The New York Times:

Zohran Mamdani, a once unheralded state lawmaker from Queens whose affordability platform and charisma fueled a meteoric political rise, was elected on Tuesday as the 111th mayor of New York, according to The Associated Press.

The victory by Mr. Mamdani, 34, a democratic socialist, placed a final stamp on the astonishing ascent of an assemblyman who rose from anonymity to defeat better-known rivals like former Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, first in the Democratic primary and now again in the general election.

His win represents a major triumph for progressives, empowering a new coalition of younger voters and immigrants who volunteered for his campaign, filled its coffers with thousands of small donations and flocked to the polls to elect the city’s first Muslim mayor.

I had never heard of Zohran Mamdani until early this year. I came across a video of him on TikTok where he was on the streets of New York, interviewing people about the 2024 presidential election. He was asking people if they voted, who they voted for, and why. It didn’t matter if they had stayed home on election day or if they voted for Trump, he wanted to hear about what was important to them.

After listening to people express their concerns, he would outline some of his ideas that could address the issues people care about. Then he did a fun thing where he would ask people if they would vote for a politician who would implement those policies. When they said yes, he would introduce himself as candidate for mayor. And most importantly, he did all of this with a smile.

In the age of Trump, it seems like everyone is angry about politics all the time. Part of that is because Trump himself is often angry and upset about various things, and he expresses that very clearly. I wouldn’t say that this is a deliberate political strategy by Trump (I think that’s just how he is), but it’s certainly effective. If the people are angry, it makes sense that they would choose a leader who reflects that.

Zohran Mamdani has proven that there’s another way. He was a nobody, up against establishment candidates, running on a very ambitious policy agenda, getting attacked on all sides, and he did the whole thing with a smile on his face. Even when he was speaking seriously about the issues, he always appeared to be in a good mood. Rather than express anger about the condition of New York City, he showed that he’s excited to fix it. While Trump projects rage, Mamdani projects hope.

It often feels that better things aren’t possible, but it’s not true. There is always hope because there are always good people who are willing to fight. It may seem like that’s not enough stop the rise of fascism, but remember this: Rebellions are built on hope.

Tomorrow we get back to work, but today we celebrate. In celebration, say the following out loud with me:

Better things are possible.