Newโ Yorkโ Mayoral Candidate Zohranโฃ Mamdani Inspires French Left as โElections Loom
NEW YORK โฃ- Zohran mamdani, aโ Democratic candidate for mayor of New York City, is drawing attention โขfrom Laโฃ France Insoumise (LFI), the left-wing โคpolitical party in France, as heโข appeals to Gen Z voters through a savvy โคsocial media strategy. Mamdani, son of filmmaker Mira Nair who won an โaward atโ Cannes in 1988 for Hello Bombay!, utilizes platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and YouTubeโฃ with humorous videos, attracting a following among New York’s influencers and garnering support for his โคcampaign.
The interest from LFI stems from Mamdani’s success in mobilizing younger voters, a demographic crucial to their own political goals. Jean-Luc โคMรฉlenchon,โค leader of โขLFI, โฃhas also recognized the power of new technologies, โboasting 2.7 million TikTok followers – significantly โmore than โฃhis French political rivals Gabriel Attal and Jordan โbardella, both with 2.2 million.
However, political scientistโข Christophe โSente of the Free University of โBrussels cautionsโ against direct comparisons, stating,โ “itโ would be misleadingโ to equate the Democratic Party with the French or european left. Thes โareโข two different traditions,โ two โคdifferent โparty systems.” He further notes this โฃis the first time theโ French leftโ hasโฃ looked to โขradical politics in the United States for inspiration, traditionally aligning more with social liberalism.
LFIโค views โMamdani’s campaign as anโ prospect to build international solidarity and โdemonstrate the global appeal of their political proposals. The party has previously โcelebrated the elections of Lula in Brazil and Claudia Sheinbaumโข in Mexico. A victoryโ for Mamdani in New Yorkโ would be particularly notable, given upcoming municipal elections in France in five months, offering potentialโ lessons for LFI’s โown campaign strategies. Manon Aubry, a member of the European โParliament for LFI, recently visited newโ York to “exchange with campaign teams” โค and share experiences.
Despite past criticisms of U.S. foreign policy, LFI acknowledgesโ thatโ a win for Mamdani would reshape the political โคlandscape โฃand perhaps necessitate a reassessment of their views on the United States.