The New York Minute - What the Dems MUST Learn from Zohran
New Yorkers went hard in the paint. There was simply NO question about who came out the winner. As the top choice of more than 43% of voters, Zohran Mamdani is the absolute option for Democratic mayoral candidate of the city of New York, eclipsing former governor Andrew Cuomo by a notable measure.
The fairly new ranked choice voting system means that the official tabulation won’t be completely solidified until about next Tuesday, but the numbers are clear. Cuomo can’t close a gap that big.
Young voters made their preference known, largely in line with Mamdani’s super charisma and appeal to what young voters want. This is where today and tomorrow’s democratic candidates should listen up, and listen closely.
Cuomo might have thought he could go at it with the tried and true, but that failed miserably. Just like the energy of an Obama campaign, Mamdani exuded hope and vivacity, and voters rewarded him for it. Twice as many New York voters turned up to cast early and on-time ballots as they did in 2021.
Mamdani pledged to “stand up” to Trump. He openly declared his democratic socialist affiliation, moving the needle farther left than ever before. He tapped into endorsements from Bernie Sanders, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and even former president Bill Clinton, all favored with young voters.
If future democrats hope to be elected or reelected, they simply cannot follow old formulas. Campaigning at churches and union halls, relying on those who were already in the fold simply will not do. Instead, rushing heading into the waves, braving the potential crush of oncoming traffic and saying a big F-you to the possible blowback has a big payoff.
Look at the heaps of praise Gavin Newsom has been getting since telling Donald Trump to bugger off out of his state for overstepping with his shenanigans with the National Guard and Marines with the disruptions in LA. Not so long ago, Newsom was subject to a recall vote he barely survived.
It really is that simple.
Deliver up to the democratic voters what the democratic voters want.
What they want to see and hear, what they expect from their leaders.
When Corey Booker stood for more than 24 hours to call out the nonsense that Trump and his pals are doing - we loved him and what he (pun coming) stood for. When Berne and AOC launched their Fight Oligarchy tour, thousands packed stadiums and halls across the country. So why do they stop there?
That energy has to come at campaign events everywhere, or the momentum is pointless.
Young voters showed a nation that they will come out in scorching temperatures for even a primary. It’s no secret what they will do when it is an actual election. As Mamdani said himself, that he would use his “power to reject Donald Trump’s fascism”- that is all it took. That, and some charisma, and it worked.
Mamdani used the words of Nelson Mandela, and we would all be wise to keep those in mind as our current government increases its chokehold on our personal freedoms:
“It always seems impossible until it is done.”
So democrats, please just go do it.
Be kind, friends.