Zohran Mamdani’s historic election has sparked a lot of conversation about a changing of the guard not only for New York City, but also the entire country, as some experts told ABC News his victory could be a turning point for younger millennials and Generation Z political candidates.
Mamdani, a two-term state assemblyman who recently turned 34, campaigned with a progressive message that voters wanted a change from the status quo and that someone like him was attuned to the younger generation’s most pressing issues, such as high housing costs.
Zohran Mamdani speaks during a victory speech at a mayoral election night watch party, Nov. 4, 2025, in New York.
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Grace Smoker, vice president of media strategy at Stu Loeser & Co, a New York- based political media consulting group, told ABC News that the mayor-elect will likely not be the only candidate under 35 who will be making waves in future elections.
“It’s absolutely a nationwide movement,” Smoker said.
The political reaction to Mamdani’s win has already been large, according to a group that is working to increase millennial and Gen Z representation in elected offices.
Run for Something, an organization that recruits and supports progressive candidates under 40 to run for local and state offices, saw 10,000 people sign up for its services in the two weeks following Mamdani’s June Democratic primary win. It has had 2,000 people sign up since Tuesday, according to its co-founder and president, Amanda Litman.
“My expectations are that we will see those numbers grow as they see they can win,” Litman told ABC News, referring to younger political candidates.
Guests check in at California Democratic Convention Party at HEAT Ultra Lounge on May 30, 2025 in Anaheim, California.
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Experts say this surge won’t just be seen among Democrats, as millennial and Gen Z Republicans are also seeing an emergence and seeking an endorsement from the president.
“We are already seeing evidence of senior members of Congress facing challenges from younger members, and they’re being backed by the voters,” Jonathan Hanson, a political scientist and lecturer in statistics at the University of Michigan, told ABC News. “They’re saying it’s time for a fresh face.”
Smoker, who did not work on Mamdani’s campaign, said the state assemblyman and other successful candidates under 35 have taken advantage of this sentiment to successfully sell themselves and their ideas.
Smoker said those candidates grew up with the internet and social media and they’ve been tapping into online platforms to effectively sell their campaigns in ways that their older counterparts can’t replicate.
She noted one of Mamdani’s early campaign social media posts where he filmed himself casually talking to New Yorkers who voted for Trump last year and asked what their motivation was. That video not only helped sell Mamdani’s focus on affordability but also introduced him to the young voting bloc that helped strengthen his campaign.
Democratic Mayoral Candidate Zohran Mamdani walks along Nostrand Avenue with Councilmember Farah Louis and Councilmember Rita Joseph as he takes a tour of the neighborhood on October 25, 2025 in the East Flatbush, Brooklyn, New York City.
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Mamdani also bolstered his online presence with street-level campaigning, going from neighborhood to neighborhood and inviting New Yorkers to join in as he made his pitch and listened to the communities, Smoker said.
“It’s not about doing a TikTok, it is really about understanding when you are being cringe,” she said. “I think that is the biggest factor we’re seeing in these successful campaigns. They know how to communicate and listen.”
Hanson said the high polarization and dissatisfaction with the current state of politics have led to increasing acceptance of younger candidates by older voters.
“People are frustrated with things that are happening, and they’re going to mobilize. Along with that will come candidates who will want to ride the wave,” he said.
Litman agreed and said that the idea of having a smaller resume isn’t a deal breaker for voters.
“They’re understanding, ‘Yeah, younger may be inexperienced, but we need something new,'” she said.
Voters wait to cast their ballots in the California Statewide Special Election at the Orange County Registrar of Voters in Santa Ana, California, Nov. 4, 2025.
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Litman added that her organization has helped thousands of millennial and Gen Z progressive candidates win in local races over the last eight years. More than 30 Run for Something alumni are running for state or federal offices next year, according to the organization.
But it’s not just left-leaning candidates who are riding the wave.
Hanson noted that the GOP, particularly the MAGA wing, has been successful in recruiting younger men to its cause over the last few years, and that demographic leaned toward Trump last year, according to the polls.
Unlike the Democratic and progressive candidates under 35, Hanson noted the millennial and Gen Z Republican candidates vie more for acceptance and approval from Trump and his MAGA allies rather than challenging the status quo.
Hanson cited the large rallies hosted by Charlie Kirk’s Turning Point USA as examples of this movement.
A supporter takes a picture of her MAGA hat while filing into a cooling center ahead of the campaign rally at Desert Diamond Arena on August 23, 2024 in Glendale, Arizona.
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“There are younger faces, but it’s been harder for candidates to distinguish themselves outside of the movement,” he said. “I think that there is a similar desire to get involved and be part of this vision with America that is more consistent with what Trump aspires to.”
Hanson added that typically the minority party in power sees the most retirements, and there will likely be less of a changing of the guard in 2026 for the GOP.
Smoker also noted that with younger Republicans, there is as much emphasis on being a voice for the party rather than being an elected member.
“Karoline Leavitt ran for Congress in 2022 and lost, but now she’s the White House press secretary,” she said. “It was still a major step up for her politically, and she’s still under 30.”
Hanson said that generational change will be inevitable and likely needed to better reflect the nation’s population and its needs.
Voters fill out their ballots at a polling station in the Hillsboro Old Stone School, Nov. 4, 2025, in Hillsboro, Va.
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The median age of House members is 57.5 years old, and in the Senate it is 64.7 years old, according to Pew Research, compared to the country’s median age of 39.1 years old, according to the U.S. Census.
“Regardless of what comes next, it’s going to be different,” Hanson said of the political landscape. “It’s going to be a period of rebuilding and a new generation of leaders will come out of this.”
