[MUSIC]
Brian Lehrer: Brian Lehrer on WNYC. For our last few minutes today, back to that lead story, Zohran Mamdani winning, in effect, the Democratic primary for mayor of New York. He hasn't officially won it yet with the ranked-choice voting process, but Andrew Cuomo has conceded. We're going to give you, Mamdani voters, a few more minutes on the phones for a victory lap at the end of the show today.
We took a few phone calls earlier as we did a lot of political analysis with political analyst guests, so we're going to let you have it to yourselves for these last few minutes. Mamdani voters, whether you ranked him number one or two or three or four or five, you get a victory lap. You can call up and say how you're feeling, knowing you contributed to this victory, and what you're hoping he'll actually achieve if he goes on to become the mayor of New York City. 212-433-WNYC, if you rank Mamdani for mayor, 212-433-9692.
I'll play a clip in just a second of his victory speech last night, but I wonder if there's a difference in the emotion this morning between those of you who ranked him first, unambiguous Zohran Mamdani backers. Those of you who might have ranked him fifth, who might have had some ambivalence, if you did have ambivalence, about Mamdani, maybe you would have rather seen Brad Lander or Adrienne Adams or Scott Stringer or Zellnor Myrie, and you only put Mamdani fifth. I wonder what the feeling is, what the thinking is from you this morning, now that you've seen him won.
Number five Mamdani voters, welcome to call in. Certainly, number one Mamdani voters, welcome to call in and say what you're feeling this morning, and what's the number one policy that you hope that he ran on that he can actually implement? 212-433-WNYC. Anyone who ranked Mamdani anywhere on your ballot, 212-433-9692. Give us a call or shoot us a text. As your calls are coming in, I'll play about a minute and a half from Mamdani's victory speech last night. Here he is laying out what his goals for the city are should he win in November.
Zohran Mamdani: We have won because New Yorkers have stood up for a city they can afford.
[crowd cheering]
Zohran Mamdani: A city where they can do more than just struggle, one where those who toil in the night can enjoy the fruits of their labor in the day.
[crowd cheering]
Zohran Mamdani: Where hard work is repaid with a stable life, where eight hours on the factory floor or behind the wheel of a cab is enough to pay the mortgage.
[crowd cheering]
Zohran Mamdani: It is enough to keep the lights on. It is enough to send your kid to school.
[crowd cheering]
Zohran Mamdani: Where rent-stabilized apartments are actually stabilized.
[crowd cheering]
Zohran Mamdani: Where buses are fast and free.
[crowd cheering]
Zohran Mamdani: Where child care doesn't cost more than CUNY.
[crowd cheering]
Zohran Mamdani: Where public safety keeps us truly safe.
[crowd cheering]
Zohran Mamdani: It's where the mayor will use their power to reject Donald Trump's fascism.
[crowd cheering]
Zohran Mamdani: To stop mass ICE agents from deporting our neighbor.
[crowd cheering]
Zohran Mamdani: To govern our city as a model for the Democratic Party.
Brian Lehrer: Mamdani from his victory speech last night. We'll get to your calls if you voted for Mamdani right after this.
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Brian Lehrer: Brian Lehrer on WNYC. For our last few minutes, it is this extra round of victory lap calls from those of you who voted for Zohran Mamdani number one, number two, number three, number four, or number five. Starting with Luca in Brooklyn, you're on WNYC. Hello, Luca.
Luca: Hey, good morning, Brian.
Brian Lehrer: Where'd you rank him?
Luca: Yes, I ranked him number one. I'm an EMT. I work in Upper Manhattan. Generally, I feel like a lot of the issues that I deal with at work that I face when I'm dealing with patients, a lot of them do have to do with chronic issues of unaffordability in this city, housing, food insecurity, access to mental health. Yes, that's why I felt needed to rank him number one. That's a huge issue facing the people of the city. I'm born and raised here.
Brian Lehrer: Luca, thank you very much. Nancy in Manhattan, you're on WNYC. Hello, Nancy.
