The Magic Realism of Zohran Mamdani
Zohran Mamdani is a left-wing daydream of a New York City mayoral candidate. He’s young—33—and proudly socialist. His campaign ads call to mind a mashup of TikTok clips and hip-hop videos. The graphics look like something from the zany 1960s Batman TV series. He is a character in these ads, walking into the picture at odd angles on street corners and shawarma stands, and popping up to chat with taxi drivers.