Presumptive Democratic New York mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani’s swift ascendance in politics may push the party to embrace more far-left candidates in upcoming elections, analysts say.
Mamdani, a far-left socialist state assemblyman who has been dubbed a “rising star” in the Democratic Party, was aheadin the first round of ranked choice voting in New York City’s mayoral Democratic primary on Tuesday, resulting in disgraced former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo conceding the race. Experts told the Daily Caller News Foundation that Mamdani’s rapid rise in the mayoral race could signal a shift towards Democrats favoring candidates like him who champion far-left policies.
Chris Talgo, editorial director at the Heartland Institute, told the DCNF he believes that many young Democrats are supporting Mamdani’s mayoral campaign and view him as a “future star” in the Democratic Party because he “unabashedly” champions socialist policies.
“I think young Democrats, especially college-educated white progressives, voted for Mamdani and view him as a future star because he unabashedly supports socialist policies they think will actually work,” Talgo told the DCNF. “Because so many of these people have been indoctrinated by radical professors and rely on biased social media for their news, they literally think that Mamdani’s plans for replacing the police with social workers, opening city-run grocery stores, and levying more taxes on the so-called wealthy will solve the city’s problems.”
Still, Talgo noted that even though many of Mamdani’s far-left policies seemingly “resonate among young people” in big cities such as New York City, they “do not seem to be very popular” among independents and moderate Democratic voters.
“The victory of Mamdani should be put in context,” Talgo told the DCNF. “He won in a ranked choice voting contest against disgraced former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, with the incumbent mayor choosing to run as an independent and not participate in the primary election. Although Mamdani’s victory will generate national headlines, I am not sure it means the entire Democratic Party will lean more left in the near future.”
“It also must be noted that New Yorkers elected Bill DeBlasio mayor a few years ago, showing that there has been an appetite for socialism in the Big Apple for many years. Although these policies may resonate among young people in big cities, they don’t seem to be very popular with independents and moderate Democrats in the heartland,” Talgo added.
Longtime political strategist Hank Sheinkopf told the DCNF he thinks that the Democratic Party may need to embrace younger candidates such as Mamdani in an attempt to appeal to younger voters.
“[Young Democrats are supporting Mamdani] because they are younger and see [the Democratic] Party as worthless without the kinds of ideas Mamdani represents,” Sheinkopf told the DCNF. “In order to survive, the Democrats have no choice but to cultivate youth and that group’s issue interests.”
Mamdani has run on a far-left agenda, and has notably championed a variety of proposed taxpayer-funded programs such as free buses, free childcare and city-owned grocery stores. The Democratic state lawmaker has previously made comments calling to reduce the role of police in New York City, and has also faced a wave of backlash over his staunch anti-Israel stance.
The Democratic New York state assemblyman notched several key endorsements ahead of Tuesday’s mayoral primary, including from Independent Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and Democratic New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Mamdani’s mayoral campaign has also been backed by the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), as the DCNF previously reported.
Several local DSA chapters took to social media to celebrate Mamdani’s primary victory on Tuesday, including the North Texas DSA chapter, which wrote in a post to X that “the incredible historic Zohran upset in NYC tonight has proven that Socialist politics are resurgent.”
Meanwhile, Cuomo also secured several notable endorsements ahead of Tuesday’s primary, including from some major unions, Democratic South Carolina Rep. Jim Clyburn, former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and former President Bill Clinton. On Tuesday, Cuomo notably signaled that he is now reevaluating whether to continue to run as an independent in the November general election for New York City mayor. He currently is on the general election ballot under the “Fight and Deliver” line.
Seth Barron, managing editor of “The American Mind,” who primarily writes about New York City politics and culture, told the DCNF he believes that Mamdani’s success in the city’s Democratic mayoral primary is unlikely to increase the popularity of “hard-core socialism” among Democrats.
“The victory of Zohran Mamdani in the Democratic mayoral primary election signals that a far-left Democrat can win the Democratic nomination in New York City,” Barron told the DCNF. “Socialists and their friends are excited about what Mamdani’s victory means to Democrats nationwide, but his success is unlikely to travel well. NYC’s ranked choice voting and public campaign financing advantaged his campaign by creating a field of challengers who were in fact running mates. Party organizations in other localities — and whole states — will not collapse so rapidly in the face of a hard-left primary challenger. The appetite for hard-core socialism is not as deep or broad as the DSA imagines.”
One candidate who ran in the Democratic primary, New York City Comptroller Brad Lander made a cross-endorsementdeal with Mamdani on June 13 — in which both Lander and Mamdani told their respective supporters to rank the other second. Lander ended up coming in third place in first-choice votes behind Mamdani and Cuomo.
Several Democratic leaders have praised Mamdani in the aftermath of the Democratic mayoral primary, including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, who wrote Wednesday in an X post that he “ran an impressive campaign that connected with New Yorkers about affordability, fairness, & opportunity. Similarly, Ocasio-Cortez wrote Tuesday in a post to X that Mamdani’s “dedication to an affordable, welcoming, and safe New York City where working families can have a shot has inspired people” across New York City.
On the other hand, Mamdani has faced public criticism from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle over his far-left views, including Democratic New York Reps. Laura Gillen and Tom Suozzi.
Gillen, who represents a district neighboring New York City, said Wednesday in a statement posted to X that Mamdani is “too extreme to lead” the Big Apple, while Suozzi, whose district includes a portion of Queens, wrote Wednesday in an X post that he had “serious concerns” about Mamdani before Tuesday’s mayoral primary and that “those concerns remain.”
Additionally, Republican New York Rep. Elise Stefanik wrote Tuesday in a post to X that she believes Mamdani is “radical” and a “communist.”
President Donald Trump called Mamdani a “100% Communist Lunatic” in a post to Truth Social on Wednesday afternoon.
“The Democrats have crossed the line,” Trump added in his post. “We’ve had Radical Lefties before, but this is getting a little ridiculous.”
National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) Communications Director Joanna Rodriguez said in a statement provided to the DCNF that “the New York mayoral primary proves socialist progressives are calling the shots in the Democrat Party now, and Chuck Schumer’s decade-long grip on control is fading fast.”
“Because Mamdani is a darling of the far left and was endorsed by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, I suspect that his victory will further divide the Democratic Party,” Talgo told the DCNF. “As of now, the Democrats lack a clear message as the 2026 midterm elections loom. The energy seems to be on the progressive side, so I would assume that Mamdani’s primary victory will help push the agenda more in their direction.”
“However, I think going more left and embracing socialist policies will not bode well for the future of the Democratic Party,” Talgo added.
Mamdani’s campaign and Cuomo’s campaign did not respond to a request for comment.
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