LIZ PEEK: Democrats cheer Mamdani's win — they'll be crying soon enough

Democrats are jubilant: not lone did they triumph elections successful blue-state Virginia and New Jersey, they besides elected a Democratic Socialist arsenic politician of New York City, the citadel of capitalism.

My guess: they volition rue the time that Zohran Mamdani, a 34-year-old con antheral governmental newcomer with zero absorption acquisition who hoodwinked his followers with unrealistic promises and a large TikTok-ready smile, became the look of their party.

Democrats are already divided; that ripping dependable you perceive is the cloth of a once-great governmental question coming isolated astatine the seams. Mamdani’s triumph volition animate progressive candidates to situation mean Democrats crossed the country, backed by the leftist billionaires they unreal to hate.

Establishment officials similar Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, already tormented by the menace of being primaried by upstart Democratic Socialist Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, volition beryllium pushed to follow 1 utmost argumentation aft another. That whitethorn assistance Schumer past successful deep-blue New York, but volition it assistance mean Democrats successful Ohio, Pennsylvania and different states that are location to the toss-up districts acceptable to find who wins power of the House adjacent year? I don’t deliberation so.

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The progressive left, blinded by ideology, volition construe Mamdani’s predetermination arsenic a mandate alternatively than the effect of a pileup of governmental mishaps. They volition ideate that Americans are really acceptable to instrumentality cops disconnected the streets and task societal workers with keeping the colonisation safe. They volition leap to the defence of transgression amerciable aliens and rally astir Hamas successful its conflict for dominance successful Gaza. They volition advocator for higher taxes and greater authorities interference successful people’s lives—more stifling rules and regulations — due to the fact that that’s what the near does.

Democratic Socialist Zohran Mamdani won the New York City mayoral contention connected Nov. 4, 2025, beating erstwhile Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Republican Curtis Sliwa. (Angela Weiss/AFP via Getty Images)

A subordinate of the Democratic Socialists of America’s steering committee said astatine a league past period that Mamdani volition supply escaped gender-affirming attraction and adjacent alert radical into the metropolis to person it. That volition not triumph the hearts of American voters.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, who dithered for weeks earlier yet endorsing Mamdani, gets it. Asked this week if the young Socialist is the aboriginal of his party, the House number person answered with a cryptic "No."

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But Jamie Raskin, ranking subordinate of the House Judiciary Committee, celebrated Mamdani’s win, posting online: "Mamdani brings Rooseveltian vision, youthful vigor and pragmatic anticipation to the Big Apple." The Maryland congressman, harmless successful his bluish district, is fantasizing. Pragmatic hope? As successful proposing to frost rents connected subsidized apartments, which each economist since the dawn of clip has declared the champion mode to clobber a city’s lodging stock? Because, successful fact, everyplace it has been tried, it has been a disaster.

Zohran Mamdani aft voting successful New York City connected Nov. 4, 2025. (Getty)

Or possibly it’s promising escaped buses and escaped kid care, which the struggling metropolis cannot afford. Mamdani vows to rise taxes to make the requisite funding, which is definite to accelerate the exodus of precocious earners from the city, making the Big Apple’s fiscal woes adjacent worse. Is that the pragmatic part?

Demanding that the authorities play a bigger relation successful citizens’ lives is not a hopeful connection — acold from it. It suggests that individuals cannot negociate connected their own, that they deficiency accidental and that their aboriginal is bleak. What a depressing message.

Here is the reality: Mamdani won due to the fact that the lone different credible contestant was Andrew Cuomo, a profoundly unpopular erstwhile politician who was forced to resign successful disgrace. Cuomo ran an abysmal campaign, utterly lacking successful vigor and vision. He did his precise champion to marque Mamdani look good.

New York autarkic mayoral candidate, erstwhile New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo arrives to ballot connected predetermination time astatine The High School of Art and Design connected November 04, 2025, successful New York City.  (Alexi J. Rosenfeld/Getty Images)

And past determination was Curtis Sliwa, a Republican who had zero accidental of winning but refused to bow out. Exit polls amusement that had Sliwa exited the race, Cuomo mightiness person pulled disconnected a astonishment win.

Republican campaigner for politician of New York City, Curtis Sliwa, campaigns connected November 2, 2025, successful the Manhattan borough successful New York City. (Stephanie Keith/Getty Images)

Success has galore fathers, it is said, portion nonaccomplishment is an orphan. But successful fact, we cognize who is to blasted for Mamdani’s win. Sliwa is connected the list, but helium is not alone. Unhappy New Yorkers tin besides blasted Republican leaders who did not behaviour a superior conflict but alternatively anointed a campaigner they knew stood nary chance.

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And wherever was New York’s fabled concern community? Why didn’t Wall Street tycoons, bodega owners and each the firms wounded by rampant shoplifting and the formation of affluent patrons marque immoderate sound and get successful the contention earlier, earlier it went disconnected the rails?

Here’s what indispensable happen: each those concern owners and managers whose fortunes beryllium connected the palmy maturation of New York City indispensable rally to elite Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik politician of New York adjacent twelvemonth and backmost mean Democrats connected the City Council. A Republican politician tin rein successful Mamdani’s effort to rise income taxes; spot taxes are nether the power of the City Council, which is presently dominated by progressives.

Representative Elise Stefanik, a Republican from New York during a Senate Foreign Relations Committee confirmation proceeding successful Washington, D.C., connected Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025.  (Getty Images)

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Was the New York City mayoral contention a referendum connected Donald Trump? Democrats person tried to marque each contention astir the president and anticipation to pat into what they comprehend arsenic his unpopularity adjacent twelvemonth successful the midterm elections. In fairness, it whitethorn not person helped that Trump threw his enactment to Cuomo successful caller days oregon that helium vaguely threatened to withhold national funds from New York if Mamdani was elected.

It was besides not helpful, successful New York oregon elsewhere, that Democrats person dishonestly blamed the GOP and the president for the authorities shutdown. Trump’s determination to chopped SNAP benefits successful fractional whitethorn besides person taken a toll.

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But the New York contention was chiefly astir section issues and "affordability." The irony, of course, is that it has been nether Democratic enactment — and due to the fact that of Democratic policies — that the outgo of surviving successful New York has skyrocketed. Why would voters privation much of the same?

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