Democrat Zohran Mamdani, a self-proclaimed socialist and current front-runner in New York City’s mayoral race, is surging in support among Asian immigrant communities, according to reports this week. Mamdani has built a commanding lead by campaigning in immigrant-heavy enclaves, positioning his far-left platform as a tool for economic “liberation.”
Mamdani’s strategy has upended political assumptions, particularly regarding the voting patterns of Asian Americans. In areas that previously supported centrist incumbent Eric Adams, Mamdani dominated the Democratic primary, securing large margins in neighborhoods like Pelham Parkway — a Vietnamese American community in the Bronx where he beat former Gov. Andrew Cuomo by 10 points.
Mamdani’s message of socialist reform found strong support in Manhattan’s Chinatown, where he won the primary by 28 points, and in Brooklyn’s Asian-majority 49th Assembly District, where he led by 16 points — despite Republican Assemblyman Lester Chang running unopposed in the same area just last year.
According to Jacobin magazine, Mamdani has gained traction by tailoring his economic pitch to first- and second-generation immigrants, many of whom live in lower-income neighborhoods and face rising living costs. His campaign paints traditional economic structures as exploitative, seeking to use government intervention to “liberate” residents from what he frames as corporate greed.
While Cuomo performed better in the Bronx overall, Mamdani outperformed him in key immigrant communities, showing a distinct divide between the native-born and foreign-born electorate.
A recent Patriot Polling survey underscores this shift: Mamdani commands 62% of the vote among foreign-born New Yorkers, compared to Cuomo’s 24% and Republican Curtis Sliwa’s 12%. However, among native-born citizens, Cuomo leads with 40%, while Mamdani falls to 31% and Sliwa climbs to 25%.
The numbers highlight how mass immigration is reshaping the city’s political dynamics. Mamdani’s success suggests a growing reliance on foreign-born voter blocs that are more receptive to far-left economic policies, even in traditionally conservative ethnic enclaves.
