University of Kwazulu-Natal

The Mamdani Effect Inside The Growing Split Among Democrats

Bonisiwe Shabane
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the mamdani effect inside the growing split among democrats

👋🏾 Hi, hey, hello! Welcome to Congress Nerd, the flagship newsletter from Once Upon a Hill, where I break down the week’s biggest congressional storylines and chronicle the politics, policy and power players shaping the Democratic Party in... If you haven’t already, consider upgrading to a paid subscription to unlock the Sunday edition I publish weekly when Congress is in session. It’s packed with smart scoops, floor previews and what I’m tracking on the Hill to help you create the change you want to see. In tonight’s edition, Democrats mount a unified defense of DEI, Cortez Masto’s gambling bill hits a GOP wall, Texas faces staggering flood losses, the Senate braces for a rescissions clash, Trump escalates his trade... But let’s start with the brewing fight between Democrats playing to win power in Washington and those trying to redefine what power should look like in the first place.

IN THE WEEKS since Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani’s surprise victory in New York City’s Democratic mayoral primary, online calls to challenge establishment Democrats—including House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.)—have intensified. Find this story in your account’s ‘Saved for Later’ section. In Seattle, Katie Wilson, a transit activist, is leading in the polls against the incumbent mayor after touting her history advocating for reduced fares for low-income residents and youths. In Texas, Senate candidate Colin Allred last week unveiled his “A More Affordable Texas” agenda, which included a ban on price-gouging and restoring tax credits to renewable energy companies to lower utility bills. And in New Jersey, congresswoman and gubernatorial front-runner Mikie Sherrill’s first ad took aim at soaring energy costs, promising that “Day 1 as governor, I’m declaring a state of emergency on utility costs using... This newfound focus on affordability by Democrats has emerged as the animating force behind many of this year’s political campaigns.

It coincides with Zohran Mamdani shocking the political world with his 13-point win over former governor Andrew Cuomo in New York’s Democratic mayoral primary. That victory came in a race that began with a focus on crime and public order, with left-leaning candidates disavowing previous progressive stances on policing and quality-of-life concerns. Mamdani tacked the other way, never deleting tweets calling for the defunding of police. Instead, he focused relentlessly on three campaign promises devoted to lowering costs: free buses, free child care, and a rent freeze on regulated apartments. In February, half of the city’s voters told a pollster that crime and quality of life were their top two concerns; by July, a poll by left-leaning Data for Progress found the top issues... “From the beginning of our thinking about this race we knew that it was time for a politics that was directed to the struggles in people’s lives, a politics where when you set a...

“Too often it feels as if politics is an act of imposing a vision on voters as opposed to having a vision that is a reflection of the needs of those voters.” Almost immediately after the primary Mamdani was anointed by both liberals and conservatives as the face of the Democratic Party — by the former because of his charisma and vision for a new kind... In the months since, he has become something of a counterpoint to Donald Trump in the national discourse, with the two trading barbs from 200 miles away. A YouGov survey the month after the election found that nationally, Mamdani had higher approval ratings than any New York politician except for Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Hakeem Jeffries, but, more important, that more Americans... It amounts to proof that Mamdani has already become better known to the voting public than many politicians with far longer tenures in public life. Supporters say Mamdani offers bold blueprint for Democrats in age of Trump, even as some top officials remain reticent.

New York, United States – A bellwether or an anomaly? That is the question that has surrounded Zohran Mamdani, whose campaign crescendoed on Tuesday with a thumping victory over former governor of New York state, Andrew Cuomo, in the mayoral election. Mamdani promised a new vision: a reorientation of the Democratic Party towards working-class Americans, while not sacrificing viewpoints formerly rejected by the mainstream. Cuomo called it a “civil war”, pitting “moderates” like himself and upstart progressives like Mamdani. It wasn’t long ago that Andrew Cuomo—once New York’s top Democrat—was planning a comeback. But this week, he bowed out of the mayoral race after losing to Zohran Mamdani, a 33-year-old democratic socialist whose campaign blended TikTok-style charisma, anti-Israel rhetoric, and far-left policy dreams.

And now, with Mamdani poised to become the Democratic nominee for mayor of the nation’s largest city, the Democratic establishment is having a full-blown identity crisis. Who is Zohran Mamdani?A self-described socialist, Mamdani represents a slice of Queens in the state assembly and rose to prominence through protest politics, hunger strikes, and social media. He’s the son of a Columbia professor and a Bollywood filmmaker. He once rapped under the name Mr. Cardamom. And if elected, he’d be New York City’s first Muslim mayor.

But critics say Mamdani’s rise is anything but feel-good. Defended the slogan “globalize the intifada,” Fox News senior congressional correspondent Chad Pergram reports on growing divisions within the Democratic Party following the primary win of democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani. Democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani's stunning Democratic Party primary victory in the nation's most populous city appears to be the gift that keeps on giving for Republicans aiming to paint Democrats as extreme radicals. Republican National Committee chair Michael Whatley told Fox News Digital this week that Mamdani "is the face of the new Democratic Party" and argued that "everybody who wants to lead that party wants to... But for Democrats, the capturing of the party's nomination by the 33-year-old Ugandan-born state assemblyman from Queens is more complicated.

The victory by Mamdani, who convincingly topped former Gov. Andrew Cuomo and nine other candidates last month to take a big step toward becoming the city's first Muslim and first millennial mayor, has put long-standing divisions within the Democratic Party back in the...

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