October 24, 2025

Mamdani v. The Establishment: What His Campaign Means for America {Uncut Conversation - Meet the BIPOC Press Series]

42 minutes

Synopsis: The mayoral candidate who's got the nation talking, Zohran Mamdani, is on track to make history as New York City's first Muslim-American and second Democratic Socialist mayor.

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Description: Wherever you are in the county, you’ve probably heard the name “Zohran Mamdani”. New York City’s mayoral race is a national story, and it’s hard to overstate the significance of the leading candidate in this moment. If elected, Mamdani would become the first Muslim-American and only the second Democratic Socialist Mayor of the largest city in the U.S. His victory, on a promise to make New York affordable for working people, would have implications for politics everywhere. The race is already garnering both excitement and anxiety. President Trump is threatening to withhold federal funding for New York City if Mamdani wins. From Chicago to Dearborn, Michigan, journalists are watching. In this installment of “Meet the BIPOC Press”, Laura Flanders speaks with Felipe De La Hoz, investigative immigration and policy reporter whose work has been featured in The Intercept, The Washington Post, New York Mag and The Nation; Osama Siblani, publisher and founder of The Arab American News, the largest Arab American newspaper in the U.S., and Asha Ransby-Sporn, organizer and writer for In These Times and co-founder of Black Youth Project 100, where she led the group's national organizing program. Join us as we explore what a Mamdani victory would signal for the nation.

“. . . There's this sense that [Left-leaning candidates] have to essentially be apologizing for their policy prescriptions and their stances. Mamdani has not done that . . . For the most part, he very much embraces who he is and what his policy prescriptions are.” - Felipe De La Hoz

“I hate giving labels. I don't look at Mandani as a progressive. I look at him as representing the anger and anguish of people who have been left behind with the political apparatus.” - Osama Siblani

“More so than I am concerned with Black people being pulled to the Right or being pulled in by Trump . . . I think what we see are people who are disengaged and feel like our political system isn't going to deliver for them at all. Who feel let down by the establishment Democratic party that has sold all of us out for decades, and Black people have borne an enormous amount of the brunt of that impact.” - Asha Ransby-Sporn

Guests:

• Felipe De La Hoz: Immigration & Policy Reporter, Epicenter NYC

• Asha Ransby-Sporn: Writer & Political Strategist; Columnist, In These Times

• Osama Siblani: Publisher, The Arab American News

Full Conversation Release: While our weekly shows are edited to time for broadcast on Public TV and community radio, we offer to our members and podcast subscribers the full uncut conversation. These audio exclusives are made possible thanks to our member supporters.

Watch the special report on YouTube; PBS World Channel October 26th, and on over 300 public stations across the country (check your listings, or search here via zipcode). Listen: Episode airing on community radio October 29th (check here to see if your station is airing the show) & available as a podcast.

RESOURCES:

Related Laura Flanders Show Episodes:

• Farm Workers to Farm Owners- Watch / Listen: Episode

• These Films Keep People Out of Prison- Watch / Listen: Episode

• Jacqueline Woodson & Catherine Gund: Breathing Through Chaos & the “Meanwhile”- Watch / Listen: Episode and Full Uncut Conversation

• Mamdani, Black Farmers, USDA & ICE: The Stories BIPOC Journalists Uncover- Watch / Listen: Episode and Full Uncut Conversation

Related Articles and Resources:

• California City Residents Denounce Plan to Build State’s Largest Immigrant Detention Center, by ACoM, August 4, 2025, American Community Media

• Dolores Huerta Leads Protest Against California’s Largest Planned ICE Detention Center, by Steve Virgen, CA Neighborhood Reporter, July 30, 2025, 23ABC News KERO

• Forbes Power Women’s Summit 2025: Building What’s Next, September 25, 2025, Forbes

• About el Teatro Campesino’s Luis Valdez, Founding Artistic Director

Full Episode Notes are located HERE.

Music Credit: 'Thrum of Soil' by Bluedot Sessions, and original sound design by Jeannie Hopper

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Chapter list:

Zohran Mamdani's Campaign: A National Story