The US Democratic Party is at a crossroads. It can continue to push policies that maintain a broken and rigged system, and ignore the pain of the 60 percent of Americans who live paycheck to paycheck. It can turn its back on the dreams of a younger generation which, if we do not change that system, would likely be worse off than their parents.
It can continue to depend upon billionaire donors and out-of-touch campaign consultants, and spend huge amounts of money on ads that fewer and fewer people respond to. It can ignore the reality that tens of millions of Americans are giving up on democracy, because they do not see their government understanding their struggles and the realities of their lives or doing anything about it.
Or it can learn from Muslim socialist Zohran Mamdani’s campaign: Have the courage to address the real economic and moral issues that face the majority of our people, take on the greed and power of the oligarchy and fight for an agenda that can improve life for working families.
Some might claim that Mamdani’s victory was just about style and the fact that he is a charismatic candidate. Yes. He is. However, you do not get a Mamdani victory without the extraordinary grassroots movement that rallied around him. You do not get that movement and thousands of people knocking on doors without an agenda that speaks to the needs of working people. New Yorkers and all Americans understand that, in the richest country on earth, they should not have to struggle every day just to put food on the table, pay their rent or pay their medical bills. These are the people Democratic consultants do not know exist.
Mamdani has been criticized for his “radical” and “unrealistic” economic policies: Demanding that, at a time of income and wealth inequality, the rich and large corporations start paying their fair share of taxes. Demanding that, when many New Yorkers are no longer able to find affordable housing, there should be a freeze on rent hikes. Demanding that, when commuting to a job takes a big toll out of a worker’s paycheck, public transportation should be free. Demanding that, when many low-income and working people are unable to access food for themselves and their kids, publicly owned neighborhood grocery stores should be created.
These ideas, and more, are not radical. They might not be what billionaires, wealthy campaign contributors and real-estate speculators want, but they are what working people want. Maybe it is time to listen to them.
Mamdani’s victory was not about “star power.” It was very much about people power, about revitalizing democracy and opening the door for ordinary people to gain control over the decisions that impact their lives.
He did not run away from the issue that is troubling millions in New York and around the country: the need to end US military support for the Israeli government that is obliterating Gazans and starving their children. Mamdani understands that anti-semitism is a disgusting and dangerous ideology, but that it is not anti-semitic to be critical of the inhumane policies of the Israeli government.
The lesson of Mamdani’s campaign is that it is not good enough just to be critical of US President Donald Trump and his destructive policies. We have to bring forth a positive vision and an analysis of why things are the way they are. It is not good enough to maintain a “status quo” that is failing most Americans. At a time when hope is in increasingly short supply, people must have the sense that if we work together, if we have the courage to take on powerful special interests, we can create a better world — a world of economic, social, racial and environmental justice.
Would the current Democratic Party leadership learn the lessons of the Mamdani campaign? Probably not. Too many of them would rather be the captains on a sinking ship, rather than change course. Then again, it does not matter what they think. The establishment threw everything they had against Mamdani — millions in Super Pac money, endorsements from “important people,” a hostile media — and they still lost.
The future of the Democratic Party would not be determined by its current leadership. It would be decided by the working class. Increasingly, people understand that our political system is corrupt and that billionaires should not be able to buy elections. They understand that we should not have an unprecedented level of income and wealth inequality; that we should not be the only wealthy country not to guarantee healthcare for all; that we should not deny young people the right to a higher education, because of their income; that we should not have a major crisis in affordable housing; that we should not have a minimum wage that is a starvation wage; that we should not allow corporations to illegally prevent union organization — and much, much more.
The Americans are beginning to stand up and fight back. We have seen that in the many Fighting Oligarchy events that have drawn huge turnouts. We have seen that in the millions of people who came out for the No Kings rallies. And yesterday, we saw that in the Democratic primary in New York City.
We are going forward. And no one is going to stop us.
Bernie Sanders is a US senator and ranking member of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions. He represents the state of Vermont and is the longest-serving independent in US history.
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