Media Coverage and Political Discourse After Zoran Mamdani’s Victory

Zohran Mamdani, the incoming mayor of New York City, celebrates at an election-night gathering at the Brooklyn Paramount Theater on November 4, 2025. Angela Weiss/AFP/Getty Images

In the modern media landscape, Mamdani’s victory and a full democratic “sweep” have spawned a number of conclusions about how the vast media space covers politics and what is missing in public discussions. It is important to examine these trends, because the structure of dialogue in the media directly shapes public opinion and voters’ voices.

Do the materials reflect the current political discourse? Do they give people a chance to hear the voices of all voters? These questions became the starting point for reflections on the role of the media during the latest events around Mamdani and the democratic wing in different regions.

I started thinking about this after Zoran Mamdani spoke about the “workers of New York,” whom he described as those he managed to bring to victory.

“Fingers bruised from lifting boxes at the warehouse, palms calloused from the handlebars of delivery bicycles, joints scarred after kitchen burns: these are not the hands allowed to hold power,”

“And yet in the last 12 months you have dared to strive for something bigger.”

I love high-quality television panel discussions. But the question arises: is there truly a space in a typical discussion – or at least a channel – for the views of the people Mamdani described?

As David Axelrod noted during one of CNN’s panels late at night:

“Everyone at this table will go home with great comfort.”

yet in the city and the country there are many people who worry daily about how they will pay the bills. And this is the crisis.

Such a gulf between those invited to talk about politics and those who actually shape it on the ground is a gulf that journalists, especially on television, must continually work to close.

Thus my favorite daily story after the events was Aditi Sangal’s CNN report, which spent an evening at Kabab King – the place where the mayor typically visits after being elected in Jackson Heights. See what she felt there.

Progressive Voices and Media Reactions

Just as before, when the media were paying attention to Trumpist speakers in 2015–2016, it is now important to find commentators who speak for the new, younger generation of Democratic voters. For example, The Free Press’s election-night broadcast hosted by Boris Sunkar, president of The Nation magazine and founder of Jacobin.

“This was not supposed to happen,” Eric Blanc wrote in an essay that appeared on Jacobin’s site last night and this morning. Blanc warned: “Turning Zoran’s vision into reality will not be easy. Some of the most influential people and institutions in the world will do everything to stop us. But turning our city is possible if a large number of ordinary New Yorkers join the fight. The oligarchs of America are right to worry.”

The Nation editor Katrina Vanden Heuvel and executive editor John Nichols published a similar editorial last night. Mamdani “has no higher responsibility than being a great mayor of New York,” they wrote. In his success, he “has the potential to transform not only the city but also national politics, which require a robust counter to the oppression of Donald Trump.”

Back in March Mamdani held a press conference in Manhattan – there were very few journalists. Now he is constantly surrounded by cameras. Mamdani’s communications aide Lekha Sundler released photos from March and November with the caption: “How far we have come.”

The campaign gathered more than 400 questions from the press for the victory celebration on Tuesday, including from international media, Gloria Pazmino of CNN reported. Many “left voices” were also present – “including Ryan Grim of Drop Site News and Amy Goodman of Democracy Now,” – added Michael Calderone of TheWrap.

Commentators highlighted Mamdani’s media savvy and the consistency of his messages. Perhaps it’s not as important “how you use Instagram and TikTok” as it is to “go to the people and ask: what questions concern you the most?” – Errol Louis wrote, noting that it’s important to capture their statements and make it part of the program.

As journalism professor Jay Rosen has noted for years, the concept of a “public agenda” applies well to how news is covered.

In New Jersey, expectations of tension in the gubernatorial race were high. Polls pointed to a close lead for Sherrill, but her victory proved not just a formality – she secured a significant share and won decisively in the vote. In media coverage this is seen as a sign of how viewers’ attention vectors are changing and which topics become central during election campaigns.

How Fox News interpreted all of this

Following the victory announcement, quick reactions on air were observed: MAGA supporters tried to minimize any consequences of Mamdani’s victory for Trump’s rhetoric. They also discussed that this could be a sign of changing moods in public discourse. In program blocks they focused on potential implications for policy and public debate, while leaving plenty of room to discuss the topic of “socialism.”

A notable separate remark from an influential conservative author: “The broad caricature of attacks from the right has made Mamdani more sympathetic.” (the quote was used in materials about the media reaction to the elections).

Mamdani hinted at “prisms in information illusion” and spoke about a potential cycle of mutual influence between him and his opponents, which may recur in the future. He also noted that television screens focus attention on headlines, but the real discussion should cover more – with emphasis on how people ask questions and what issues concern them as citizens.

In sum, the media reaction to Mamdani and the democratic result demonstrates how the public-discussion landscape is changing: the importance of new voices is growing, new formats and approaches to coverage are emerging, and the media environment is increasingly becoming a platform for a real public agenda.