Back Button
Branch Politics Logo

Don't waste hours Googling candidates.
Branch has information on all of your candidates, in one place.

Photo of Zohran Mamdani

Zohran Mamdani

DEMOCRAT

Zohran Mamdani is running for New York City Mayor.

Personal background

Zohran Mamdani has a bachelor's degree in Africana studies from Bowdoin College. He was born in Uganda and raised in New York City.

Professional background

Before taking public office, Zohran worked as a housing counselor focused on preventing foreclosures. He also performed as a rapper and hip-hop artist.

Political background

Zohran is a representative for New York's 36th State Assembly District located in Queens. He was first elected in 2020 and is serving his third term.

Economy

Proposes city-owned grocery stores to lower food prices by cutting rent and property tax costs, with input from local communities.

Supports raising the minimum wage to $30/hour by 2030, with future increases tied to cost of living and worker productivity.

As an assembly member, introduced a bill to end tax exemptions for charities funding illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank.

Read more...

Suggest an edit

Public Services

Proposes free “NYC Baby Baskets” with essentials like diapers, wipes, and a guide to newborn health programs.

Plans to implement free childcare for New Yorkers aged 6 weeks to 5 years and increase wages for childcare workers to be equal with public school teachers.

Plans to permanently assign 0.5% of NYC’s budget to libraries.

Read more...

Suggest an edit

Education

Supports making the City University of New York (CUNY) tuition-free, funded in part by taxing New York University (NYU) and Columbia University.

Opposes mayoral control of schools.

Proposes “School Streets” that are closed to traffic to improve student safety and reduce pollution.

Read more...

Suggest an edit

Transportation & Infrastructure

Supports removing parking minimums to make room for more housing.

Supports transit-oriented development near subway stations to improve climate sustainability and access.

Proposes fare-free city buses, faster service with bus lanes, priority signals, and dedicated loading zones.

Read more...

Suggest an edit

Public Safety

Supports removing the NYPD from traffic enforcement and responses to mental health crises and homelessness.

Supports investing in mental health care, housing, and community violence prevention as safety strategies.

Plans to station crisis teams in subways to offer safer alternatives to sleeping on trains and intervene in tense situations.

Read more...

Suggest an edit

Housing & Urban Development

Proposes building 200,000 union-built, rent-stabilized affordable homes over 10 years by streamlining approvals for 100% affordable projects.

Supports raising fines for landlords who ignore safety violations and ensuring those fines are collected.

Calls for doubling investment in public housing and fully staffing city housing agencies.

Read more...

Suggest an edit

Public Health

Plans to hire outreach workers to help residents access health insurance and other public benefits.

Supports increased funding for public hospitals and preventing closures, in partnership with unions and government agencies.

Advocates for stronger preparedness for public health emergencies, including stockpiles of personal protective equipment (PPE) and support for healthcare workers.

Read more...

Suggest an edit

Ethics & Conduct

As of July 15, 2025, Zohran Mamdani’s website did not contain information on this issue.

Suggest an edit