NICOLE KIPRILOV: Republicans Should Learn From Mamdani’s Victory

Zohran Mamdani’s victory in New York City is a warning shot — and Republicans would be foolish to ignore it.

On June 24, Mamdani, an unapologetic Democratic socialist, defeated former Gov. Andrew Cuomo in the New York City mayoral race’s Democratic primary. Mamdani’s platform is openly and proudly anti-law enforcement, anti-capitalist, anti-Israel, anti-white, and pro-extremist. In fact, Mamdani’s antisemitic views flirt with Hamas apologism. Unfortunately, some on the Right are shrugging this off as: “That’s just New York.” “It could never happen here.” “Thank God I live in Texas.”

That kind of thinking is not only unwise – it’s dangerous.

To be clear: Mamdani’s victory wasn’t just a local race in a deep blue city. It’s a signal that the Democrats may be regaining some of their momentum after a major defeat in November. Republicans would be smart to assume the Democrats are reloading, and, in some places, gaining ground. Mamdani secured nearly 58% of the vote in a high-turnout primary that drew more than 1 million voters, New York City’s highest turnout since the 1989 Dinkins victory. In Queens, 46% of primary voters backed him. On Staten Island, which is a Republican stronghold, roughly 38% of Democrats voted for Mamdani.

Mamdani’s win suggests that what’s brewing in deep blue cities isn’t just more of the same. It’s worse. It’s more radical, more militant, and more strategically competent. In addition to continuing to talk about how dangerous a mayor that Mamdani would be — which goes without saying — we should ask ourselves why and how he won and then vow to defeat him.

Retreating to red strongholds doesn’t mean that red areas can insulate themselves from wokeism and radicalism. In many ways, the Left understands this concept. This is why Democrats don’t abandon red states. Instead, they organize, campaign and recruit there, even if it takes them years to start moving the needle.

That’s how they started flipping Georgia, where Democrats secured two Senate seats in 2021. That’s how they’ve made gains in Arizona, North Carolina and even parts of Texas. Meanwhile, Republicans treat New York, Illinois, and California like write-offs. The result is that those states become incubators for ideas that eventually spread nationally — DEI infused into every agency, open border policies, Hamas sympathizers in Congress, and a radical climate agenda pushed through every facet of society.

The Trump administration has made historic gains and reversed these dangerous policies and practices, but we must move into a mindset of long-term sustainability. Not only should we be codifying the Trump administration’s gains into law (ex: Big Beautiful Bill), but we should also be investing in tools and resources in blue states’ Republican campaign infrastructure.

If Republicans want to win long-term, beyond the next four years, we must stop running away from blue states and cities. We must get serious about flipping blue areas to purple and then eventually to red. That means building infrastructure, developing candidate pipelines and investing in communities that have been ignored for decades. The Trump campaign made a very serious and successful effort to touch these forgotten communities, and we must build on that progress. What happens in New York doesn’t stay in New York. It leaks out — into Congress, into presidential platforms, into classrooms, courtrooms, and corporate boardrooms.

Mamdani’s win wasn’t accidental. His campaign was effective. He ran circles around the political establishment. His messaging was sharp, emotional and consistent. He showed up in neighborhoods. He mobilized disaffected voters. He built grassroots coalitions. He was boots on the ground in the truest sense of the term. And, most importantly, he spoke authentically, even if his actual ideas are catastrophic.

Mamdani’s campaign raised over $8.7 million, deployed more than 40,000 volunteers and claims to have knocked on over 1 million doors in the five boroughs. He was endorsed by Bernie Sanders, AOC, and the like, but he didn’t just rely on ideological allies; he organized young voters, immigrants and renters who felt left behind by both parties.

According to the NYC Board of Elections data, Mamdani’s strongest showings were in precincts with high renter density and youth turnout, two voter groups with which the Republican Party has consistently underperformed in New York.

It is overwhelmingly obvious that the actual ideas behind Mamdani’s messaging are completely out of touch and hate-filled. But the framing resonates. “Make New York affordable again” touches voters. Mamdani didn’t win because New Yorkers suddenly want to dismantle capitalism. Mamdani didn’t win in the city with the biggest Jewish population because New Yorkers suddenly hate Jewish people. He won because he made people feel heard and because he told a story.

Republicans in New York must start treating campaigns like battles of persuasion, not just turnout math. We need stronger candidate training, better campaign infrastructure, more training for campaign staffers and a messaging apparatus that can compete in hostile terrain.

Mamdani’s success should simultaneously terrify and teach us. The fight for America’s future is happening literally everywhere, and that includes New York City.

Nicole is the CEO of Sagamore Hill Strategies and a Republican strategist with a background in press and communications, political consulting, campaign management and strategy, infrastructure-building, and candidate development. Nicole frequently appears on Newsmax, One America News, and Real America’s Voice.

The views and opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the author and do not reflect the official position of the Daily Caller News Foundation.

(Featured Image Media Credit: Bingjiefu He / Wikimedia Commons)