Marta Galceran: "Mandani's victory is a moral defeat for Trump"

BarcelonaMarta Galceran holds a PhD in International Relations from UPF and is a senior researcher in the area of global cities at CIDOB. She speaks with ARA to assess the causes and consequences of Zohran Mamdani's victory in the New York City mayoral elections.

Is Mamdani's victory the beginning of a new movement in American politics?

— It's hard to know. I think it could inspire other movements, but I don't think Mamdani's victory will be a game-changer.

How will this affect the Democratic Party's chances of winning?

— On Tuesday, not only did Mamdani win, but the Democrats also won the elections in Virginia and New Jersey. What's interesting is that they are different people. Mamdani has a clearly progressive agenda, but the other two Democrats [Abigail Spanberger and Mikie Sherrill] have more centrist and much more anti-Trump rhetoric. Mamdani has indeed clashed with the president in recent weeks, but this hasn't been the focus of her campaign. This is a sign that the Democratic Party remains somewhat disoriented. It gains a moral victory from these elections, but it still hasn't found its unifying ideology: whether to opt for a centrist approach or for figures aligned with Mamdani, such as Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez or Bernie Sanders.

What can be expected of Trump now?

— He went straight into the campaign by attacking Mamdani. He threatened to deploy the National Guard, as he has done in other Democratic cities like Los Angeles and Portland... But all of this is currently in the courts, and it's unlikely he'll be able to do it again. He's also threatening to cut federal funding, but for that, he would also need congressional support. We'll have to see how far he can go. What's clear is that it's a moral defeat for Trump, because Mamdani wasn't his candidate.

Could Mamdani face off against Trump?

— They both have something in common: they're masters of social media. I anticipate we'll continue to see a somewhat dialectical spectacle, but to see Mamdani as a counterweight... There's an electoral prerogative that says to run for the White House you must be born in the United States, and Mamdani was born in Uganda. And within the Democratic Party, there's absolutely no consensus that the path forward is the more progressive bloc that Mamdani represents.

What were the keys to Mamdani's victory?

— His language speaks to a very important reality for a large segment of New York's population: the rising cost of living. And another point: he has presented himself as an immigrant and is proud of it. New York is a city where 38-40% of the population was born elsewhere. Therefore, this identification is also a very New York product. And, undeniably, we must mention social media, where he has been able to showcase the everyday life of a large part of New York.

Are their proposals for the city realistic?

— He proposes freezing rents for four years; this seems relatively easy, as he has the authority to do so. In contrast, free bus service is a somewhat populist proposal that requires significant funding from New York State. The third proposal, free preschool for children up to age five, also requires substantial resources.