Zohran Mamdani, New York’s unlikely new Democratic candidate for mayor, ran on a socialist platform promising to uplift New Yorkers with rent freezes, city-owned grocery stores, and free bus rides. He was propelled to the Democratic primary in a stunning upset by a group of economic rebels just as unlikely: young, educated New Yorkers, many of them white.⁠ ⁠ Their support of 33-year-old Mamdani is rooted in deep economic frustrations that for decades plagued the working classes of the city. Now that frustration has become acute among college-educated earners, who battle steep rents and the lowest housing availability in more than half a century.⁠ ⁠ “Money is always on our mind,” said 36-year-old William Albuquerque, a Brooklyn resident who canvassed for Mamdani’s mayoral campaign. “Rent is such a huge part of our cost every month, it’s impossible not to think about it.” ⁠ ⁠ Albuquerque, who plans to start law school in the fall, says he worries cost of living could force him and his partner out of New York City. “Affordability is going to be a huge issue for whether we can stay in the city,” he said. ⁠ ⁠ The inflation that has driven up costs nationwide has been particularly stubborn in the New York metro area. New York saw lower inflation than other parts of the country immediately after the pandemic, but over the past two years that has reversed. Consumer prices rose 7.5% between May 2023 and May 2025, well above the national rate of 5.7%, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.⁠ ⁠ Read more at the link in our bio.⁠ ⁠ 📷: Andrew Lichtenstein/Corbis/Getty Images; @timothymulcare for @wsjphotos