Opinion Today: Why Mamdani won
Here’s what we’re focusing on.
Opinion Today
November 5, 2025
Zohran Mamdani and his supporters hold a campaign banner and march through the street.
Damon Winter/The New York Times

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Notable

How Mamdani can write New York’s next chapter. “Mamdani, who campaigned on sweeping promises, can build a more positive legacy by focusing on tangible accomplishments. He should take notes from successful mayors, moderate and progressive alike.”

— The editorial board

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What the election results might mean for a party operating in defiance of Trump. “The results, then, are a marked contrast to the accommodation, capitulation and outright surrender of prominent individuals and institutions in the face of Trump’s demands.”

— Jamelle Bouie, Opinion columnist

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Why Mamdani won. “He brought the working, middle and upper-middle classes together in what I called back in July an ‘emergent coalition of the precariat’ — united in part by a growing affordability crisis and in part by simple rage about income inequality, corruption and the entitlement and impunity of the very rich.

— David Wallace-Wells, Opinion writer

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Spotlight

In Case You Missed It

The old order is dead. Do not resuscitate. “Not once was the old regime resurrected. Instead, capitalism forged ahead in entirely new directions. We had better accept this about today, as well.”

— Sven Beckert, the author of the forthcoming “Capitalism: A Global History”

Read now

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In Your Words

Re: “Trump Is Putting Military Leaders in a No-Win Situation

I’m old enough to remember Abu Ghraib. The idea that the U.S. military would refuse to obey unlawful orders seems wildly optimistic to me. – A comment posted by Julie from Rhode Island

Read more comments on the story here and check out our Letters to the Editor.

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