The New Rules of Power in New York

What does Zohran Mamdani’s upset victory look like now that the memes have faded? Drawing on the months of reporting he did for The New Yorker, Staff Writer Eric Lach walks through how Mamdani’s campaign rewrote the playbook on field organizing, social media, and “politics you can see” in the streets — rather than the "politics you can't see" in back rooms. He and Bradley pull apart why the city’s political and business class so badly misread the race and what that portends for upcoming fights involving Kathy Hochul, congressional primaries, and Chuck Schumer’s future. They also game out the big unknown: how Mamdani can govern through steep budget cuts, policing dilemmas and an impatient electorate without losing the authenticity that got him elected.

This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.

Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media.

Be sure to watch Bradley’s new TED Talk on Mobile Voting at https://go.ted.com/bradleytusk.

Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter and follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack + YouTube.