What Zohran Mamdani (and other Democrats’) Wins in Tuesday’s Election Mean for Liberal Hollywood

Hollywood Reporter ^ | November 4, 2025 | S. Zeitchik, P. Kiefer, T. Maglio

[CondoleezzaProtege]

…Gotham’s mayoral contest, which the Democrat secured shortly after the polls closed Tuesday night, has reverberated throughout the country as liberal Democrats scored the first major win of the Trump II era. And, needless to say, reverberated throughout Hollywood too.

The entertainment industry’s liberal core has been divided over the candidacy of the Democratic Socialist and how much he should be the face of the anti-Trump resistance. Mamdani’s win should settle some of those divisions — maybe.

The 34-year-old Queens assemblyman (also of course the son of Monsoon Wedding and The Namesake director Mira Nair), put together a coalition of Gen Z, Muslim, South Asian and progressive Democrat New Yorkers to coast to a victory…

In addition to his film pedigree, Mamdani’s trajectory carries a whiff of the Hollywood, the little-known figure suddenly surging to the fore the stuff of so many sports movies…

Mamdani in the closing weeks of the campaign did things like shake hands with all the cabbies in the queue at JFK — he also shrewdly made use of social media and Hollywood tropes…His young staff unleashed numerous popular TikToks, often on the streets of New York, while also running traditional ads playing off The Bachelor and other entertainment hits. And don’t forget his Bollywood-style campaign visuals.

…It was hardly the only contest landing with many media and entertainment pros — a governor’s race in the suddenly hopping production hotbed of New Jersey and the fight over Proposition 50 as an anti-Trump tool in California also went blue…

Here’s The Hollywood Reporter’s breakdown of these three key races …

[CondoleezzaProtege]

New Jersey’s film incentives are among the most attractive in the nation, offering qualified productions up to a 40 percent tax credit.

And it’s working. In production-spend dollars over the first half of 2025, New Jersey ranked fourth in the nation, behind only California, New York and Georgia. Those who take advantage get many of the locations of New York City, at a fraction of the rates.

Interesting I thought it was states like Texas, but looks like this is the way liberal governments stay in Hollywood’s good graces business-wise. Tax incentives.

[CondoleezzaProtege]

But Mamdani has adopted some positions that could also prove unpalatable for some celebrities, including his stated belief that Israel should not exist as a majority-Jewish state. And many celebrities have taken a much quieter approach toward activism generally than they did during the first Trump administration, either out of fatigue or tactical restraint; it remains to be seen whether Mamdani energizes them to change their ways.

[cowboyusa]

Israel is a distraction. The left L9VES it when we argue about it. NOTHING ELSE MATTERS THAN STOPIMG THE LEFT HERE!

[Vaduz]

Tuesday night, has reverberated throughout the country as liberal Democrats scored the first major win.

LOL a few low end mayors

[rellic]

Hear the sound of rushing air? That is the sound of all the smart people leaving those cities.

[Lockbox]

A remake of Doctor Zhivago, Reds, 'October: Ten Days That Shook the World', 'The Battleship Potemkin' and 'Anastasia'!

Don't forget that Central Park will become a Collective farming area! Where else will they get the free food?

[cowboyusa]

” Stop the infighting, foccus on avortablity, and beating the l3ft.” JD Vance.

[No name given]

And they might have to just start eating the Central Park and Bronx zoo animals to supplement their diets.

[Liz]

Mamdani and Hollywood mother----she refused to call him an "American."

[sphinx]

I hate to see the spread of production tax credits and other incentives for movies. Yes, some red states have gotten into the game. But it’s still a terrible idea.

It’s the socialist model: create a hostile business environment, double down until an industry starts to flee (e.g. California), then bribe chosen winners to stay.

The politicians who do this will invariably make noises about respecting the creative independence of filmmakers. But since funds are limited — the subsidies are “generous” in relative terms and in comparison to what existed in the past == a state commission of some type will have to be selective.

What could go wrong?

Over time, it is inevitable that state film bureaucracies will attach conditions. These probably already exist. They may be tucked into the bottom drawer and rarely discussed in public, but the 30 page document outlining standards for “responsible” gatekeeping will circulate. And eventually it will be a 700 page set of guidelines imposing control on everything that matter. A Ministry of Culture will dictate what movies and tv shows get made and precisely where the Overton Window lies on themes.

Yes, you’ll still be able (probably) to make your independent film without close regulation. But you will do it at your own expense, and you will be competing with a heavily subsidized public content pipeline.

[Lockbox]

Oh boy, real meat!

[maddog55]

In reality, who gives a shxt about liberal Hollywood..or liberals period.