seen and heard for the first time in years.
“His campaign was built on promises to freeze rent, make city buses free and increase in hate crime prevention funding,” said Amy Jun, a student at McMaster University. Volunteers and supporters alike were drawn to what they described as the “human-ness” of Mamdani’s campaign, noting its reliance on small donations and passionate volunteers rather than wealthy backers. His outspoken support for Palestine and his proud identity as a socialist in what many see as the world’s most capitalist city set him apart, even as these positions alienated some voters.
Mamdani’s journey from a South Asian Muslim immigrant born in Uganda to the mayor’s office has inspired hope among students and marginalized communities, not just in New York but as far away as Hamilton, Canada. “If a city as large and diverse as New York could have a mayor that brings communities together instead of pushing them apart, why can’t that be the case in Hamilton, in Ontario, or even in Canada?” wrote one observer in The Silhouette.
With Mamdani vacating his Assembly seat ahead of his inauguration, the race to succeed him in Assembly District 36 has also taken on historic significance. On November 25, Rana Abdelhamid, a Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) member and nonprofit leader from Astoria, officially launched her campaign to fill the seat. Abdelhamid, who runs the women’s self-defense and social services nonprofit Malikah, is campaigning on the same affordability issues that propelled Mamdani to City Hall. “This is about the fact that we need an Astoria and Long Island City where people can stay,” Abdelhamid declared at her launch event in Astoria’s “Little Egypt.”
The contest is shaping up as a rare all-DSA showdown, with Diana Moreno—expected to receive the DSA endorsement—and Mary Jobida also in the running. Moreno, who serves as co-chair of Queens DSA and previously worked at the immigration nonprofit NICE, has raised $41,000 since her campaign’s launch, expecting that figure to reach $113,000 with matching funds. Abdelhamid, leveraging support from her previous congressional campaign, has raised about $140,000 in the past month. Moreno’s campaign is focused on continuing Mamdani’s legacy and delivering on universal childcare, tenants’ rights, affordable housing, and defending immigrant communities.
Jobida, another DSA member, has yet to formally launch her campaign but has emphasized the need for authentic representation and advocacy for longtime residents and immigrants facing gentrification. The special election to fill the Assembly seat is likely in early 2026, with Mamdani himself staying neutral as of now.
As New York City prepares for Mamdani’s inauguration, the city stands at a crossroads. His transition team appointments and the ideological debates they spark offer a preview of the bold, and sometimes divisive, changes to come. Whether his administration will fulfill its promises or face insurmountable opposition remains to be seen, but one thing is certain: the city’s political narrative has changed, and the whole country is watching.
