November 28, 2025
Rising Democratic party superstar Zohran Mamdani pulled off a major upset this year when he became the party’s candidate for NYC Mayor and then won November’s election, defeating disgraced former governor Andrew Cuomo. Cuomo previously resigned as Governor of New York in 2021 following a multitude of Covid-19 handling mishaps and sexual harassment cases. This severely weakened the Democratic establishment’s standard pick for mayor, carving a path for new blood. Seemingly out of nowhere, Mamdani, a spirited Democratic Socialist, rose to the forefront of the race via his inspiring grassroots support and moving campaign focused on making New York more affordable. Money talks – except in this case it wasn’t big PAC donors that fueled this campaign, but the promise of a cheaper city.
It should come as no surprise that a Democrat won the NYC mayoral race, but a self-proclaimed Democratic Socialist doing so raised alarm bells among many. Since the Cold War, American political culture has often conflated any form of socialism with the authoritarian communism of the Soviet Union. While it ought to be made clear that communism and democratic socialism are ultimately quite distinct in ideology, the consensus belief among both major American parties has effectively marked anything to the left of the Democratic Party’s status quo as being far too radical and dangerous. That energy is changing with Mamdani’s rise, and he’s successfully made socialism vogue by focusing all of his energy on working-class voters and an exciting campaign.
So, what exactly is a democratic-socialist? The DSA (Democratic Socialists of America) website states:
“We want a democracy that creates space for us all to flourish, not just survive, and answers the fundamental questions of our lives with the input of all. We want to collectively own the key economic drivers that dominate our lives, such as energy production and transportation. We want the multiracial working class united in solidarity instead of divided by fear. We want to win “radical” reforms like single-payer Medicare for All, defunding the police/refunding communities, the Green New Deal, and more as a transition to a freer, more just life” [4].
The most essential values are a rejection of the capitalist status quo and a desire to unite the working class to push for the enactment of policies that benefit their collective good. Democratic-Socialists aim for a platform that maintains democracy and liberalism while shedding the purported sins of capitalism. These values may not seem too radical in a vacuum, but the toxicity of cold war authoritarian communism put Americans off from anything remotely resembling anti-capitalism.
That sentiment seems to be changing though, as young post-cold war voters emerge and demand a change in the interest of their future. Mamdani’s success speaks to a hunger within New Yorkers for something new and effective – a rejection of the status quo. This was capitalized on with his populist messaging and exciting campaign; not only was the campaign’s branding and advertisement fun and new, but Mamdani’s words spoke to the heart of New Yorkers. Mamdani did countless interviews, had colorful and unique branding, and focused on building relationships with voters. He pushed a message of unity despite division, a rejection of Washington’s direction, and a belief in a better, more affordable future for New York.
Young people have always been at the heart of politics – revolutionaries are almost always of a younger generation hungry for change, and Mamdani embraced that hunger. According to an analysis by the NYT, 37,000 people registered to vote in the two weeks leading up to the primary election, as compared to 3,000 people in the same period of the previous election. [2] Voters aged 18-24 made up the vast majority of the total primary voter base, as compared to being the third smallest demographic in the previous election, only barely beating out voters aged 80+. [2] If this young, leftist-leaning energy spreads further into the country, it could mean an end to the toxicity of socialism in America.
Mamdani’s primary campaign was electric and inspired. He garnered grassroots support from across the city and even far beyond, with recent counts of up to 75,000 volunteers across the boroughs. [3] It’s clear that people are excited about this charismatic figure’s prospects, and it’s because of his promises for a more affordable city.
Mamdani must certainly have been aware of the far left’s toxic brand in America, and he maneuvered around this quite cleverly. Instead of running as an independent or in a socialist party, Mamdani ran as a Democrat. Democrats have faced extensive criticism in the last year for their apparent lack of an exciting platform for voters. This was further proved by Republican star Donald Trump’s Presidential victory last November, marking a significant low point for the Democratic party. The massive popularity that Mamdani has since garnered through running as a Democrat on a working class-focused affordability platform has achieved two things; it has watered down Mamdani’s more radical sensibilities as well as breathing life into the Democratic party.
The biggest policy proposals Mamdani has set forth are free buses, free child-care, rent freezes, and city-owned grocery stores. This would involve a higher tax rate on wealthy New Yorkers and more government involvement in social welfare and business, key tenets of Socialism. Mamdani worked hard to dispel the criticisms he faced over being a violent Muslim communist dead-set on destroying the city, and instead ran a hopeful, energetic and fun campaign.
One of his policy proposals in particular has generated significant excitement among the voter base, that being his idea for city government-owned grocery stores. The perceived high price of groceries played a key role in Donald Trump’s election last year and highlighted just how important high everyday costs are in getting voters to the polls. Mamdani seems to want to use this issue as a wedge to test his further left policies by implementing 5 city-owned and operated grocery stores across the city. According to campaign aides, “the plan includes a pilot program of five grocery stores located on city-owned land and exempt from rent and property taxes. They will obtain products at wholesale prices – and there will be no plans to turn a profit.” (1) These stores would be funded by a higher general tax rate, providing financial leeway in the city’s budget to purchase and sell groceries at cheap prices, without ever attempting to turn a profit. In turn, these government-subsidized stores would force competitors to lower their prices, driving down the overall cost of living in New York City.
Now that Mamdani has been successfully elected mayor, the success of his socialist-leaning policies will act as a litmus test for leftist policies nation-wide. On the surface, left leaning politics are more popular among the young progressives who comprise a huge voting base in NYC, but if these policies are successful, there will most certainly be more consideration for them nationwide. If city-owned grocery stores can synergize with free market economies and bring down the prices of groceries for everyday people, this policy has the potential to become common sense. If such policies fail, however, Mamdani’s harshest critics will be vindicated, and it could seriously hamper the future of socialist politics in America.
Mamdani’s campaign made democratic-socialism palatable to the average voter by boiling it down to its most essential aspects; a more affordable future is possible. Cold-war era anti-communism sentiments are fading among young voters, and people are hungry for change. Whether the DSA’s golden boy succeeds during his tenure will inevitably change the course of leftist politics in America, for better or worse.
Works Cited
[1] “A Closer Look at Mamdani’s Proposal for City-Owned Grocery Stores.” 2025. Ny1.com. 2025. https://ny1.com/nyc/all-boroughs/politics/2025/08/29/a-look-at-mamdani-s-proposal-for-city-owned-grocery-stores.
[2] Conard, Edward. 2025 “How Zohran Mamdani Brought New Voters to the Polls.” June 30, 2025. https://www.edwardconard.com/macro-roundup/a-new-york-times-analysis-of-the-nyc-democratic-primary-electorate-found-a-significant-shift-in-voters-age-profile-while-50000-people-18-24-voted-in-2021-the-participation-of/?view=detail.
[3] Maldonado, Samantha. 2025. “Zohran Mamdani’s Volunteer Army Stretches beyond the Comfort Zone.” THE CITY – NYC News. September 30, 2025. https://www.thecity.nyc/2025/09/30/mamdani-canvass-canarsie-cuomo-mayor-election/.
[4] Democratic Socialists of America. 2018. “What Is Democratic Socialism? – Democratic Socialists of America (DSA).” Democratic Socialists of America (DSA). 2018. https://www.dsausa.org/about-us/what-is-democratic-socialism/.
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