It’s too early to say exactly what New York’s next political cycle will bring. But the city is clearly hurtling toward a new social and economic order, much as it was 40 years ago. If Mr. Mamdani intends to lead New York — and maybe America — into this uncertain future, he’s going to need much more than rent freezes and free buses.

 

Mamdani’s Rise Marks the End of a Chapter in American History

By Jonathan Mahler

Mr. Mahler is a staff writer for The New York Times Magazine and the author of the forthcoming book “The Gods of New York: Egotists, Idealists, Opportunists, and the Birth of the Modern City: 1986-1990,” from which this essay is adapted.