Oneonta Area College Students React to Mamdani’s Historic NYC Mayoral Win

By BRIANNA FERGUSON
SUNY Institute for Local News
ONEONTA

Zohran Mamdani’s election as the mayor of New York City is historic on multiple levels. He is the first South Asian and the first Muslim person to lead the United States’ largest city. He is the first NYC mayor to identify as a democratic socialist. He is also the youngest person to lead NYC in over a century.

Mamdani spoke of a “new age” during his November 5 victory celebration in Brooklyn.

“For as long as we can remember, the working people of New York have been told by the wealthy and the well-connected that power does not belong in their hands. The future is in our hands,” Mamdani declared, after which he promised to run a government that is “for everyone.”

What exactly did he promise for New Yorkers? Throughout Mamdani’s campaign he pledged to make all public transit buses free, to provide more affordable housing and rent-freezes, to create more city owned grocery stores to reduce food costs, to provide free childcare, to raise the city’s minimum wage salary, and to increase taxes by 2 percent on residents who make more than $1 million per year. Many young voters who have become discontented with mainstream party politics as usual identified with these progressive ideals.

Mamdani’s campaign is indeed notable for rallying young voters. The enthusiasm of voters aged 18-29 helped give the 34-year-old candidate his mayoral win. Research from Tufts University revealed that an unusually high 1-in-4 youth voted in the 2025 NYC mayoral race, and 75 percent of those young voters supported Mamdani.

Oneonta may be more than 130 miles from the Big Apple. But many of the area’s residents have roots in the Five Boroughs, including large portions of the approximately 6,500 students attending SUNY Oneonta and Hartwick College.

AllOtsego caught up with a few of these young NYC transplants to get their opinions on Mamdani’s election. Some of these Oneonta-based students expressed excitement over Mamdani’s historic win and his progressive platform, while others voiced uncertainty about his promises.

“His win for sure inspired younger people interested in politics—myself included—because he’s so young. Plus, he’s an immigrant from NYC just like many of us,” said Louabatou Diallo, a SUNY Oneonta freshman majoring in economics. “And that is so motivational. Because if he can do it, we can as well,” Diallo added.

Recent Hartwick College graduate Samyya Vandenburg highlighted Mamdani’s focus on equity and affordability.

“Free or reduced fare will help a lot of students, as managing funds is very challenging without even considering the cost of transportation,” Vandenburg said. “As a first-generation student with an immigrant parent, tuition relief would have been very beneficial. Mamdani’s call to action on affordable housing could aid in less housing insecurity for students and other young renters.”

Vandenburg, who graduated from Hartwick this past spring with a bachelor’s in biology, concluded, “With my degree in biology, his win can expand my opportunities for community-based internships, city agencies and free job training.”

Annalise Correa, a freshman criminal justice major at SUNY Oneonta, was hopeful about how Mamdani’s platform might influence state politician’s support for public education.

“From a student perspective, I believe that Mamdani’s win could impact many problems we face today as college students. Our tuition could be lowered as SUNY students, to make education more focused on and not the cost,” Correa stated.

“It was like a fresh start or a new beginning from the previous mayors,” declared SUNY Oneonta sophomore Narmer Johnson, an economics major. “I’m hoping to see change,” he asserted.  

Other SUNY Oneonta and Hartwick students who spoke off the record brought up topics including rent control, job opportunities and the cost of living. These are among the issues that hit closest to home for the NYC young adults who are currently attending college upstate.

One student, uncertain about Mamdani’s promises, told AllOtsego: “I was surprised that he won, honestly. I knew he had strong support, but I didn’t expect him to win. My reaction had mixed feelings. I’m also skeptical about what he’ll try to do in his term as mayor. A lot of candidates talk big during campaigns just to achieve a wider audience and support system, so I’m not convinced he’ll be any different than other past mayors.” 

“Housing is definitely an issue for students as of right now,” said another student. “Many of us can’t afford to live on our own in the city anymore. Transits and commuting daily is expensive and unreliable most of the time as well. I’m not that certain he has a realistic plan to make things too much better than it already is.” 

These views show how deeply connected Oneonta students feel to the future of the state’s largest population center. And it points to how Mamdani’s leadership may impact all New Yorkers in the years ahead.

This story was created by student reporters through the OnNY Community Media Service, a program of SUNY Oneonta and the SUNY Institute for Local News.