I know it sounds insane but they are my favorite, and I hope in the midterms more candidates like them show up, praying for a good centrist candidate cause that’s what we need.

If you know me, you know I don’t do political teams. I’m not a Democrat. I’m not a Republican. I think for myself, I look at the facts, and I call it how I see it even when that makes people on both sides uncomfortable. So when I tell you that my two favorite politicians right now are Zohran Mamdani and Marco Rubio, I need you to stick with me for a second. And you probably won’t understand still cause I’m not just a simple black and white answer you can decipher. If you’ve been reading this blog for a while now you know the riddle girl is more complicated than that.

Zohran Mamdani The Underdog Who Rewrote the Script

I don’t agree with everything Zohran Mamdani stands for. Let’s just get that out of the way. His democratic socialist platform isn’t exactly where I land on most issues. But here’s the thing I have an enormous amount of admiration for what this man pulled off.

Think about what was stacked against him. He was a 34-year-old state assemblyman from Astoria with no citywide name recognition going up against Andrew Cuomo one of the most powerful political machines in New York history. The entire political establishment had written him off before he even started. The media didn’t take him seriously. Big donors weren’t lining up. And yet he went out there, talked directly to everyday New Yorkers, built a grassroots movement from the ground up, and won with over a million votes. He became the youngest NYC mayor in over a century and the first Muslim and South Asian person to ever hold that office.

That’s not luck. That’s conviction. That’s discipline. That’s someone who genuinely believed in what he was doing and refused to be told it wasn’t possible. Regardless of your politics, you have to respect that. I do. That’s like the Nike add I saw one time walking in Madrid. Faith that he was chosen for something bigger than himself and he did it.

Marco Rubio Doing the Job and Doing It Well

On the complete other end of the spectrum, I’ve been genuinely impressed by Marco Rubio as Secretary of State. Say what you want about the politics when I look at how he carries himself on the world stage, how he represents this country in diplomatic settings, and how seriously he takes the role, I think he’s doing a phenomenal job.

Rubio brings a level of competence and polish to foreign policy that I think is underappreciated. He knows the issues, he communicates clearly, and he shows up prepared. In a political era full of noise and chaos, watching someone actually do the work stands out to me. I don’t agree with every position his party takes, not even close, but judging him specifically on how he’s performing in this role? I’m impressed. And honestly I’m happy with how he’s been addressing Latin America, it was about time someone like him would put an end to the nonsense that’s going on in several countries.

Why These Two?

Here’s what Mamdani and Rubio actually have in common, even though they’d probably never admit it: they both take their jobs seriously. They both have a clear vision. They don’t seem like they’re just winging it or chasing clout. In a political landscape full of people who are more interested in going viral than actually governing, that means something to me. They have more in common with each other than what they realize.

I form my own opinions. I don’t outsource my thinking to CNN or Fox News or whatever Twitter is called these days. And right now, these are the two politicians I find myself watching most closely, one because he inspires me with what he overcame, and one because he’s simply excelling at one of the most important jobs in the world. I really hope Marco Rubio runs for president cause I think he would be amazing, and could do a lot of good.

You don’t have to agree with a politician to respect them. That’s a lesson I wish more people would learn. Learn to admire your enemies and see the strength in them, that’s how you can negotiate. If you don’t have that open mindset you will get fucked in life.