Pedro Pascal Urges Fans to Support Mamdani in NYC Mayoral Race
Actor Pedro Pascal is using his platform to support Zohran Mamdani in the 2025 New York City mayoral race. Pascal shared an image on Instagram urging his followers to back Mamdani, who has quickly become a rising star in local politics.
Mamdani identifies as a democratic socialist and has built his campaign around making New York City more affordable. When he announced his candidacy in October 2024, Mamdani was relatively unknown but surprised many by defeating former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo in the Democratic primary.
Mamdani comes from a notable family. His mother is Oscar-nominated filmmaker Mira Nair, and his father is anthropologist Mahmood Mamdani. Both parents were born in India, but Mamdani grew up in Uganda before moving to the United States.
He first won a seat in the New York State Assembly in 2020, defeating an incumbent and later winning reelection twice. During his tenure, he co-created a pilot program for free bus rides and staged a 15-day hunger strike to push for debt relief for New York City taxi drivers, resulting in $450 million in aid.
Affordability has been Mamdani’s main focus in his mayoral campaign. He told The Guardian, “What I will bring to this race is an explicit and relentless focus to the number one issue of importance to New York City voters. They can’t afford their rent. They can’t afford their childcare. They can’t afford transit. They can’t afford their groceries.”
His proposals include freezing rents for tenants in rent-stabilized apartments, making public buses fast and fare-free, and opening city-owned grocery stores in each borough.
Mamdani gained attention through social media, sharing videos on Instagram and TikTok showing him walking across Manhattan, interacting with residents, and demonstrating his commitment to policy issues like rent freezes.
Despite early polls showing Cuomo as the favorite, Mamdani’s grassroots campaign drew in tens of thousands of new voters, boosting turnout in several neighborhoods.
On June 24, Mamdani won the Democratic primary with 56 percent of the vote compared to Cuomo’s 44 percent. NPR called the result an “astonishing upset” and suggested it might signal a shift in national Democratic politics.
Mamdani is expected to face Cuomo, incumbent Mayor Eric Adams, and other candidates in the November general election. He has received support from progressive leaders like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Bernie Sanders, while endorsements from other Democrats, including Hakeem Jeffries and Chuck Schumer, came closer to Election Day.
If elected, Mamdani would become New York City’s first Muslim mayor, its first Indian American mayor, and the youngest mayor since 1889. His candidacy has already sparked national attention, with former President Donald Trump even suggesting controversial measures against him, despite Mamdani becoming a U.S. citizen in 2018.
Pascal’s endorsement highlights the growing influence of celebrities in political campaigns. Supporting Mamdani aligns him with a candidate promising progressive policies and a focus on affordability for New Yorkers.
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