Don't Mess With The Zohran

If this isn't a wake up call for the dem establishment, I don't know what is

Source: New York Times

To quite the astonishment of onlookers, a complete political unknown who has what is, by American standards—a radical leftist agenda has managed to win the New York City mayoral primary.

And I can’t say that I am the least bit surprised.

Not because New York is a deep blue city with a strong left-leaning voter base. NYC has a stronger record of electing centrist mayors. No, because I think this is a harbinger of what’s coming in 2026, and NYC represents our proverbial “canary in a coal mine”.

Since the election Donald Trump, a wellspring of discontent has sprung forth, first out of the blue cities, then in the rest of the country. The Republicans continue to make blunder after blunder, and the signs show that their political armor is visibly cracking. Now they are on the cusp of tearing down what remains of the social safety- net for working and low-income people.

An Unlikely Victory?

Until now, Zohran Kwame Mamdani was a relatively obscure bureaucrat and assemblyman representing the The 36th district of New York. Prior to his political career he dipped his feet into rap music going by the moniker “Mr. Cardamom”.

Following upset electoral victories in the New York State Assembly, he decided to throw his hat into the New York City Mayoral race. A race no one thought he had any serious chance of winning. Andrew Cuomo, despite his past, was all but a shoe-in.

Make no mistake, Zohran has a knack for social media campaigning. He’s popular on TikTok, on Youtube and even drives engagement on X. But a race is more than just hip talking points and slick videography, it’s understanding the underlying dynamic of a given political climate. In the last 5 NYC mayoral elections, all of which were tough-on-crime centrists. One was a Republican. Electing someone like Zohran, even in a place like New York, seems out of character.

But it happened. It was a “shocking” upset no of the usual pundits saw coming. Not even the polls. But astute observers could it coming a mile away.

The Democratic Socialist

Consternation—is the general feeling of those who would oppose Zohran’s political ascendancy. And maybe a slight bit of dread. He is winning key constituencies, renters, latinos, the working class, middle income—even upper income voters.

What is perhaps most astonishing, is how openly brash he is about taking to the label of “democratic socialist”. Going even so far as to make it a big part of his platform. This is terrifying to the Republicans and Democrats alike, for different reasons.

The MAGA Republicans want to maintain the illusion they are fighting for the working class so they can sneak in their oligarch agenda through the back door, and the Democratic establishment wants to keep their seats and continue to do nothing. The election of more like Zohran would throw a wrench in both of these plans, because it would expose their grift and cast them out into the street—both figuratively and literally.

Donald Trump, taking to Truth Social in his usual temper-tantrum style, had this to say:

He looks TERRIBLE, his voice is grating, he's not very smart, he's got AOC+3, Dummies ALL, backing him, and even our Great Palestinian Senator, Cryin' Chuck Schumer, is groveling over him. Yes, this is a big moment in the History of our Country! - Donald Trump

Hyperbolic hysteria aside, clearly the far-right isn’t happy with this development. They have ridden the coattails of the (primarily white) working class electorate to multiple presidential victories and a fully Republican-controlled congress. Judging by their reactions, this feels like an existential threat to them in ways they can’t yet clearly articulate—but I can.

What Does it Mean?

Simply put, it means regular working Americans are increasingly fed up with the oligarchs and their political henchmen, and it’s starting to show at the ballot box.

It also means establishment centrist and center-right democrats are in big trouble. As I have mentioned in another piece, Americans need and want a real leftist alternative, one that is working-class first. While there are still questions I may have about some of his policies and priorities, I think he represents, more than almost anyone in the democratic party short of Bernie Sanders, that alternative.

Zohran, at the age of 33, has got refreshing takes on government ownership, public transportation, rent, the gig economy and even small business. This is just what this country and the city of New York needs. A political innovator unafraid to try smart, new ideas and who is unafraid to stand up for working folks.

This could mark a significant shift in the political landscape of the entire country, not just New York. New policy trends often begin on the coasts, New York and California, and radiate inward. California was the first state to legalize medical marijuana in 1996, and New Mexico followed shortly after what started as gentle wave became a legislative tsunami. Today in 40 of 50 states, it is legal for medical use and 24 states allow recreational use. Try as they may to deny it, the rest of America looks to New York and California for new ideas.

Will this translate to equally significant gains for the left in the 2026 congressional elections? I think all signs point to it.

But time will tell.