‘Africans are starting to organize'

Politico

6 days ago

With help from Amira McKee
U-GANDA BE REAL: Zohran Mamdani is proudly African. And while the Democratic mayoral nominee's own immigration story may look different than many of the Black West Africans who are the core of New York City's diaspora community, there's a meaningful connection.
'He is born in Africa, and he's running to be mayor of the global capital. So yes, there is a very strong sense of pride for that,' said Mona Davids, the South Africa-born publisher of LittleAfrica News and president of issue advocacy firm Social Impact Strategies. 'But that does not mean that he's automatically going to get the African vote.'
Mamdani is currently in Uganda, where he celebrated his wedding at his family home in Kampala. He was born there to an Indian-American mother and an Indian-Ugandan father whose family has roots in the East African country going back generations.
Mamdani's primary win comes as New York City's African immigrant population is seeking to gain the local political influence long ago won by the city's African-American and West Indian communities.
'Africans are starting to organize,' Davids said. She's part of a coalition of African leaders that plans to vet general election candidates for potential endorsements, asking if they've supported African community programs or aided small business owners. Many asylum-seekers from West African nations like Senegal and Mauritania have come to the city over the last three years — an especially high-need population that's received limited institutional support.
The African diaspora community didn't really know Mamdani before he ran for mayor, Davids said. But they did know Assemblymember Charles Fall.
Fall was born in New York to Guinean immigrant parents, and has Senegalese heritage as well. While his district spans the North Shore of Staten Island and Lower Manhattan, he told Playbook he 'absolutely' represents the whole diaspora.
That means going to African immigrant community events in Harlem and especially the Bronx, where the borough president's office has an African Advisory Council and African City Council candidates like Bola Omotosho, Ahmadou T. Diallo and Abdourahamane Diallo have all run for office and lost.
Fall and Mamdani are both Muslim, like many in the African diaspora. While Fall said there was a 'mixture' of support for Mamdani among Black communities overall, the African Muslim support was overwhelming. 'There was absolutely a level of excitement that I've never seen in the masjids before about him,' he said. 'He definitely energized people in a way that I haven't seen.'
Having lived in Uganda and South Africa, having majored in Africana studies in college, and having been given the middle name Kwame to honor Pan-African leader Kwame Nkrumah by his academic father, it's not surprising that Mamdani sought African diaspora votes with specificity. His campaign hosted an Eritreans & Ethiopians for Zohran fundraiser in April. And in his election night speech, he said it was a win for 'the Gambian uncle who finally saw himself and his struggle in a campaign for the city that he calls home.'
Mamdani is continuing to seize on that connection, with an eye toward the general election. He attended a Guinean community event in the Bronx earlier this month.
'Zohran has always spoken proudly about his Ugandan roots, and how formative they are to his identity,' said Mamdani senior adviser Zara Rahim, who's leading much of the campaign's African outreach. 'He absolutely feels a deep connection to the African diaspora in New York — and his commitment to them is clear: make this city more affordable, keep their families safe, and protect them from ICE and the crisis of authoritarianism in this country.' — Jeff Coltin
From the Capitol
STEFANIK'S FUNDRAISING: Rep. Elise Stefanik's possible bid for governor is taking the North Country Republican to the Southern Tier.
Stefanik will headline an Aug. 26 fundraiser with the Broome County GOP. Tickets range from $75 per person to $5,000 for a 'platinum sponsor.'
Her planned appearance at the event — billed as a clam bake — comes as Stefanik is widely considered the likely Republican nominee to challenge Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul in 2026. Rep. Mike Lawler, a moderate, announced last week he would run for reelection to his swing House district.
Stefanik's political operation this month disclosed she had raised more than $11 million across multiple campaign accounts. — Nick Reisman
CYBER DEFENSE: The Hochul administration is trying to bolster the state's cybersecurity protections after a series of ransomware attacks on government targets.
The governor this afternoon touted a law that's now in effect which will require all public corporations and authorities to report cybersecurity incidents within 72 hours. Ransomware payments by victims must also be reported within 24 hours.
'Here in New York, we are keeping up with technology's fast-paced evolution and are resilient in the face of cybersecurity threats,' Hochul said.
Cyberattacks and threats have become a hazard for both the private and public sectors. A 2024 attack on the Legislative Bill Drafting Commission hobbled officials' ability to complete the state budget and forced the Legislature to turn to a computer system from 1994. — Nick Reisman
FROM THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL
CUOMO DEFENDS BEING NETANYAHU'S LAWYER: Andrew Cuomo defended his role on Benjamin Netanyahu's legal team — which is fighting the International Criminal Court's charges of genocide — during an interview with WNYC's Brian Lehrer today.
'That was a technical issue of the International Criminal Court's jurisdiction,' Cuomo said, when asked if he would still defend Netanyahu from genocide charges. 'That's what that was about, an overreach of the ICC, which I believe it is. I don't believe they have any legal jurisdiction.'
The explanation for his role on Netanyahu's legal defense team comes as a broad swath of New York Democrats are calling on Israel to allow more aid into Gaza amid reports of starvation in the region.
Playbook asked the Cuomo campaign today if the former governor believes Netanyahu has committed war crimes — regardless of questions over the international body's jurisdiction. The campaign did not respond to our inquiries.
Cuomo announced in November he was joining Netanyahu's legal team. At the time, he said he was taking on the role because he is 'proud to stand against antisemitism.' Cuomo has not done any legal work for the prime minister since the announcement, his spokesperson, Rich Azzopardi, told Playbook.
During the mayoral primary, the former governor focused his campaign around issues of the Israel-Gaza war and antisemitism.
Lehrer also asked Cuomo about 'widespread starvation and shootings at food distribution sites' in Gaza.
'The Middle East, of course, is a horrific situation that is going on,' Cuomo responded. 'Everyone who has any sense of decency wants it to stop and wants it to stop immediately, and prays for peace. Everyone wants those hostages returned, and they want the killing to stop.'
Cuomo also told Lehrer that he has not accused Mamdani of being antisemitic — 'to say someone is antisemitic you have to look into their soul … that's above my pay grade,' he said — but he does believe the Democratic mayoral nominee has fueled antisemitism on the trail. — Jason Beeferman
IN OTHER NEWS
— IF AT FIRST YOU DON'T SUCCEED … : Investor Ricky Sandler is pledging $500,000 to a super PAC to try to stop Mamdani and boost Eric Adams. (Hell Gate)
— PRISON STAFFING SHORTAGES: New York's prison guard strike ended months ago, but lingering dysfunction and understaffing are keeping incarcerated people from receiving medical care and essential other services. (The Marshall Project)
— FREEZE THE RENT: Critics warn that Mamdani's rent freeze proposal raises tricky questions for the city's rent-regulated buildings, many of which are already facing financial peril. (POLITICO Pro)
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