A year ago, no one heard of Zohran Mamdani, the 34-year-old state assemblyman and Democratic Socialist from Queens who took politics by storm, and became Mayor-elect of New York City, in a stunning upset to the well-resourced establishment politician former Governor Andrew Cuomo.

A Ugandan-born son of Indian immigrants and a Muslim, Mamdani is the youngest person elected to lead America’s largest city in over a century. His meteoric rise and progressive ideas is drawing attention far beyond New York City. With his campaign centered around the issue of affordability, his authenticity and progressive approach resonated. Young voters showed up in droves, and Millennials cast a record number of 29% of the votes; overall voters cast more than 2 million votes, the most since 1969.

Wherever he shows up in public, Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani draws large and enthusiastic crowds, where the energy is palpable. Some have described him as being treated “loke a rock star.”

As he prepares to take office, one question looms large: Is Zohran Mamdani’s campaign a blueprint for national Democrats to follow?