The Focus Group Podcast

Episode: S6 Ep7: New Yorkers Brace for Mamdani (with Harry Siegel)
Date: October 18, 2025
Host: Sarah Longwell (The Bulwark)
Guest: Harry Siegel (Senior Editor, The City; co-host FAQNYC)

Episode Overview

This episode dives into the unique dynamics of the 2025 New York City mayoral race, where Democratic Socialist Zoran Mamdani is on a clear path to victory. Host Sarah Longwell and New York politics expert Harry Siegel dissect what’s propelling Mamdani, why Andrew Cuomo is floundering as an independent, and how New Yorkers are feeling about socialism, affordability, and representations of antisemitism in the campaign. Using fresh focus group audio, the episode reveals not just policy debate but a deeper malaise and hope among New York’s electorate.

Key Points & Insights

1. The State of the Race: Background and Stakes

[01:07 - 07:26]

• Zoran Mamdani, a Democratic Socialist assemblyman, is the frontrunner after decisively defeating Andrew Cuomo in the Democratic primary.
• Cuomo is running as an independent in a three-way general election (with Republican Curtis Sliwa also on the ballot).
• Siegel notes that, despite frenzied media moments (e.g., an NFL headquarters shooting), nothing has seriously changed Mamdani’s lead.
• The consensus: Mamdani is winning because the political center has collapsed in New York.
  • “Eric Adams said, ‘I'm the Joe Biden of New York City and the future of the Democratic Party.’ He was not.” — Harry Siegel [06:03]
  • The race is seen as locally important, but not a model for the rest of the country.
• Large stakes for centrists and socialists in upcoming state races (mentions Hakeem Jeffries, Dan Goldman, Elise Stefanik).

2. The Mamdani Voters: Why Are They Excited?

[09:59 - 14:39], [22:48 – 25:26]

Focus Group Highlights

• Participants cite Mamdani’s communication, authenticity, and focus on affordability and core services.
  • “I believe that [Mamdani’s policies] will be good for the real, real New Yorkers, not only like the rich New Yorkers.” — Participant 3 [10:41]
  • Mamdani’s history as a local representative who actually communicates stands out.
  • Young newcomers to the city, especially, see Mamdani as uniquely responsive to the affordability crisis.
    • “Zoran seems to be the only candidate that takes that seriously in a way that aligns with my personal ideology.” — Participant 1 [12:05]
  • Supporters value a positive, non-negative campaign tone.
    • “His ads on social media…never like a hit on anybody else. It's just promoting what he does. And politicians like that are just far and few between.” — Participant 1 [12:38]

Ideological Appeal

• Healthcare, anti-deregulation sentiment, distrust of corporate wealth—these loom large.
  • “He's going to tax the wealthy people and he's not going to deregulate anything… Deregulation does not work.” — Participant 2 [12:53]
• A focus group member calls out the political use of accusations of antisemitism and defends Mamdani:
  • “I wanted to know because I didn’t buy it [accusations].” — Participant 4 [14:27]

What’s New?

• Siegel notes Mamdani’s achievements—like free bus pilot programs—are limited, but his messaging is unrivaled.
  • “What the popular conversation is missing is how wildly ambitious what he's promising is and how inexperienced he is and the question of what he's actually going to be able to deliver on.” — Harry Siegel [15:05]
• Voters are alienated by Cuomo’s lackluster, reactionary campaign and attracted to the “bright, appealing young guy saying, let's see if we can do more.”

3. What’s Driving Support: Policies vs Personality?

[22:48 – 32:00]

• Mamdani’s resonance with voters is guided by both his policy platform and likability—but affordability is the unifying thread.
  • “New York City is…the greatest city…but it's like, how great can it be if, like, nobody can live there and nobody can afford to live there?” — Participant 1 [22:52]
• He’s seen as a “new breed” and an alternative to both party establishments.
  • “He is a new breed within the Democratic Party…with socialist tendencies, which…I think it is good to have diversity.” — Participant 3 [24:50]
• Siegel emphasizes Mamdani’s post-primary pivot: softening positions without direct contradictions, managing his image carefully, and being “just enough” broad and positive to hold his coalition.
  • “He's such a good messenger… the campaign’s just trying to say as little as possible and play for time and space. They're winning.” — Harry Siegel [25:41]

The Affordability Factor

• Practically every issue—immigration, crime, healthcare—is now filtered through the lens of affordability for ordinary New Yorkers.
  • “Affordability is the thing. And if I think David Frum had it…if normies aren't gonna solve the affordability crisis, people are gonna start looking at both the populists on the right and left to do it… You could see how they get to socialism.” — Sarah Longwell [31:03]

4. The Cuomo (and Anti-Mamdani) Voters: Reluctance, Anger, Resignation

[38:00 – 41:47]

