Lula allies want to borrow from Zohran Mamdani’s playbook

The election of democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani as mayor of New York City has resonated among left-wing leaders in Brazil, who view his win as a potential model for digital campaigning ahead of the country’s 2026 elections. Brazil will choose a new Congress, state legislatures and governors, and President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva will seek a non-consecutive fourth term in what polls indicate could be a tight race against a still-undefined right-wing challenger.

“Even under a Trump presidency and amid the rise of the far right, the people [of New York City] chose democracy, solidarity and the future,” Edinho Silva, national president of Lula’s Workers’ Party, wrote on social media. “An example that inspires the left worldwide to keep fighting.”