Happy Friday in sunny New York City, where we’ve reached 100 days under the Mamdani administration.

The little-known assemblyman-turned-celebrity who became the city’s youngest mayor in a century did not enjoy a soft introduction to the world of municipal management. Already, Mamdani has navigated a couple of major snowstorms, a potentially crippling budget crisis, an attempted terror attack outside his home and — of course — the unpredictable intrusions of the president. 

Through it all, Mamdani managed to earn high marks from his constituents. A poll published Wednesday by Marist found that 48% of New Yorkers approve of the job Mamdani is doing, while 30% disapprove and 28% are unsure. The majority of residents polled perceive the mayor as hard-working, caring and a good leader; 56% of those surveyed believe the city is moving in the right direction. 

In his first 100 days, Mamdani managed to forge a productive relationship with Governor Kathy Hochul, although his push to raise income taxes on the city’s top earners appears to be stymied for the moment. He’s earned the respect and even affection of President Trump — a relationship he’s leaned on a couple of times already to slow federal overreach in the city. 

Faced with an unexpected fiscal squeeze, Mamdani has reversed course on a number of campaign promises, including expanding housing vouchers and increasing funding for parks and public libraries. However, as we covered in the Daily Brief, he appears on track to deliver on the three signature goals of his campaign: freezing the rent, universal childcare and, the most unlikely of the three, fast and free buses. 

One of the biggest changes he’s effected on New York City politics is reviving public interest in the goings-on in City Hall. Mamdani’s star power consistently draws crowds to routine events and announcements, earns millions of views on the city’s social media profiles and galvanizes strong participation in city programs from volunteer snow shoveling to voting on municipal repairs.

Republicans remain staunchly opposed to the mayor, and centrist Democrats stay wary of him, but he’s managed to assuage some of the most alarmist concerns when he first took office.

“It’s early, but so far, so good,” Jay Jacobs, chair of the New York State Democratic Party, told the Associated Press. “We may not agree on everything philosophically, but he is getting the job done.” Jacobs did not endorse Mamdani in the general election. 

“It has been a time where we have looked to show the city a glimpse into what these next four years will be like,” Mamdani told POLITICO. “We want to be ambitious, unapologetic, unrelenting in not just our focus, but also in the speed of the work that we do.”

All in all, it’s generally been a strong start for Mayor Mamdani. But as Eric Adams can attest — after tumbling from a 61% overall approval rating in his first 100 days to a historically low 20% in his last year — it’s not how you start but how you finish.

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