Focus Group: Dismayed Classic Democrats

• Many Cuomo supporters are motivated by fear—or loathing—of Mamdani.
  • “I pick Cuomo because he's the least worst out of everybody… I don't want Ma' am Panty. He never had a job…I read body language. He is so polished. My God. Now who does that remind you of, ladies and gentlemen? Oh, Adams.” — Participant 2 [38:00]
  • Polished youth and inexperience are red flags.
  • Disbelief at Mamdani’s promises; a sense that “there’s no reality here.”
  • Reluctant voters are forced to choose Cuomo despite serious reservations, including his widely reported history of harassment.
    • “He's a disgusting sex pig. He's an asshole. He should not be running. But he's the only person running against Mamdani, so what am I going to do?” — Participant 1 [40:18]

Attitudes towards Sliwa and Mamdani

• Sliwa, the Republican, is dismissed out of hand.
  • “Sliwa is not even on the table. Mamdani, same thing. Not on the table.” — Participant 4 [41:09]
• The choice is forced, grim, and mirrors the national mood of frustrating political trade-offs.
  • “I can't believe that as women, we're being forced to make a decision between a raving anti-Semite and, like, a sexual harasser.” — Sarah Longwell [41:27]

5. If Mamdani Wins: Realignment, Dilemmas, Unanswered Questions

[42:21 – 46:23]

• Siegel predicts the Democratic establishment will “realign around Mamdani as a starting point.”
  • Hochul and (soon) Jeffries will endorse; Schumer may hedge.
  • There’s anxiety about Mamdani’s ability to bridge divides, especially on Israel and when dealing with potential Trump administration crackdowns (e.g., on immigrants).
  • Worries about an untested administration, especially as Mamdani has avoided detailed answers on disruptive protests, public safety, and balancing values with governance.
    • “I want to know how he wants to handle really disruptive pro-Palestinian protesters, if they have some special license. I want to know…with anti-ICE protesters… Does he want the NYPD involved? Does he want to keep them at arm's length? I don't even know what the right answer to that is.” — Harry Siegel [44:45]

6. The Jewish Community and Charges of Antisemitism

[53:22 – 60:24]

Focus Group: Deep Skepticism and Anger

• Jewish and pro-Cuomo participants are deeply skeptical of Mamdani’s attempts to reach out, viewing them as insincere or offensive.
  • “I'm Jewish, so for me that's like a non-starter… the antisemitism is rife within his world… the information [is] so rife all over the place that I would never take the risk.” — Participant 2 [53:22]
  • “All of the world's worst, most anti-Semitic, most hateful, most extremist, most terrorist supporting people are for Mamdani. That's who he is. That's who his people are. And I really resent him trying to pretend that Jews support him too.” — Participant 1 [54:32]
• Charges of performative outreach—references to Mamdani’s Rosh Hashanah video and coalition with radical Jewish groups.

Siegel’s Nuanced Take

• Polling shows about 60% of Jewish New Yorkers support Cuomo, 29% Mamdani—a clear split but not total condemnation.
  • Mamdani’s support among radical Jewish groups is seen as real but limited.
  • Siegel hopes Mamdani can move beyond performative gestures and lead with real empathy toward the city’s significant but politically diminished Jewish community.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On National Lessons:
  “New York City is its own place. It's never a national model.” — Harry Siegel [04:51]

• On Mamdani’s Appeal:
  “A bright, appealing young guy saying, let's see if we can do more is really refreshing.” — Harry Siegel [16:31]

• On Voter Mood:
  “We already know how this movie ends and we're just gonna... hope for the best, put our heads down and fight it like New Yorkers.” — Participant 1 [40:15]

• On The Affordability Crisis:
  “Affordability is the thing. There is one issue that is plaguing people above all others...” — Sarah Longwell [31:12]

• On The Cuomo Dilemma:
  “He's a disgusting sex pig. He's an asshole. He should not be running. But he's the only person running against Mamdani, so what am I going to do?” — Participant 1 [40:18]

• On the Jewish Vote:
  “There are a lot of different Jews in New York. The idea that all the Jews who don't think that Mandani's anti-Zionism is disqualifying aren't Jewish, seems absurd to me.” — Harry Siegel [56:50]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 01:07 — Intro & overview of the NYC mayoral race
• 03:18 — Primary to general election dynamics; impact of outside events (e.g., Middle East peace claims)
• 09:59 — Focus group: Mamdani supporters explain their enthusiasm
• 15:05 — Siegel evaluates Mamdani’s campaign strengths and weaknesses
• 22:48 — Focus group: Policy vs personality
• 25:41 — Siegel on Mamdani's post-primary pivot
• 30:29 — Affordability as the dominant issue
• 38:00 — Focus group: Reluctant Cuomo supporters voice frustration
• 42:21 — Siegel on realignment and post-election Democratic harmony
• 53:22 — Focus group: Jewish participants respond to Mamdani; charges of antisemitism
• 56:18 — Siegel discusses polling and Mamdani’s repair efforts

Takeaway

The episode powerfully illustrates a crossroads for New York liberals: enthusiasm for ambitious change, dread of youthful inexperience, wariness about extreme rhetoric, and a city consumed by the cost of living and a yearning for a government that delivers tangible results for everyone, not just the rich. Mamdani’s unique blend of authenticity, accessibility, and issue focus is problematic in some ways, but it connects with New Yorkers’ lived realities—and leaves old-guard politicians and their supporters bracing for a generational shift, even as they worry about what it might mean.