With Mamdani’s Win in NYC, Class Warfare Politics Have Arrived

Self-described democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani was elected mayor of New York City on Tuesday night, and his victory speech was far from an attempt to moderate his tone or make peace with enemies made on the campaign trail.

Using socialist-tinged language that is mostly foreign to American politics, Mamdani framed the victory as a turning point in a global struggle to reclaim power for the working class from the wealthy.

Mamdani began his speech to the Brooklyn crowd of supporters by quoting Eugene Debs, the early 20th-century socialist activist.

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“As Eugene Debs once said, ‘I can see the dawn of a better day for humanity,’” Mamdani said to thunderous applause. “For as long as we can remember, the working people of New York have been told by the wealthy and the well-connected that power does not belong in their hands.”

The 34-year-old Mamdani, set to move into Gracie Mansion with the start of the new year, is promising nothing less than a redefinition of the role of government. On the campaign trail, he has discussed opening city-run grocery stores, aggressive rent freezes, universal child care, and a plan to raise the minimum wage to $30.

“We will prove that there is no problem too large for government to solve and no concern too small for it to care about,” said Mamdani. “We will usher in a city government that helps everyone.”

Is Socialism No Longer a Dirty Word?

In recorded interviews on the streets of New York City, The Daily Signal spoke to several residents who argued socialism could work in America’s largest city.

“Socialism, when it was in the Soviet Union, saying everybody has to be equal, that socialism is bad,” an employee at Bryant Park told The Daily Signal. “But socialism taking care of the needy, I don’t think it’s a bad thing.”

For many in the younger generation, the word “socialism” does not carry the same meaning as it does for older Americans who lived through the Cold War. In Washington Square Park, close to several New York University buildings, several students told The Daily Signal that “socialism” is not a dirty word for them.

“I feel like younger people who are pretty educated on the subject and have actually looked into Zohran’s stuff know that his policies are democratic socialism, and it’s actually kind of feasible, and it’s not that scary,” a young woman said the day before the election.

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