How Rise Of Zohran Mamdani Is Dividing Democrats

When Queens Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani announced his candidature for the New York mayoral primaries against a seasoned Democrat - Andrew Cuomo - it wasn't like the NYC electorate had no idea about his politics and socialism.

During the 2016 and 2020 Presidential poll primaries for the Democratic Party, the voter might have rejected Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders' idea of socialism in favour of Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden. But five years later in New York, they decided to give Mr Mamdani a chance, defeating Mr Cuomo, a former Governor, by nearly a 10 per cent margin.

In a speech in the early hours of last Wednesday, he promised "to govern our city as a model for the Democratic party - a party where we fight for working people with no apology". Mr Mamdani's campaign focused on affordability, with policy goals including a rent freeze, free buses, and universal childcare.

But Mr Mamdani's stunning victory has also exposed deep divisions within the Democratic Party.

Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has endorsed Mr Mamdani. Earlier this month, Ocasio- Cortez told The New York Times, "Assemblymember Mamdani has demonstrated a real ability on the ground to put together a coalition of working-class New Yorkers that is strongest to lead the pack. In the final stretch of the race, we need to get very real about that."

Senator Bernie Sanders has also enthusiastically thrown his weight behind the Indian-origin politician. "We need a new politics and new leadership which is prepared to stand up to powerful corporate interests and fight for the working class," Mr Sanders said earlier.

While progressives are overjoyed, many moderate Democrats are concerned about the election of a democratic socialist who has advocated for defunding the police and is strongly pro-Palestine.

New York Congressman Jerry Nadler, one of the city's most prominent Jewish leaders, has endorsed Mr Mamdani after earlier backing one of his opponents. Top Democratic leaders, including Senator Chuck Schumer and Representative Hakeem Jeffries, both New Yorkers who lead the Senate and House Democrats, have congratulated the new mayoral candidate but stopped short of endorsements.

Rep. Laura Gillen, a freshman Democrat in Congress representing part of Long Island, issued a sharp, immediate rebuke. Making her the first Democrat in Congress to publicly oppose Mamdani's candidacy, she said, "Socialist Zohran Mamdani is too extreme to lead New York City. He is the absolute wrong choice for New York."

Rep. Tom Suozzi, who endorsed Mr Cuomo in the Democratic primary and previously backed Mayor Eric Adams, said he had "serious concerns" about the 33-year-old before the election and "those concerns remain".

Amit Singh Bagga, a Democratic strategist and former New York City official, urged Democratic leaders to recruit fresh political talent like Zohran Mamdani, who are popular among young and working-class voters. "We have to be able to not eat ourselves for lunch," he said, adding, "because the more we continue to do that, the Maga authoritarian right will eat us all for dinner".

Could this be a potential roadmap for Democrats to win back voters they lost touch with? Only time will tell.