'The Mamdani Moment': The Next Generation of U.S. Political Leadership

In the organizer's words:

Please join us for a discussion on the future of U.S. political leadership on both sides of the aisle.

'The Mamdani Moment' points to a shift in U.S. politics: a new generation of leaders is emerging and redefining political priorities, communication styles, and representation in an extremely polarized landscape. As the United States grapples with mistrust towards democratic institutions and deep dissatisfaction with politics in general, questions about the future of public leadership are becoming more pressing. Who are the rising stars within both the Democratic and Republican parties? Which issues do they focus on and which strategies do they employ? And how are candidate selection, factional competition, and political communication evolving?

Taking the book Zohran Mamdani - Our Time is Now, authored by Luzia Geier, as a point of departure, this discussion brings together two complementary perspectives: Geier's work as a journalist closely tracing the rise of a new political figure, and Dr. Mike Cowburn's research as a political scientist on intra-party factions, partisan polarization, and political communication. Together, they offer insights into the forces shaping the next generation of U.S. political leadership.

Luzia Geier has been living in the United States for more than ten years. After completing a master's degree in North American Studies at the University of Bonn, she initially worked as a freelance journalist in New York. For the German Press Agency dpa, she reported from Washington as a U.S. correspondent, covering the 2024 presidential election and the beginning of Trump's second term in office. She then returned to her adopted home of New York, where she followed, among other things, the rise of Zohran Mamdani, leading to the publication of her book Zohran Mamdani - Our Time is Now (Quadriga, 2026). Today, she is once again working as a freelance journalist.

Dr. Mike Cowburn is a research fellow in the Department of Political & Social Sciences at Zeppelin University. He is part of the ERC-funded DEMOLAW project, where he studies the design, development, and durability of legislation in the United States, the United Kingdom, and the European Union. His research focuses on intra-party factions, candidate selection, legislative politics, and political communication. His first book explores intra-party factions in U.S. congressional primary elections in the twenty-first century and analyzes their role in shaping partisan polarization in Congress. His work has been published in leading peer-reviewed journals, including Political Science Research & Methods, Political Communication, and Political Research Quarterly. In addition to his academic work, Cowburn is a regular political analyst in the media, where he provides commentary and insight on U.S. and U.K. politics.

Seats are limited and will be allocated on a first come, first served basis. We kindly ask you to only reserve the number of tickets that you will definitely use.

You do not need to print out your Eventbrite ticket. The name under which you reserved your tickets will suffice to enter.

This event is held in English.

The venue is wheelchair accessible.

This event is held in cooperation with the University of Bonn, the North American Studies Program and Quadriga Publishing House.