Analysts are still working to understand Zohran Mamdani’s decisive victory in last month’s New York mayoral race. Like the blind men in the old Indian story of the “Blind Men and the Elephant,” the explanations offered have been mostly accurate but incomplete.

Mamdani’s focus on affordability was appealing, as was his compelling affability evident in clever and incisive social media posts. Being constantly on the move, meeting and engaging voters where they were, was also a factor in his favor. It communicated his authentic desire to know voters and have them know him.

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In our stale consultant-driven political environment, Mamdani was a breath of fresh air. With his opponents spending tens of millions on negative attack ads, Mamdani’s approach was new and exciting. Despite running against the well-funded campaign of a former governor and much of the New York Democratic Party establishment that saw him as a threat to their hegemony, he not only prevailed but also won more votes than any previous mayoral candidate in the city’s history.

Three other factors were also decisive in shaping the outcome.

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