Lorcan Nyhan: Can a left-wing populist change the shape of American politics? We’re about to find out

Originally published on the Irish Independent.

A 33-year-old socialist just ­became the Democratic nominee to be mayor of New York.

What happens next will make or break the progressive wing of the Democratic Party and set the trajectory for the wider opposition to Donald Trump.

Zohran Mamdani, a Ugandan-born assemblyman with only three years in elected office, took down Andrew Cuomo — a two-term former governor endorsed by Bill Clinton and backed by a $25m (€21m) political action committee.

It wasn’t close. It wasn’t lucky. And it wasn’t supposed to happen.

Cuomo may have entered this race with baggage, having been forced to resign as governor four years ago amid sexual harassment allegations from 13 women, but he immediately looked invincible, jumping to 35pc in the polls.

Mamdani, meanwhile, the self-identified Democratic socialist, was on 2pc as recently as February. Ultimately, he beat Cuomo 43.5pc to 36.4pc.

So, how did the Bernie Sanders-­endorsed candidate turn it around? Through a campaign that was clever, compelling and relentlessly focused on one core selling point: affordability.

For Lorcan's full article click here.