Opinion | What Democrats Should Learn From Mamdani's Election

Written by Jiwoo Park

On Tuesday, November 4th, the first major election day since Trump’s election, the Democratic Party celebrated numerous victories across the country: Abigail Spanberger became Virginia’s first female governor; Mikie Sherrill was elected to serve as New Jersey’s governor; Pennsylvania voted to retain Democratic-aligned justices; California voters passed Proposition 50 to counter Republicans’ redistricting plans; and most notably, Zohran Mamdani became New York City’s first Muslim, Indian-descent, Democratic-Socialist mayor. 

Mamdani started at 1% in the polls when he first launched his mayoral campaign, but he ended with over 50% support in the highest-turnout race for mayor in decades. His campaign saw a 10-point lead over main opponent Andrew Cuomo, an independent candidate that lost the Democratic primary to Mamdani. His campaign focused on promoting affordability for New Yorkers by taxing the uber-wealthy to provide free buses, establish city-run grocery stores, relieve housing costs, and more. The majority of New Yorkers, including some swing and Republican voters, embraced his policies for addressing everyday struggles. Mamdani’s campaign and election was a historic win for progressives and sends a strong message to the Democratic Party. 

Unafraid to call out Trump’s unconstitutional and illegal practices, Mamdani attracted people across the nation, both in a positive and negative manner. By openly identifying as a Democratic Socialist and advocating for policies rooted in social welfare, progressives finally found a figure who was willing to fight for the people. On the other hand, opponents brutally labelled Mamdani as a “communist” and “anti-Semite” who would decimate the great city of New York. Political opponents and voters continuously made racist remarks, deliberately mispronounced his name, and openly showed disrespect. Despite the vitriol, Mamdani’s platform grew larger and larger every day, eventually reaching the $8 million spending cap for the mayoral race. Whereas Cuomo’s campaign was funded by millionaires and billionaires, the majority of Mamdani’s donations were from individuals who saw hope in his campaign. At least 26 billionaires poured money into efforts to help Cuomo defeat Mamdani, but Mamdani’s momentum did not slow down. He proved that the people can beat the elite when led by an energizing figure. 

Mamdani’s influence is not just limited to New York City though. Successfully becoming one of the leaders of the progressive flank of the Democrats, Mamdani proved that progressivism does have a place in US politics. Because the current Republican Party is leaning extremely far right, the Democrats need to counter that by leaning into progressivism or leftist policies. People do not want to see a moderate stance against an increasingly authoritarian party; people want to see a strongman that is unafraid to fight back. However, because of the fear of alienating moderate voters, Democratic leaders have taken the moderate stance, alienating their large progressive base instead. Trying to play it safe by taking a moderate stance is ineffective and even pernicious. Through this strategy, Democrats are turning away their very own support base while trying to gain support from moderates who are usually indifferent about politics. This is a strategy that benefits no one. It validates the Republican Party’s bigoted, extremist policies and rhetoric by downplaying how far-right the Republican Party is and sends a dispiriting message to progressives or others who seek stronger opposition. Individuals who may feel lost in voicing their political opinions or finding ways to oppose the current administration are unable to rally with the Democratic Party because of the disheartening message party leaders are sending out. 

Mamdani is changing the Democratic Party, and current Democrat leaders need to watch, learn, and adapt. Current leaders, including Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries, have rejected progressivism and failed to properly oppose Trump’s growing authoritarianism. Both receive money directly and indirectly from billionaires, fail to uplift the working class, and ignore public opinion trends. They refused to or reluctantly endorsed Mamdani despite his surging popularity, driving division and distrust in the Democratic Party. 

Jeffries’ and Schumer’s leadership strategy for the Democratic Party is failing, and Mamdani’s election directly proves that. When leaders sympathize and help the working class with policies that put their needs first, the public responds. When leaders refuse to take millions from wealthy donors and prioritize ordinary citizens’ needs, they win trust. Mamdani did exactly that and he won by a landslide. He instilled hope in the people, something the Democrats have failed to do so far. People across the nation and the world showed support for Mamdani, commenting things like “That’s my mayor (I live in England).” Mamdani sparked excitement - a new quality unobserved in other politicians’ campaigns or plans. 

As a revitalizing younger figure, Mamdani is listening to his constituents and setting a stark contrast with other Democrats. Mamdani is active: knocking on voters’ doors, releasing campaign videos in different languages, attending parades, biking across the city, explaining his policies simply, and even dancing with people at the club. His dynamic platform inspires others to energetically support him. A myriad of social media accounts popped up for him (Gays for Zohran, Hot Girls for Zohran, etc.) to put a Gen-Z spin on politics, and 50,000 volunteers phonebanked for him. Mamdani is out on the front lines, proving that he is a mayor for the people of New York. His success clearly demonstrates that the Democrats’ current leadership and plan is not working, and that, contrary to some Democrats’ beliefs, progressivism is not alienating but uniting. 

Progressivism could be the future for the Democratic Party. The policies Mamdani advocated for benefit most voters, which is why they felt compelled to vote for him. Progressive policies are not something to be scared of but something to embrace and promote. The Democratic Party has historically been for the working class, and policies like the ones Mamdani proposed are what the working class want and need. Simply trying to stop Trump and the Republican Party is not enough. We need to fight against them and rally people through stronger leadership, better policies, and increased presence. The Democratic Party should now work to first unite internally, then unite the people, and finally gradually move to progressivism. The party cannot stand when politicians are refusing to endorse one another or when there are stark divisions. A united party is a stronger party, a party that the people will want to stand behind. Mamdani catalyzed change, and now, it is up to the Democratic Party to take his win to the next step.