I've looked at a number of photos of the newly nominated Democrat mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani. I think I know why he won the Dem. primary. He has a genuinely nice smile, he looks friendly and happy.
This piece in the New York Post has 5 or 6 different photos of the guy campaigning. It appears his face just falls into a toothy smile nearly automatically.
You might argue, people don't vote for someone because they like his or looks. I think the evidence is many do.
My dear mother, dead nearly 30 years, would say of this or that politician "I don't like his looks" or "He seems nice." My dad never voiced such opinions and I wasn't convinced. However, I don't believe her approach is all that uncommon. My sense is people liked Mamdani's public persona.
He looks friendly but his policy choices are terrible. As a NYC resident I would be unlikely to know or interact with the mayor but would be affected by his policies. I would not vote for him.