Nancy: Hi, Brian. I voted for Mamdani, and I put him fifth. I put Lander as number one, followed by all progressives, and added Mamdani number five, because I was a "no Cuomo" person, and I wanted to make sure that Cuomo did not win. I love Mamdani. I love his idealism. I love his intellect. I love his personality. I think he's going to go far, but I was really worried about his lack of experience. I voted for Lander, who has all the best of Mamdani's idealism without perhaps the altruistic personality, but he also has the needed experience that Mamdani absolutely lacks, and I feel will be very difficult for him to win, aside from the other global issues.
Brian Lehrer: You did rank him because you prefer him to Cuomo in the long run.
Nancy: I ranked Mamdani five because I absolutely would want him, and I know that in office, and I still feel this is true, that he will get the best of people around him who are obviously going to be more experienced than he at being an administrator.
Brian Lehrer: Nancy, thank you very much. Listener writes in a text, "I ranked Mamdani third behind Adams and Lander. I knew they were long shots. I feel so happy this morning." Listener writes, "I feel happy for the first time since November. I hope he wins. It's a worry, but I'm also so happy Cuomo was defeated, so ranked third, but very happy with how my vote trickled down." Natanya in Brooklyn, you're on WNYC. Hi, Natanya.
Natanya: Hi, Brian. Thanks for taking my call, and thanks for your coverage today. I serve as a board member for Jews for Racial and Economic Justice, which really proudly endorsed and organized with and for both Zohran Mamdani and Brad Lander for mayor. I'm just calling to say, as a Jewish New Yorker who ranked Zohran number one and Brad number two and spent time volunteering with both campaigns that I heard your question earlier about how Zohran can win over Jewish New Yorkers.
I wanted to say that I feel so inspired by the modeling that Zohran has done to show us how powerful our solidarity can be across identity groups, whether that's Jewish and Muslim, Israeli and Palestinian, race and gender and age and disability. His campaign has been one that's really shown us the power of solidarity as our true path to collective liberation. I don't want to erase how many Jewish people, both Zionists and anti-Zionists, resonate with his platform of making the city more affordable, and are really moved by his solidarity with Jewish communities in our cities, his commitment to increasing hate violence prevention by 800% in terms of funding, and his inspiring partnership with Brad Lander.
Brian Lehrer: Natanya, thank you very much. Ragnar in Brooklyn, you're on WNYC. Hello, Ragnar.
Ragnar: Hi, Brian. I am delighted he made it. I'm excited about a young person with no baggage and lots of great ideas. He has to build a coalition of some kind, which will take a lot of work. My number one feeling about housing is no subsidies of any kind. Without income, revelation is a test of whether people need it. They have to reveal what they have to live on. Why should somebody with a Maserati in a house in The Hamptons live in a rent-stabilized apartment?
Brian Lehrer: There are some limits on that, but you're interested in Mamdani taking a new look, it sounds like. Ragnar, thank you for your call. I'm going to try to sneak in one, maybe two more here. Probably one. Kanani in Harlem, you're on WNYC. Hi, Kanani.
Kanani: Hi, I'm so happy. Thank you, yes. Obviously ranked Mamdani number one. I think that Mamdani has electrified the public imagination when we are complicit in thinking that we can't have affordable housing, that we can't have-- What country do we pledge allegiance to? At a certain point, we need to really look in the mirror and say to ourselves, "Who are these muddied interests that prevent child care from being affordable, that prevent landlords from being able to actually provide housing without harassment, without terrorizing tenants, and without providing heat, hot water, and all the other things that a lot of these landlords do?"
I keep saying it's not just about affordability. It's also about accountability. I think the people power will make what seems to be pipe dreams of Mamdani become a reality. That is why he is scary to all of these muddied interests. Shame [unintelligible 00:10:08] and Clinton for endorsing Cuomo and the unions because, clearly, misogyny still lives in New York City, where Puffy is on trial.
Brian Lehrer: Kanani, thank you very much. Kanani in Harlem gets the last word. That's The Brian Lehrer Show for today, produced by Mary Croak, Lisa Allison, Amina Srna, Carl Boisrond, and Esperanza Rosenbaum. Zach Gottehrer-Cohen produces our Daily Politics Podcast. That was Shayna Sengstock at the audio controls. Stay tuned for Alison.
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