Mamdani momentum inspires UW-Madison candidate for city council

Bobby Gronert is running for the campus area seat held by MGR Govindarajan

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Attendees of the UW-Madison Young Democratic Socialists of America mayoral watch party cheered when progressive Twitch streamer Hasan Piker appeared on the NBC broadcast, booed when coverage turned to former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, and debated who ate whose vegan pizza. One even dressed as Republican mayoral candidate Curtis Sliwa, complete with the signature red beret.

About 200 young progressives gathered in the basement of The Crossing church on the evening of Nov. 4 to watch history unfold as democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani won New York City’s mayoral election. For members of the UW-Madison chapter of Young Democratic Socialists, Mamdani’s victory represented a seismic shift in the Democratic Party — and even inspired one student’s campaign for Madison city council announced at the event.

UW-Madison sophomore James Norcross said gathering together to watch the results was an opportunity to connect with others and build community in-person, an element of Mamdani’s campaign he said resonated with “online” Gen Z voters.

“I think that so many people are maybe caught up in their digital lives. And the way forward is getting in touch with the physical realm that has become increasingly unimportant in people's lives,” Norcross said. 

Norcross said Mamdani’s campaign inspired real excitement, something he had never felt before during an election. “Tonight is a night of real change.”

YDSA co-chair Abigail Smith said the student organization and the Madison Area DSA chapter have grown exponentially in recent months, with both outgrowing their former meeting spaces. Smith compared the energy of Mamdani’s victory to the momentum Sen. Bernie Sanders brought to democratic socialist organizing in his 2016 presidential campaign.

“The fact that so many people in a random city in the Midwest are all of a sudden paying attention to what's going on in a city across the country is just really incredible,” Smith said. “There's been a lot of frustration among both people in DSA and also young people in general for a long time that the Democratic mainstream is not willing to talk about issues that people really care about.”

Smith said the Mamdani watch party was the largest YDSA event the chapter has ever hosted.

“Every single person I talked to was just, like, totally over the moon,” Smith said. “I think it really shows that people are hungry for more of this. They're hungry for Mamdani in every single city.”

Sporting a white Badger Boys State T-shirt, Bobby Gronert took the stage after media outlets called the race for Mamdani to announce he was running for the campus area seat on the city council, District 8. Ald. MGR Govindarajan has represented the seat since 2023.

“We have witnessed history for the American left,” Gronert said. “The victory of Zohran Mamdani proves what all of us know here — that people are sick and tired of the Democratic Party.”

Norcross and Smith both said they hope Mamdani’s victory inspires Gronert and other local candidates across the country to push for progressive policy.

“Change starts locally. Change starts when we get people to get out there and see their neighbors and know their names, because that's what really matters at the end of the day,” Norcross said.

Smith added that the goals of Mamdani’s campaign are “universal things that people are asking for and every city should be delivering on.”

Gronert’s campaign

Smith said UW-Madison YDSA’s growing membership and the DSA’s national shift toward “ground-up organizing electorally” led to YDSA’s decision to form an electoral working group earlier this semester and to run candidates for student government positions at the end of last spring. Wesley Hoy, Gronert’s campaign manager, chairs that group.

Hoy, also a UW sophomore, told Isthmus he volunteered for Mamdani’s campaign over the summer. He said canvassing in New York showed him the importance of personal connection and extensive field operations in political campaigns.

“Something that I remember hearing from the canvassing leads that I was with was, when you speak to somebody at a door, they're not going to remember what you said, but they're going to remember how you made them feel,” Hoy said.

Hoy said he and Gronert met in their “Intro to Marx” first-year course series at UW. Their campaign has raised $975 since its launch, Hoy said, and about $1,000 before that from YDSA members, friends and family. 

He said Mamdani’s campaign succeeded because it centered on affordability — an issue that resonated broadly with working-class and young voters. He added that while establishment Democrats sometimes attributed Mamdani’s success primarily to social media, the campaign’s real strength was its message.

“I think a lot of Democratic candidates have run on tested, focus-grouped policies that don't actually speak to the massive issues facing working-class people in this country,” Hoy said. “His message was honestly the most important part of his campaign, and so we're hoping to replicate that message with issues that apply to Madison students.”

Gronert said Mamdani’s focus on housing affordability is a message he plans to carry into his own campaign, as students face soaring rents amid Madison’s housing crisis. 

“I'm not Zohran. His method might not work exactly for me,” Gronert told Isthmus. “While we're both socialists, we both agree on what the founding principles of society should be; we're not going to be copying [his] campaign, because Madison isn’t New York.”

Gronert said one campaign issue he’d be focusing on is ending “bar raids.”

“While yes, 21 is the legal drinking age, students are going to drink. This is Wisconsin, and I want them drinking in a safe environment.”

Hoy said that Gronert’s campaign would similarly prioritize a strong field operation. He and Gronert said they plan to begin canvassing after students return from winter break.

“We want to do everything we can to have face-to-face interactions with as many students as we can here in Madison,” Hoy said. “Social media is definitely going to be an important part of our campaign, but I think the most important part is going to be canvassing and centering affordability.”

The general election for the city council is April 7, 2026. If more than two candidates enter the race, a primary will be held Feb. 17. Gronert is the first to announce his candidacy. 

Govindarajan told Isthmus it was a bit early to think about reelection and that he was instead focusing on the city budget.