Digital MamdaniEverything you need to know about Zohran Mamdani — mayor of New York City since January 1, 2026.

Glossary

The vocabulary of the Mamdani era — housing, transit, and campaign terms defined in neutral, plain language.

Rent stabilization

A New York City system regulating rent increases in about one million apartments. Units are covered by lease terms set annually by the independent Rent Guidelines Board.

Rent Guidelines Board

A nine-member city board (two tenant representatives, two owner representatives, five public members) that sets allowable rent adjustments for rent-stabilized leases. In June 2026 it voted 7–1 for a rent freeze on one- and two-year leases for October 2026–September 2027 — a central plank of Mamdani’s campaign.

Rent freeze

A policy of holding regulated rents flat — no increase on lease renewals. Mamdani campaigned on freezing rents; in June 2026 the Rent Guidelines Board did so. Because the board is independent, the freeze is its action, not the mayor’s direct order.

Fare-free transit

Making city buses free to ride. Mamdani campaigned on fare-free buses across New York City; as of March 2026 the proposal remained unresolved in budget negotiations, and it was still pending as of September 2026 reporting.

MTA

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority, the state-run agency that operates the subways, buses, and commuter railroads of the New York region. Bus fares fall under its purview, which complicates city-level fare-free proposals.

Universal childcare

Publicly funded childcare for all children of eligible ages. Mamdani’s “2K” program, announced March 3, 2026 with Governor Hochul, created 2,000 free places for two-year-olds starting fall 2026, with expansion toward 12,000 planned for the following year.

City-owned grocery stores

Mamdani’s proposal for a pilot of five municipal grocery stores — one per borough — selling staples at roughly a 30% discount to the basic basket. As of September 2026 reporting, site selection was underway with the first store expected in 2027.

Democratic Socialists of America (DSA)

The largest socialist organization in the United States, of which Mamdani has been a member since 2017. His mayoral campaign was DSA’s most prominent electoral success of the 2025 cycle.

Democratic socialism

As used by Mamdani: a politics of public provision — “I was elected as a democratic socialist and I will govern as a democratic socialist” (inaugural address, January 1, 2026). Critics use the term pejoratively; this site uses Mamdani’s own framing and attributes critics’ framings to them.

Ranked-choice voting

The system used in New York City’s Democratic primary: voters rank candidates, and the lowest-polling candidates are eliminated in rounds until one passes 50%. Mamdani won the June 24, 2025 primary under this system.

Working Families Party

A progressive minor party whose ballot line Mamdani also held in the 2025 general election, common in New York’s fusion-voting system.

Fusion voting

New York’s system allowing candidates to appear on multiple party ballot lines, with votes across lines counted together for the candidate.

BDS movement

Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions: a Palestinian-led movement pressing economic pressure on Israel. Mamdani has described himself as a supporter of BDS, a position his critics cite and his supporters defend; claims about it are attributed throughout this site.

“Globalize the intifada”

A protest phrase whose meaning is fiercely contested: critics, including the American Jewish Committee and members of Congress, call it a call for violence against Jews; pro-Palestinian activists describe it as a call for global solidarity. Mamdani declined to condemn the phrase in a June 2025 interview, saying it is “not language I use.” This site does not adopt either side’s definition as its own.

Primary election

The party nominating contest. Mamdani’s June 24, 2025 Democratic primary win over Andrew Cuomo — the upset of the cycle — is covered in 2025 Campaign.

General election

The November contest deciding the office. Mamdani won on November 4, 2025 with 50.78% of the certified vote.

Inauguration

The swearing-in. Mamdani’s January 1, 2026 inauguration had two parts: a private midnight oath in the decommissioned City Hall subway station and a public ceremony on the City Hall steps.

First deputy mayor

The mayor’s chief deputy. Mamdani named Dean Fuleihan, a veteran of city budget and labor roles, as first deputy mayor.

Gracie Mansion

The official residence of the mayor of New York City, in Carl Schurz Park on the Upper East Side.

NYPD

The New York Police Department. Commissioner Jessica Tisch, appointed under Eric Adams, was kept on by Mamdani at the start of his administration.

Minimum wage ($30 by 2030)

Mamdani’s campaign proposal to raise New York City’s minimum wage to $30 an hour by 2030.

Block by Block

A housing initiative announced under Mamdani’s administration, described in 2026 reporting as a plan for 200,000 new homes on public land, tied to a rezoning of East Harlem.

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