Divided and directionless—the state of the Democratic Party, plagued by leadership infighting, a distinct lack of funds, and a lingering election loss that’s burned all pre-existing playbooks on how to win elections. Party leaders are locked in a fight against youthful challengers who wish to steer the party in a more leftward direction—the struggle for control is very real, and last Tuesday, progressives gained a massive upper hand in New York City.
Mamdani’s campaign capitalized on the momentum of Bernie Sanders and AOC’s “Fighting Oligarchy” tour and applied a uniquely modern touch to his campaign that trumped and toppled the Cuomo dynasty, backed by the full weight of establishment Democrats. Mr. Mamdani, a self-proclaimed Democratic Socialist, stuck to his progressive economic agenda amid a slew of other questions, chief among them being his thoughts on the Israeli/Palestinian question. It remains to be seen if Mamdani’s playbook will become that of national Democrats, as it’s clear that his victory in America’s biggest city carries undeniable weight.
“Fighting Oligarchy”
Donald Trump’s sweep in the 2024 election—winning all swing states and taking the popular vote despite assurances from the Harris campaign that its appeal to independents and Republican moderates would be enough—delivered a clear message to the party: it wasn’t enough. Despite carrying a progressive message at the outset of her campaign, Harris gradually sidelined these elements in a bid to appeal to moderates by touting Republican endorsements and pledging to appoint them to her cabinet. These promises didn’t win her any favors. In addition to losing support among Republicans and independents compared to Joe Biden, Harris hemorrhaged support among key demographics—from Black to Hispanic voters—that constitute the Democratic base. In other words, progressives interpreted November to mean that an appeal to moderates is no good if you can’t secure key base voters. So, progressives took their message on the road.
Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) launched the “Fighting Oligarchy” tour, which filled stadiums with thousands of people to channel the anger of voters (especially young voters) who felt abandoned by Washington—a sentiment that placed President Trump in office. As poll after poll has shown record-low popularity for the Democratic Party—as low as 29% in a CNN poll—voters seemed receptive to their “anti-billionaire” message as President Trump cemented his alliances with businessmen like Elon Musk and others. In the midst of packed stadiums, the DNC faced, and is still facing, turmoil of their own.
Leadership Fiasco
The 2024 loss swept up leadership at the DNC, with Chairman Jaime Harrison stepping back from his position amidst the defeats. On February 1st, Democrats held their leadership elections, with Minnesota’s Democratic-Farmer-Labor (DFL) leader Ken Martin securing the majority of votes to become Chairman. Martin represented a safe pick that didn’t promise a radically different direction for Democrats but instead focused on taking the fight to President Trump with a philosophy of allowing Democratic candidates to take the high road as the DNC “takes the low road.”
The moderate pick in Martin was contrasted by the election of David Hogg as one of the five vice-chairs of the DNC. Hogg, 25, rose to prominence after the Parkland shooting in 2018 as a student who witnessed the tragedy and decided to become a gun-control advocate. As part of a younger generation of Democrats, Hogg holds views that include banning assault rifles, universal healthcare, and diversity efforts—contrasted with the steadier views of Martin. It then remained to be seen if the David Hogg experiment would last.
It didn’t.
Hogg wore thin among party insiders as he hit the news circuit speaking about his pet project of raising $20 million through his “Leaders We Deserve” PAC to primary sitting Democratic incumbents deemed “ineffective” in fighting President Trump’s agenda. On ABC News, Hogg said, “The first most important thing here is to understand it isn’t necessarily just out with the old and in with the new. I would say it’s out with the ineffective and in with the effective. That is what we are doing here.” He also stated that amidst the party’s 27% approval rating, things had to change. With Martin, his patience grew thin, and Hogg gave out. Seventy-five percent of DNC members recommended a re-do of two vice-chair elections (those of Hogg and Malcolm Kenyatta). With this overwhelming recommendation, Hogg knew of impending loss and decided to step back and resign.
Martin lamented the state of his leadership on a leaked private call, where he stated, “I’m not sure I want to do this anymore,” and that Hogg’s actions had essentially “destroyed any chance I have to show the leadership I need to.” With Democrats’ cash on hand at $15 million compared to Republicans’ $72 million at the end of May, Martin’s work to rebuild the credibility of the Democratic Party seems cut out for him, and his establishment vision suffered a detrimental blow last Tuesday.
Mamdani’s Campaign
The first election in the 2025 election cycle proved that this cycle will be as much a referendum on Democrats as it is on President Trump’s agenda. The New York Democratic Primary pitted Andrew Cuomo—with a great amount of name recognition in New York City—against relative unknowns. As the primary dragged on, Cuomo’s scandals dogged his candidacy as little-known State Assembly member Zohran Mamdani maintained a rigorous campaign schedule. Despite Cuomo’s attempts to paint Mamdani as anti-Semitic, it didn’t seem to stick, as Mamdani focused on the three planks of his vision to create a “more affordable New York City.” The three proposals—state-controlled supermarkets to provide lower costs, “fast and free” buses, and rent control—caught on with a segment of low-propensity Democratic voters. These proposals, combined with attacks against Cuomo—who resigned as New York Governor in 2021 over allegations of sexual assault—proved critical to the surprise upset.
Mamdani stayed on the economic message throughout the campaign and engaged younger voters in ways never seen before. With 29,000+ door knockers and a huge online presence, Mamdani first surged in betting odds, surpassing Cuomo for the first time in the NYC Polymarket a day before the June 24th primary, and then in polling, in a final poll conducted by Emerson, showing Mamdani ahead of Cuomo. With Mamdani winning in the polling, it was still expected that Cuomo would win in the first round of the ranked-choice voting system and that only as rounds of voting continued would Mamdani catch up and win—last Tuesday’s result proved that notion wrong.
Mr. Mamdani not only made significant inroads in wealthy areas like Hudson Yards and in Lower Manhattan—the voting statistics in the primary are shocking. Nearly 25% of early voters had never voted in a Democratic primary. Early voters aged 25–34 were also the largest age group in early voting. This represents a significant change and revolution in voting and youth engagement. Mamdani’s playbook has sent shockwaves among Democrats, as moderates have begun to acquiesce to Mamdani’s victory. This result is a signal to Martin and those in the Democratic Party that the progressive wing of the party represents a “Tea Party” movement against the establishment within the party. “Divided Democrats “is all to say as to the state of the party.
Leave a Reply