Political Biography Chronicles Historic NYC Campaign: New Book Documents Mamdani's Democratic Socialist Victory

Theodore Hamm's "Run Zohran Run!" has been published by OR Books as the first comprehensive account of Zohran Mamdani's stunning upset victory in New York City's 2025 Democratic mayoral primary, documenting how a 33-year-old democratic socialist transformed from a 1% polling candidate into the party's nominee against establishment favorite Andrew Cuomo.

Unprecedented Campaign Documentation

The 300-page book provides what OR Books describes as "firsthand knowledge of an insurgent campaign," chronicling Mamdani's rise from an 8% shot in January 2025 to a commanding victory over former Governor Cuomo by election night. According to Hamm, who chairs the journalism department at St. Joseph's University, the book began as real-time coverage for Drop Site News and other progressive outlets during the primary campaign.

"It always seems impossible until it is done," Mamdani declared in his victory speech, quoting Nelson Mandela, as documented in the book's opening chapter. The memoir captures the moment when Cuomo conceded just 90 minutes after polls closed, forcing the campaign to hastily rewrite what they expected to be a cautious quarter-finals speech into a complete victory declaration.

Grassroots Operation Defies Expectations

Hamm's account details how Mamdani's campaign mobilized over 50,000 volunteers who knocked on more than 1.5 million doors across the five boroughs, creating what he describes as "an outreach operation far more genuinely committed to its candidate than that of any mayoral contender in New York City history". The Democratic Socialists of America led this massive ground operation, hosting election-night watch parties from "Ozone Park, Queens, to Kensington, Brooklyn, to Westchester Square in the Bronx".

The campaign particularly energized Muslim and South Asian voters, including many in Bangladeshi enclaves who "mobilized for the first time in a city election," according to Hamm's reporting. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez joined Mamdani for a rally at Terminal 5 in Midtown Manhattan, where he addressed "an overflow crowd of mostly twenty-somethings" while declaring the victory would be "historic, not just for who I am—a Muslim immigrant and a proud democratic socialist—but for what we will do".

Platform and Opposition Response

The book chronicles Mamdani's straightforward policy platform, including rent freezes, free buses, universal childcare, and city-run grocery stores, which "cut through the noise of mainstream politics and resonated with working-class voters struggling in an increasingly unaffordable city". These proposals generated intense opposition from the city's business establishment and media outlets.

"Terror. Fear. Panic," is how Kathryn Wilde, described as a spokesperson for the city's "dubiously labeled 'business community,'" characterized the elite reaction to Mamdani's victory, according to Hamm's account. The New York Post's election day cover denounced Mamdani as a "radical, antisemitic socialist," followed by a desperate "NYC SOS" headline asking "Who will save our city after radical socialist batters Cuomo?".

Critical Reception and Scholarly Analysis

Kirkus Reviews praised the book as "knowledgeable, timely...a key text for understanding contemporary left-of-center politics," while scholar Greg Grandin noted that Hamm "mixes Jimmy Breslin's gritty details with Pete Hamill's big-picture prose". Astra Taylor called it "an energizing jolt of hope" that provides "the inside story of how it happened and what it took to win, so that other people in other places can take inspiration".

The book has drawn criticism from some quarters for its timing, as it was published before the November general election. "Aren't we still in the book right now? Like before, we get to the book writing phase, don't we have to finish the fight?" one social media user questioned, according to the New York Post. However, Hamm defended the focus on the primary campaign while noting that future editions could include general election developments.

Publisher's Progressive Mission

OR Books, founded in 2009 by Colin Robinson and John Oakes, describes itself as embracing "progressive change in politics, culture, and the way we do business". The publisher has previously released works by authors including Noam Chomsky, Matt Taibbi, and Palestinian poet Refaat Alareer, positioning itself as a platform for politically progressive content.

The company operates on a non-returnable, print-on-demand model, dedicating savings on inventory to marketing instead. "We know the existing system doesn't work. We're going to try something new," Robinson explained at the company's 2009 launch.

Historical Significance and Future Impact

Hamm's documentation captures what supporters view as a pivotal moment in American urban politics, as Mamdani leads current polls by significant margins heading into November's general election. The book positions the campaign as demonstrating "how Left campaigns can be won" despite institutional resistance from major media outlets and financial disadvantages.

The memoir stands as both contemporary political journalism and historical record, chronicling how Mamdani's coalition of "voters under 50, multiracial, polyglot, pro-Palestine, unafraid to be called socialists" created what Hamm describes as a "groundbreaking" political movement in New York City.