06/11/2025
As was widely predicted, progressive candidates did well in the US local and regional elections that took place last Thursday. RTE Radio 1 reported comprehensively on the victories for a slew of left wing, progressive and radical candidates in the States, flying in the face of the right wing Trump Administration, which responded with a tantrum and threats to withhold funding from projects in areas which have defied right wing rule. Zohran Mamdani has won the New York City mayoral race, capping a meteoric rise from a little-known state politician to one of the country's most visible Democratic figures. The 34-year-old will become the first Muslim mayor of the largest US city. In a Victory speech reported by BBC Radio 4, Mr Mamdani referred to the New York transgender population saying that trans people, single parents, working class people and immigrants were amongst his family of supporters. Mr Mamdani wasted no time calling out Mr Trump, formally kicking off the battle that will likely define relations between the mayor and the president whose celebrity is tied to the city. "Donald Trump, since I know you're watching, I have four words for you: turn the volume up!" In the traditionally gay city of San Francisco, reporters for BBC Radio 5Live said that California voted overwhelmingly to redraw its electoral districts in a poll Democrats called to counter efforts by Mr Trump to gerrymander in Republican states. Early results showed a large majority in the traditionally liberal state voted in favour of a motion that was widely promoted as an opportunity to "stick it to Trump".
