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Eddie,
Yesterday's citywide election put the exclamation point on
something we've said for a long time: safer streets and better public
transit aren't just good policy – they're good politics!
While there are myriad reasons why Zohran Mamdani – Mayor-elect
Zohran Mamdani – won a historic victory last night, including a
platform that clearly resonated with voters, unparalleled organizing
and ground game, and impeccable message discipline, his embrace of
public transit, micro-mobility, and progressive transportation policy
played a key role. Fast, free buses were at the top of his pitch to
New Yorkers, and his ubiquitous campaign videos frequently showed him
riding the subway or a bus or a Citi Bike. It all felt so authentic
because that's how he really gets around, and because he truly is
passionate about transit and cycling.
Up and down the ballot, StreetsPAC's endorsees won not in spite of
their embrace of these issues, but at least in part because
of it. And their victories, especially Mayor-elect Mandani's, herald
what could be a transformative new era in city transportation policy.
While it's important to not let expectations run away from reality,
the vibes, to be sure, are immaculate.
Mayor-elect Mamdani's candidacy was supported by numerous
street-safety advocates early on. He sat down in the spring for a
robust "ask me anything" session organized by Alex "Miser"
Duncan with the 37,000-plus-member MicromobilityNYC community on Reddit, which has
grown into a political force in its own right. As his campaign
progressed following his resounding win in the Democratic primary, Mr.
Mamdani demonstrated that our fight was his fight, promising to
complete a long list of street-safety and transit
projects that foundered or were outright abandoned by the
Adams administration. And he famously corrected a heckler that "it's pronounced
'cyclist!'."
While the hard part of winning an intense election is over,
the other hard part of governing is just getting started.
Mayor-elect Mamdani announced a top-notch leadership team for his transition
today, and StreetsPAC will offer whatever support we can as his
nascent administration develops plans for implementing its
transportation policies.
We also want to offer or congratulations and gratitude to all of
our endorsees, including Shirley Aldebol, who won an upset victory in the
Bronx's 13th Council District, and Ben Chou, who couldn't quite do the same in
Queens's 19th District, but gave it a spirited shot. Overall, 17 of
our 18 endorsees won their races. We're also deeply appreciative of
all the dozens of candidates who put in the time and effort
to participate in our endorsement process.
All of us at StreetsPAC are excited for what comes next in New York
City. You can help us continue our work here and as we look to
statewide elections in 2026, by supporting us with a contribution. Thank
you!
Eric McClure
Executive
Director
StreetsPAC
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