Tag Archives: Zohran Mamdani

The DSA Has Their Foot in the Door. Can They Take 2028?

By Madelynn Martinez

For most of American history, change was gradual, occurring over generations.

Now there’s new kids on the block, and they’re looking to progress (pun intended) at a break-neck pace.

The name alone would have made Ronald Reagan quiver: the Democratic Socialists of America. The DSA is among the oldest progressive organizations in the United States. Presently, it has two de facto leaders: Zohran Mamdani and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

Mamdani’s success in the New York City mayoral election and AOC’s near-decade long tenure in Congress have generated mass speculation that the DSA may thrust its party members into the 2028 election. Mamdani is not eligible to run for president, but AOC is, and she has begun to hint at a potential run.

However, AOC’s track record is concerning at best. The Congresswoman from New York began her tenure in the House with a bang, attempting to pass the ambitious Green New Deal. At the time, AOC was the ideal progressive candidate, until her bill was shot down in the Senate in a landslide defeat of 0-57.

As time went on, she shifted to the center. In recent years, AOC has pushed for “building bridges” and working within the current political climate; in 2023, she voted in lock-step with the centrist Democratic President Joe Biden 94 percent of the time.

If AOC 1.0 was an expansive wind farm, AOC 2.0 is a natural gas plant with a pride flag painted over.

When the Green New Deal failed, it became clear to AOC that establishment Democrats like Hakeem Jeffries and Chuck Schumer would not support her progressive policies, thus leaving her socialist agenda dead in the water.

With the death of her socialist policies and capitulation to the status quo, AOC’s presidential nomination would fail to stick out in comparison to her establishment counterparts. If she were to become president, her term could be akin to those of Presidents Biden and Obama before her.

This leaves the DSA in a predicament: Run a bridge candidate and lose out on key policy goals, or don’t run at all and let the status quo continue.

Make Your Own Mamdani

By Alona Sanchez

When my sociology teacher included an article about Zohran Mamdani in a news rundown at the start of class, it raised questions. Why should I, a woman from a small town in Ohio, care about the politics of New York City?

When it comes to Mamdani, there’s plenty to talk about.

Mamdani’s campaign promises, among them a free bus system, free childcare and rent freezes, have put him at the forefront of many Americans’ minds. Gen Z voters have been especially taken with the young mayor. He is known for his active social media presence, which he regularly uses to interface with young people in New York City and beyond.

It is a known fact that voter turnout for local elections is lower than voter turnout for federal elections in the United States. According to a study by the University of Chicago, voter turnout across all ages in local elections averages around 20 percent. In contrast, the estimated youth turnout for the New York City mayoral race was as high as 28 percent.

Those who say that Mamdani is one-of-a-kind or that he can only exist in New York City are ignoring the role of higher voter turnout in Mamdani’s win. When elections aren’t well attended, voters let people who do not share their priorities make decisions for them. The more voters turn out in a local election, the more power they have to elect exciting candidates who share their values and concerns.

The New York City mayoral election showed that engaging youth voters in local elections is possible, but young people elsewhere in the country can’t just wait around longing for a mayor like Mamdani to appear. Gen Zers should be turning their attention not to Mamdani, but to their own local government. If they want change, they need to head to the polls and vote.

Mamdani may not be your mayor, but that doesn’t mean he should be forgotten or ignored. Vote for the people you want to see in office. Make a Mamdani of your own.

From Candidate to Target: How MAGA’s Attacks on Zohran Mamdani Reveal Their True Ideology

By Rania S.

How did Zohran Mamdani go from little-known state lawmaker to MAGA’s public enemy #1?

Since the beginning of the young mayoral candidate’s campaign, he’s faced a wave of attacks not only from challengers in the New York City race but also from national political figures. Even Donald Trump weighed in, calling Mamdani a “communist lunatic.”

Since launching his campaign in late 2024, Mamdani has taken the country by storm, sparking mass online support—and just as much outrage. At first, backlash focused on his self-identification as a democratic socialist. Socialism is an ideology unfamiliar to many Americans, which leaves room for fear. And because Mamdani is vying to run the largest city in the country, that label hasn’t been taken lightly.

But the hate directed at Mamdani is no longer just about his leftist politics—it’s now about his faith.

Conservative online personality Charlie Kirk has been one of Mamdani’s loudest critics. More recently, however, the focus of Kirk’s attacks has shifted. On June 24, Kirk tweeted:

“24 years ago a group of Muslims killed 2,753 people on 9/11. Now a Muslim socialist is on pace to run New York City.”

The xenophobia only escalates from there. Tennessee Congressman Andy Ogles even suggested deporting Mamdani—despite the fact that he is a U.S. citizen.

Compare this to Bernie Sanders, also a democratic socialist, who launched his first presidential campaign in 2015. Though Sanders faced widespread backlash, it was never as hateful or personal as the pure venom Mamdani is receiving in a local race.

This shocking animosity reveals something deeper: Islamophobia is back on the rise—and stronger than ever.

When corruption is rampant and conflict ever-present, the Republican Party has once again chosen to weaponize fear of the unknown. Just as they did during Trump’s presidency, they’re using Islamophobia to divide Americans—only now, the target is even more localized.