Kansas City has been in the national news a lot lately, including one surprising place: stories about the New York City mayoral race. Many national news outlets, most of them conservative-leaning, have zeroed in on candidate Zohran Mamdani’s proposals for free bus fare and government-run grocery stores, and they’re using Kansas City as a negative example of both.

New York City’s 2025 election has captured nationwide attention. That’s mostly thanks to candidate Zohran Mamdani, a state assemblymember and democratic socialist who leads his opponents by double digits in virtually every poll. KCUR's Savannah Hawley-Bates explains the connection between two of Mamdani's policy positions and some high-profile public programs in Kansas City.

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Kansas City Today is hosted by Nomin Ujiyediin. It is produced by Luke X. Martin and KCUR Studios, and edited by Gabe Rosenberg, Madeline Fox and Emily Younker.

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