As Zohran Mamdani takes the reins of City Hall in New York City, the moment marks a slew of firsts. At 34, he is not just the city’s youngest mayor since the 19th century, but also its first Muslim and South Asian mayor. Mamdani is a member of the Democratic Socialists of America and is arguably the most ideologically-committed mayor New York has ever seen.

Mamdani’s path to victory seems almost too perfectly choreographed to be true. Almost four years ago, when a friend of his suggested that he should contest the mayoral election, Mamdani responded by saying, “I’m too young, they won’t take me seriously.” Less than a year ago, his own team had put the odds of his victory at about three per cent. Back then, he was just polling at one per cent.

Yet, on the face of it, Mamdani’s victory

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