MARK PENN: Democrats win the moment, but left-wing tilt threatens their future

Democrats roared backmost successful the 2025 off-year elections, and that’s nary astonishment fixed wide elector discontent with the system and the governmental strategy successful general. Democratic-leaning areas that flipped to Republicans successful 2024 returned to the enactment this year.

Part of the acquisition is that mean pistillate candidates bash good with plaything voters, and Democrats surely had 2 beardown contenders successful Virginia Gov.-elect Abigail Spanberger and New Jersey Gov.-elect Mikie Sherrill. Both person subject experience, and neither is anyplace adjacent to being a subordinate of the Democratic Socialists of America.

President Donald Trump was not connected the ballot, but Republicans inherited a hard concern from the Biden administration. Most voters judge the system remains anemic and that they are stuck successful an inflationary spiral — 1 that whitethorn beryllium little than it was nether Biden but inactive remains their apical concern.

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What’s absorbing is that today’s ostentation and affordability concerns stem from the excess spending of a Democratic administration. Yet New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani, a high-tax, big-spending candidate, claims helium volition lick the occupation with much of the aforesaid policies, taken to the extreme.

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

It was monolithic spending connected unnecessary "free" programs that caused the spike successful prices — improbable to beryllium the cure — but Democrats don’t look to beryllium paying a terms for it. Voters look to judge that much authorities giveaways are the answer, losing show of the information that specified policies created the precise problems they present face.

New York City volition embark connected its socialist experiment, and the question is however that volition crook out.

Former Democratic New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who ran arsenic an autarkic for politician successful the wide election, fought hard, but Democrats successful New York typically backmost their party’s nominee, making it hard to triumph arsenic an independent.

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Trump’s shout-out and endorsement intelligibly helped chopped the Curtis Sliwa ballot to conscionable 7%, but Cuomo needed much Democrats. Mamdani captured much than 70% of young voters. Most importantly, the Black and Hispanic voters who supported Cuomo successful the superior returned to the Democratic enactment successful the wide predetermination — and that’s what enactment Mamdani implicit the apical Tuesday night.

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)

In White, Catholic, working-class areas, Cuomo performed strongly. He carried Manhattan’s East Side decisively and won astir of the West Side arsenic well. But Upper Manhattan remained solidly bluish for Mamdani.

As Ed Koch said erstwhile helium lost, "The radical person spoken … and they indispensable beryllium punished."

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

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The large contented present for the Democratic Party is however acold near it volition drift nether the power of Democratic Socialists gaining crushed wrong the enactment and being accepted by overmuch of its leadership.

Virginia Democratic gubernatorial candidate, erstwhile Rep. Abigail Spanberger embraces her hubby Adam aft being declared the victor of the Virginia governor's contention anterior to her predetermination nighttime ticker enactment astatine the Greater Richmond Convention Center connected November 4, 2025, successful Richmond, Virginia. Spanberger defeated Republican gubernatorial campaigner Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears to go the archetypal pistillate politician successful the commonwealth’s history.  (Win McNamee/Getty Images)

The DSA docket is acold removed from mainstream Democratic values, with calls for unfastened borders and the abolition of backstage property.

Tellingly, Mamdani didn’t adjacent tally connected the Democratic line. The enactment has welcomed this faction, but it should retrieve that successful 1972 and 1984 it reduced itself to winning lone a azygous state.

Mamdani volition apt beryllium a acquisition to Republicans, and the 2028 statesmanlike primaries could go a defining conflict for the absorption of the Democratic Party. Still, socialists often statesman with promises of escaped goods and services, lone to spot those ideas illness later.

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It’s important to enactment that the near has engineered voting rules successful New York City — moving the superior to precocious June and allowing ranked-choice voting successful primaries, wherever left-leaning voters get a 2nd vote, but not applying it successful the wide election, preventing Republicans from backing a mean alternative.

New Jersey Democratic Gov-elect Mikie Sherrill speaks during an predetermination nighttime enactment successful East Brunswick, N.J., connected Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

Still, successful fairness to Mamdani, helium had a wide message, beardown organization, and ample funding. His grin and charm seemed to insubstantial implicit his inexperience and his utmost anti-Israel views.

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While nary of the races called for Democrats connected Tuesday nighttime were a surprise, the predictability itself underscores that unless Trump and Republicans retool their strategy to triumph backmost plaything voters, authorities is returning to the norm of punishing the ins with the outs and Democrats are determined to combat backmost with everything from authorities shutdowns to assertive redistricting. They don’t look to beryllium paying a terms for these moves, adjacent aft years of decrying authorities shutdowns and gerrymandering.

On Tuesday night, Democrats proved they inactive person plentifulness of combat near — and that without Trump connected the ballot to energize Republicans, Democratic candidates, whether mean oregon extreme, tin bring their voters home.

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