Zohran Mamdani Wins NYC Mayoral Democratic Party Primary in Upset Victory

by Jeff Mackler

In a stunning political upset, Zohran Mamdani—a 33-year-old Queens Assemblyman, Democrat, and member of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA)—won the Democratic primary for mayor of New York City last week. Polling at just 1% when the race began, Mamdani secured 56% of the ranked-choice vote, defeating a crowded field of over a dozen Democratic contenders, including the ruling class favorite, former governor Andrew Cuomo, now disgraced. Cuomo resigned in 2021 after a state-commissioned report documented numerous sexual harassment allegations against him.

Running as a Democrat, Mamdani campaigned on a sweeping populist platform to make New York City more “affordable.” His proposals included: free bus service across all 327 routes, a rent freeze on the city’s one million rent-stabilized apartments, free early childcare, higher property taxes on luxury homes, a 2% income tax hike for those earning over $1 million annually, raising the statewide corporate tax rate from 7.5% to 11.5%, construction of 200,000 affordable housing units, five city-owned grocery stores (one per borough), and doubling the state’s minimum wage to $30 an hour by 2030.

Fundamental Flaws in Mamdani’s Approach

Mamdani’s program rests on the assumption that New York’s Democratic Party machine—or its leading politicians—will back legislation needed to enact his agenda. This assumption ignores a crucial historical reality: no Democratic administration, including those with self-proclaimed progressives or DSA members, has ever implemented substantive reforms to redistribute wealth or challenge capitalist interests in a meaningful way. Even minimal reforms have typically been watered down or blocked.

In fact, the politics of “lesser evilism”—supporting capitalist Democrats over capitalist Republicans—continues to dominate U.S. electoral politics. Nearly every DSA-endorsed Democrat, along with the broader Democratic leadership, has fallen in line behind figures like Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, who presided over a U.S.-enabled genocide in Gaza. These same Democrats championed the largest military budget in history—over $1 trillion annually—while maintaining 1,100 U.S. military bases in more than 100 countries.

Even much of today’s fragmented left, alarmed by the far-right politics of Donald Trump, has retreated into the Democratic Party’s orbit—fearing worse alternatives.

Bernie Sanders, AOC, and the Party’s Track Record

In 2020, Bernie Sanders attracted wide support in the Democratic presidential primary, briefly leading a field of 29 candidates, including several billionaires. But when Biden faltered early on, Sanders withdrew and endorsed him—along with DSA Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Billionaire Michael Bloomberg and other elites did the same, lining up behind Biden to ensure his nomination and ultimate victory. Today, these same forces stand behind the status quo.

Democrats in a Quandary

Mamdani’s primary win has put the ruling elite in a bind. Traditionally, they’ve relied on a coalition of billionaire donors, establishment Democrats, compliant union officials, social democrats, DSAers, and liberal identity-politics leaders like Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson to secure electoral victories. But this time, their top choices—Mayor Eric Adams and former Governor Cuomo—are mired in scandal and politically damaged.

Adams was recently indicted on charges of bribery and illegal campaign donations from foreign nationals, although those charges were later dropped by Trump’s Justice Department—a move widely viewed as a quid pro quo. Cuomo remains discredited after resigning due to sexual harassment allegations. Both have now declared themselves “independent” candidates.

As the New York Times’ Jeffrey C. Mays wrote on June 26, 2025, “The obstacles the mayor faces are substantial. His approval rating was at historic lows even before his indictment. He grew more unpopular after the charges were dropped… leading to accusations of a quid pro quo. The mayor was denied public matching funds due to accusations of using straw donors, an illegal tactic under federal law.” Mays noted Adams’ coalition from 2021 has collapsed, and his third-party candidacy is a long shot in a city where Democrats outnumber Republicans six to one.

