If Zohran Mamdani is elected mayor of New York City, it would be historic for a number of reasons.
Mamdani would be the city’s first Muslim and Indian-American mayor, and also its youngest mayor in more than a century.
And although we may not fully know which soccer teams, if any, past mayors have supported, it seems pretty likely the 33-year-old would also be the first Arsenal fan to lead America's largest city.
Mamdani declared victory in New York City’s Democratic mayoral primary on Tuesday, scoring a shocking upset win over former New York governor Andrew Cuomo.
Though Mamdani hasn't been formally declared the winner of the primary, Cuomo has already conceded the race. Mamdani will be the favorite heading into November's general election, but there is always the chance he could slip up.
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That is a position Mamdani will be familiar with as an ardent supporter of the Gunners, who have become one of England's most cursed teams in recent seasons.
Mamdani explained the origin of his Arsenal fandom in an interview with Vulture earlier this year.
"I came up as a fan in the early 2000s, and it was my uncle who introduced me to the team. I was born in Kampala, Uganda, in East Africa, and my dad’s family is from East Africa, and Arsenal was one of the first teams to have a number of African players: Lauren, Kolo Toure, Nwankwo Kanu, Emmanuel Eboue, Alex Song," he said.
"Over the years, [then-manager] Arsene Wenger really transformed what English soccer looked like. As a Ugandan kid looking at this team, I was just so proud. I really got in during the good years — the “Invincible” years, the years of success.
"Then I grew up in the years after that, which were years of infinite hope and very few results, and now we’re in a place where we’re actually competing. I can’t watch the games, but I’m reduced to watching a minute-by-minute update that I sneak an eye on."
Mamdani has been a prolific soccer poster on X/Twitter over the years, taking particular pleasure in every Arsenal fan's favorite pastime: trolling Tottenham. He's a Gooner through and through.
With the general election in his sights, Mamdani will hope he can avoid the second-place finish that his favorite team has now experienced three seasons in a row.