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The national media is currently engaging in one of its favorite pastimes regarding political coverage: trying to take a local election result and project it nationally.
In the case of Zohran Mamdani’s win over Andrew Cuomo in the NYC Democratic mayoral primary, there is one clear lesson about the state of the Democratic Party and what their voters want, but also the NYC race was an example of a pattern that establishment Democrats continue to repeat.
Andrew Cuomo was a severely damaged, scandal-ridden, retread who was propped up by special interests and PAC money. No one seemed excited about voting for Cuomo or the former governor’s presence in the race.
At just 33 years of age, Mamdani is a younger, fresher voice, with different ideas.
He is everything that Democratic voters have been trying to tell the party that they want.
Why does Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) draw such big crowds for Fighting Oligarchy rallies? Those crowds are largely made up of Democrats, and they are showing up because they realize that in an urgent moment such as the one the country currently finds itself in, doing things the same old way isn’t going to cut it.
2028 will be the first presidential primary that didn’t feature a Clinton, Obama, or Biden at the top of the ticket.
One of the most common statements from Democrats is that they want fresh voices and change.
The sentiments from the party’s voters are more than a reaction to Trump. It is something more visceral.
Democrats lost the 2024 presidential election because the presentation and the message were stale. Kamala Harris brought a burst of energy and freshness to the campaign, but by October, the same elites, consulting class, and party establishment had bottled her up, and Vice President Harris was soon giving the same roughly 20-minute speech day after day, and by Election Day, the spark was gone.
New York is not representative of all of the United States. It is its own unique place, so trying to project too many national lessons from Zohran Mamdani’s win is a fool’s endeavor, but since the 2024 election ended, Democratic supporters have made it clear what they want.
DNC donations are way down. The DNC itself is in the midst of turmoil that has seen members of the Democratic establishment ousted, and a micro-version of efforts to oust the establishment unfold. The DNC isn’t the Democratic Party. The DNC’s job is to win elections. That’s it.
If Democrats want to win again, they need to listen to their voters. It doesn’t matter if a candidate is a moderate or progressive Democrat. What matters is that the Democrat is a new face and a new voice who is willing to be bold and fight.
The same tired establishment faces, whether they are the elite, candidates, or consultants, aren’t going to get it done.
The one lesson from Zohran Mamdani’s campaign is that Democrats are sick of the establishment and they want change.
Are Democrats ready for change? Share your opinion in the comments below.
