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In the immediate aftermath of Zohran Mamdani’s victory, the centrist group Third Way released a memo describing the mayor-elect’s policies as “politically toxic outside the deep blue confines of New York City” and urging other Democrats not to emulate him.
This is bullshit. It was only four years ago that New Yorkers elected Eric Adams, a tough-on-crime moderate who loves Bitcoin. The city’s most consequential mayor this century was Michael Bloomberg, a registered Republican whose name is synonymous with Wall Street.
Mamdani changed the city’s politics and he had to defeat an influx of billionaire cash to do it. Instead of dismissing these triumphs as a regional fluke, Democrats everywhere should be investing in Mamdani’s success and using it to build lasting political power.
Too often, it feels like Democrats only win when Republicans make life unbearable. Obama won because Bush cratered the economy. Biden won because Trump mishandled a pandemic. The Democrats who won in New Jersey and Virginia this week ran smart, disciplined campaigns, but their success was undeniably fueled by the unpopularity of Medicaid cuts and ICE raids.
As long as voters feel their needs are unmet, they’ll keep ousting those in power. This might slow our slide into fascism, but it also ensures fascism keeps returning in ever more insidious and destructive forms. The survival of our country depends on breaking that cycle—and the only way to do it is for Democrats to deliver real, tangible results.
Mamdani has a shot at securing universal childcare and free public transit in New York. The Democratic Party should support these efforts and tout them as national victories if he succeeds. It’ll tell voters that Democrats are doing more than just paying lip service to making life more affordable. |
