Zohran Mamdani's victory in the November 4th election not only makes him the leader of the Big Apple,

it also turns him for better or worse into one of the most high-profile Democrats in the country.

Hello and welcome to USA Today's The Excerpt.

I'm Dana Taylor.

Today is Wednesday, November 5th, 2025.

New York mayors always command national attention because of their role running America's

biggest city.

Mamdani won't take office until January, but for months, his face has been splashed across

Americans' television screens and newsfeeds.

He's the mayor-elect of New York.

Will he also be America's mayor?

Here to help me dig into what this election might mean for the nation as a whole.

I'm now joined by USA Today, national correspondent Michael Collins.

Michael, thanks so much for joining me on the excerpt.

Thanks for having me.

Michael, Momdani has the national spotlight after his historic win in the New York City mayoral race.

Not only is he the first Democratic socialists to win office in New York, he's also a member of Gen Z. Tell me why that's

important for the Democrats here. It's important for the Democrats because they have been in the

political wilderness ever since Kamala Harris lost the presidential election of Donald Trump last

year. They've been trying to find a message that will win back voters who abandoned them,

particularly working class voters, and they're looking to see if Mom Dani's message during the

campaign might provide some sort of pathway for them.

...