NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani; first 100 days in office

Written by: Sierra Green 🇺🇸

Zohran Mamdani campaigning (Britannica)

It has been just over 100 days since the newly appointed New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani took office. 

Has his term been successful so far? 

Coming from a win that defied the odds, Mamdani has set a name for himself.

To secure this position as a young, democratic socialist and Muslim candidate in the largest U.S city, during the current political climate, was truly an upset over his opposition: the independent and former governor Andrew Cuomo, and Curtis Sliwa, the Republican candidate. 

His nine-month campaign run took a one-of-a-kind approach, and in the end was enough to give him the title “mayor-elect”. 

Much of this is thanks to his volunteers —  an army of more than 100,000 people. 

His team conducted ground operations in working class communities, knocking on doors and explaining the power of having a mayor who not only understood their challenges, but would be actively involved in creating positive change for them. 

Uniquely, he listened to residents' concerns, the most important being affordability, and implemented it into his policy plans. 

Most importantly he also reached a variety of communities, often underrepresented and immigrant, and released campaign material where he spoke Urdu, English and Spanish. 

He took time to better understand why voters favored Trump and Republican policies in the previous election, and what he could do as a Democrat to swing back the pendulum in his favor. 

Another huge part of his campaign was the use of multiple social media platforms. It was almost impossible to scroll on any platform without coming across one of his videos. Whether it was collaborations, being spotted on public transportation or even making appearances at night clubs, there was a sense of authenticity to his viral moments.

He made sure to hit every niche, and use social media as a way to reach the attention of those who wouldn’t otherwise know him. This helped him gain huge support amongst young voters, nearly 80% of voters 18-29-years-old. 

When Mamdani took office on Jan. 1, 2026, he had set goals, the most notable being to make NYC more affordable. His core policy promises included freezing rent for rent-stabilized apartments, free child care, better bus transportation and an overall lower cost of everyday life for New Yorkers. 

Thus far, he has done just that. 

He immediately signed executive orders aiming to improve affordable housing and tenants rights, and assigned task forces to directly make positive changes in those concerning areas. 

He has also acted on another one of his promises: universal free childcare. Mamdani has expanded on previous pre-kindergarten and 3-K programs, and has put a new 2-care program in place, which will launch in the fall. 

Outside his original long-term policies, he has also placed restrictions on Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) within the city, and handled the many unexpected New York winter storms surprisingly well. 

On the other hand he has not yet directly froze rent, put any free bus or cheaper grocery programs in place yet, although many promises are still in early phases. 

While Mamdani has been able to maintain a reality positive reputation and action behind his promises, he has also run into financial problems. Many of his proposed programs currently look unfeasible due to the city being in debt and the inability to simply increase residents' taxes. 

He is also leaning on his previous political experience as a Democratic incumbent in Astoria, Queens. There he managed to make numerous city buses free for a year, but now he has to think on a larger-scale to fit his current position.  

According to the Marist Poll, at this point in his term he has a 48% approval rating among city residents, with a majority believing he is a good leader, leading the city in the right direction and understands resident needs. 

On these terms he is outperforming the two previous mayors Eric Adams and Bill de Blasio when it comes to positive change for the city. 

He has not only maintained a favorable outlook in New York, but has gained popularity in many political spaces. Much of this comes from the way he has handled politicians on opposing sides, taking a non-hostile approach. 

The most notable interaction being with President Donald Trump, where his charm and overall civil discussions lead to agreements on several issues between the two. Since then, Mamdani has maintained a relationship with the president, which could aid the city in receiving more federal support. 

For many Americans, it is refreshing to see a politician who can bring back the age of cordial discussions during political disagreements, while still managing to be the voice on issues of the people.