Liberal columnist Norman Solomon commented, “Mamdani’s victory was powered by 40,000 volunteers… a near-guarantee of winning the November general election.” Yet Solomon warned that Cuomo and Adams could strike a deal—unifying their forces and financial backers to stop Mamdani. “Hell hath no fury like corporate power scorned,” he added. Solomon also warned that a full-scale backlash was likely, “The constellation of forces now regrouping with a vengeance includes titans of Wall Street, real estate giants, pro-Israel lobbyists, corporate media, and smear artists.” Ironically, many of these forces have long been core supporters of the Democratic Party, a fact Solomon seemed to overlook.

Billionaire Backlash and “Empire Strikes Back”

Wall Street hedge fund manager Bill Ackman, worth over $9 billion, denounced Mamdani’s win in a social media outburst, calling himself a Trump supporter while urging Democrats to reject “socialism” in America’s financial capital. Solomon speculated that billionaires, possibly with Trump’s support, may flood the race with unprecedented amounts of cash to defeat Mamdani.

Establishment Democrats Hedge Their Bets

So far, mainstream Democrats like Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer have withheld endorsements but agreed to meet with Mamdani. They have publicly rejected Trump’s racist calls for Mamdani—an Asian American citizen born in Uganda, of Indian origin, and naturalized in 2018—to be deported.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, and Governor Kathy Hochul have also met with Mamdani. Hochul described their conversation as “extremely productive” but objected to Mamdani’s proposed tax increases on the rich. Ironically, the $4 trillion in tax breaks recently passed by a Republican Congress—and the multi-trillion-dollar subsidies granted under Obama, Biden, and Clinton—could have easily funded Mamdani’s proposals.

Said Hochul, in a carefully worded statement, “We have strong shared interests on affordability. Mamdani has complimented my laser focus on helping struggling New Yorkers.” Privately, she might well have added: “…just not at the expense of the trillions set aside for New York’s wealthy elite.”

Mamdani Signals Flexibility

Two years ago, Mamdani led a sit-in protest at Schumer’s home over “genocide Joe” Biden’s role in the slaughter of 55,000 Palestinians Gaza. Yet he now signals a more conciliatory tone. In Washington Jewish Week, he stated, “There are millions of New Yorkers who care deeply about what happens overseas. I am one of them. I will not abandon my beliefs… but I promise to reach further, to understand perspectives I disagree with, and to wrestle with those disagreements.”

Labor Council Endorses Mamdani

In a not unexpected move, the New York City Central Labor Council, AFL-CIO, endorsed Mamdani, pivoting from its previous support of Cuomo. Its statement praised Mamdani’s “vision for a fairer, more affordable city” and declared “broad and overwhelming support” for his campaign. Representing some one million workers and wedded to the Democrats and capitalism for decades, the labor council had no problem switching from its previous mayoral endorsement of Andrew Cuomo to Mamdani’s “forward-looking campaign.”

The Stakes for the Working Class

In the coming weeks, the ruling class will assess whether it can sufficiently co-opt a “dissident” DSA Democrat or find a better alternative to defend its interests. That is their fundamental concern.

For revolutionary socialists, the choice is clear: the capitalist Democratic Party—responsible for war, austerity, and inequality—cannot be reformed. Its purpose is to uphold the rule of the rich. Whatever significant reforms it has acceded to in the past have been the product of mass independent struggle in the streets not left-sounding politicians “wrestling” with their conscience to cut backroom deals with capitalist politicians. For us, the central question is, “Which class shall rule society?” the super rich multi-billionaire few who own and control the means of production or the vast majority, the working class, who have no interest in capitalist oppression and exploitation.

Our task is to build an independent, anti-capitalist labor party rooted in mass struggle – a party committed to ending exploitation, advancing social justice, defending immigrant and LGBTQ rights, fighting environmental destruction, and ultimately, establishing a democratic workers’ state. That is the reason we exist.

Join us! Join Socialist Action! Socialistaction.org Socialistaction@lmi.net

Jeff Mackler is the National Secretary of Socialist Action USA

Reprinted from Socialist Action USA