what Zohran's win tells Democrats
progressive policies are popular! PS: i haven't felt this hopeful since Bernie won Nevada in 2020.
Say it with me everyone…
Zohran won because of his policies, not despite his policies.
What do I mean by this?
Over the next few days, you are going to see establishment Democrats and media outlets say a few things about Zohran’s win. Here are a few things I’ve seen on social media so far:
He only won because it was a Democratic primary election in a liberal, big city.
He only won because the other guy was an awful candidate.
He only won because he was charismatic and a great speaker.
Everyone loves to live in these hypothetical scenarios when they discuss elections and political outcomes.
Well what if Zohran ran against a better candidate than Cuomo? Would Zohran have won if he was still a socialist, but not as great of a speaker? Would Zohran win a primary election in a different state?
These scenarios may give you a sense of control in your head – that you can somehow predict an alternative reality of a political outcome – but living in hypotheticals is a huge waste of time.
I don’t know the answers to these things because it’s not the election we had yesterday. I *can* tell you that Zohran started the race at 1% and was highly unlikely to beat Cuomo.
Beyond hypotheticals serving as a waste of time, I see liberals and centrists using these scenarios to undermine the huge victory that Zohran Mamdani pulled off in order to win the NYC primary yesterday.
A lot of liberals and centrists do not want you to believe that a democratic socialist can be popular enough to win an election in the United States.
Progressive policies are popular.
The take after the election result should be, “Wow. A Democratic socialist, Muslim immigrant won his mayoral election in New York City against a candidate supported by the party with $24 million dollars to spend and high name recognition. The socialist must’ve really resonated with voters in order to win in such a sweeping, decisive upset.”
Centrists want you to believe that Zohran got lucky, was good at social media, and was a charismatic candidate. They insinuate that voters only care about “vibes” and not policies.
One example of this phenomenon shows in this tweet by Jon Favreau – former Obama staffer that hosts the show Pod Save America.
You cannot separate Zohran from his politics. He has never flip flopped, waivered on his beliefs, or pandered to the right. Every single voter that cast a ballot for Zohran knew they were voting for socialist policies. Zohran’s campaign was exquisitely clear – affordability.
Free buses, freezing the rent, and universal childcare are popular policies – which is why Zohran won! Who could’ve guessed that easy to understand policies which benefit everyday Americans are well-liked by everyday Americans?
I don’t know if Zohran’s exact campaign would work in Pennsylvania, but I can tell you that voters are tired of the same style of centrist, uninspiring politicians who suck up to wealthy donors.
Stop running candidates who recite consultant-approved talking points. Voters want politicians that will fight for them and support policies that actually make the quality of their lives better.
Zohran inspired a new political imagination for not only what is possible, but what every human deserves in New York City.
Democrats should take notes if they actually want to win elections again!
Young people notoriously do not show up to vote in primary elections. Zohran got these voters out in record-breaking numbers in 100 degree heat. Zohran walked the entire length of Manhattan a few days before the race to meet as many New Yorkers as possible.
You can see he turned out young men at high rates in this election. Wait… Democrats – don’t you guys have a problem connecting with young men in elections?
Whether it’s Zohran’s team posting clips from the interactions between Zohran and young men on the streets of NYC or his interview on Subway Takes, the campaign inspired men to show up and vote in an off-year election.
Maybe the Party should take notes from Zohran, instead of discrediting him for being a socialist? Or maybe support his candidacy instead of running negative attack ads full of islamophobia and dumping millions of dollars into a fraudulent, corrupt candidate with 13 charges of sexual assault to his name who doesn’t even live in New York?
A democratic socialist won an election in New York City.
8 months ago, New York City made a substantial shift to the right in the 2024 general election. Kamala did not perform well in New York City.
The days of political centrism and appealing to moderates are over. Or at least they should be over. Zohran’s victory should tell Democrats that progressive policies can be popular.
Centrists say that social media was the sole reason that Zohran won, not his policies.
You surely need charisma and social media strategy, but you also need a politician who runs on progressive policy.
What happens when you have a candidate with charisma and social media strategy, but no clear policies? You lose… voters can see through it.
Kamala’s campaign ran on the wave of brat summer, hoping that memes would deliver them a victory even if no one knew what her policies were.
As someone who voted for Kamala, I often found myself trying to imagine the version of Kamala that would show up in office if elected.
Would she govern on what she talked about on the campaign or what she supported when she was Attorney General? Or should I just look at Joe Biden’s policies because she made it very clear she wouldn’t be differentiating from him as President.
Voters did not know what Kamala was running on, besides illusory promises of equal rights and simply not being Trump. She could have all of the cute TikToks in the world, but if voters don’t align with your policies… they won’t show up.
As public trust in the government continues to decline, people are inspired by Zohran Mamdani. Only about 20% of Americans say they trust the government to do the right thing, btw. (Pew)
We are sick of billionaires controlling our politics.
One reason I believe that Americans are disillusioned by politics is because money controls our representatives – politicians all seem to pay more attention to their donors and lobbyists than the everyday people who elect them into office. Billionaires play an outsized role in our politics because of our lack of campaign finance laws due to Citizens United.
Zohran ran a campaign funded by the people – accepting small donations from everyday New Yorkers vs. Cuomo’s $24 million dollars accumulated from Super PACS and billionaires, like Mike Bloomberg and Doordash. Voters rejected the notion that elections can be bought by a few wealthy individuals.
Zohran’s campaign was run by and for the people. Zohran had over 50,000 volunteers. Zohran’s team knocked on 1.2 million doors for a primary, while Kamala’s team knocked on 20 million doors across America for a general election. You want to tell me that her policies were more popular?
Everyone will tell you that Zohran’s ideas aren’t possible, just as they told you a Democratic socialist couldn’t win an election in the United States.
We don’t know what’s possible until we try. Zohran’s victory gave New Yorkers a much needed political imagination that has been squashed by decades of neoliberal governance.
Why can’t we have free buses in New York City? Why can’t we have universal childcare?
The way we structure our economy is not set in stone. We don’t have to be sending millions of dollars to support a genocide abroad. Politicians can actually restructure how our society works through the policies they advocate for and pass into law.
So… Do I know if Zohran’s campaign would’ve won the state of Wisconsin in the 2024 Presidential election? No. He campaigned for the race in front of him which was a big, blue city with a lot of socialists in it.
Would Zohran’s policies be popular in other cities and states? Maybe we should run some Democratic socialists in those races instead of running the same geriatric, robotic, corporate-backed centrists… oops! :)
That’s all for today! I’m so inspired by Zohran’s campaign and how New York City showed up yesterday.
Remember that the work is not done — the general election will take place in November. I anticipate Cuomo, Adams, Siwa, etc. to all throw some bullshit Zohran’s way before the election. Make sure we continue to show up for Zohran, talk to our neighbors, and continue demanding that our politicians listen to our concerns.