Just days ahead of the 2025 New York City mayoral election, candidate Zohran Mamdani appeared on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart for a much-anticipated discussion. Stewart probed the 33-year-old New York State Assembly member and democratic socialist about his campaign, as he vies with Andrew Cuomo and Curtis Sliwa to take over from Mayor Eric Adams. The host emphasized Mamdani’s viral campaign trek across Manhattan and the 90,000 volunteers supporting his initiatives throughout New York City.

Their discussion delved into Mamdani’s campaign commitments and platforms, including housing and affordability in New York, along with his perspectives on political endorsements and tactics for engaging younger voters.

“Following the presidential election, numerous obituaries were penned regarding the Democratic Party’s capacity to inspire young voters,” Mamdani noted. “There exists this condescension in the terminology we apply to young individuals. I can assure you that what we’ve discovered in this campaign is that young people have been central to believing that something could surpass this.”