How Jesse Jackson Enhanced Black Political Power in New York

The civil rights leader's presidential campaigns laid the groundwork for a Black mayor to win in America's largest city.

Published on Feb. 24, 2026

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The Rev. Jesse Jackson, who died this week, ran for president twice, leading more Black voters to register. The year after his second run, a Black mayor, David Dinkins, won in New York. Jackson's focus on economic justice and a forgotten underclass set the stage for Mayor Zohran Mamdani's political hero and inspiration, Senator Bernie Sanders.

Why it matters

Jackson's presidential campaigns helped mobilize a multiracial coalition that had been on the sidelines of American politics, transforming the racial and sectarian politics of New York City. His influence paved the way for David Dinkins to become the city's first Black mayor, and his progressive economic message echoes in the campaigns of current leaders like Zohran Mamdani.

The details

As Peter Applebome writes in his obituary, Jackson's two runs for president in 1984 and 1988 were defined by soaring rhetoric that lifted up a multiracial coalition that had been on the sidelines of American politics and 'would now move to the forefront and transform it.' Black men had recently been elected to lead Los Angeles and Chicago — but not New York City. Jackson's campaigns laid a foundation for a Black politician to win in America's largest city, which was beset by racial tensions and poverty. A coalition of white liberals — particularly Jewish ones — and Black and Latino voters had become a potent force in urban politics at that time. But that partnership was showing signs of fraying, partly because of comments Jackson made while running for president in 1984, when he referred to Jews as 'Hymie' and to New York as 'Hymietown.' He later apologized.

  • Jackson ran for president in 1984 and 1988.
  • David Dinkins was elected mayor of New York City in 1989, the year after Jackson's second presidential campaign.

The players

Jesse Jackson

A civil rights leader who ran for president in 1984 and 1988, helping to mobilize Black voters and lay the groundwork for a Black mayor to be elected in New York City.

David Dinkins

The first Black mayor of New York City, elected in 1989 after Jackson's presidential campaigns helped energize minority voters in the city.

Zohran Mamdani

The current mayor of New York City, whose progressive economic message and focus on helping the city's neediest residents echoes the themes of Jackson's campaigns.

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What they’re saying

“He was very expressive about those two campaigns really cementing Black political power in New York and, quite frankly, across the country.”

— Stacy Lynch, Senior political adviser to Gov. Kathy Hochul (The New York Times)

“To many Black New Yorkers, Dinkins's election felt like the culmination of a battle that had started with Jackson's 1988 campaign in New York.”

— Jonathan Mahler, Author of "The Gods of New York" (The New York Times)

What’s next

The debate over how to address homelessness and encampments in New York City is ongoing, with the new mayor, Zohran Mamdani, recently deciding to resume sweeps of encampments, albeit with a focus on connecting people to housing and services.

The takeaway

Jesse Jackson's presidential campaigns in the 1980s helped mobilize Black and minority voters in New York City, laying the groundwork for the election of the city's first Black mayor, David Dinkins, in 1989. Jackson's progressive economic message also echoes in the campaigns of current leaders like Zohran Mamdani, showing the lasting impact of his efforts to empower marginalized communities.