Something very interesting happened in New York City on Tuesday, June 23. Three candidates who describe themselves as “democratic socialists” were able to win the Democratic primaries for Congress. With the endorsements from popular NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani, candidates like Brad Lander, NY-10, Claire Valdez, NY-7, and even Darializa Avila Chevalier, NY-13, were all able to win, dancing into victory come election night in November. Some might think that this is a so-called “socialist takeover” of the Democratic Party, which I have heard many people in Santa Clarita say even before these primaries occurred. Instead, I think there are three reasons these candidates won that provide more evidence to believe this is not an invasion of the party.
To start, the endorsement of Zohran Mamdani has a ton of political power or “capital” if that is how you would like to describe it. According to Marist, his net approval rating is anywhere between positive 10 to positive 20 points. He has accomplished several of his campaign promises already, such as securing an agreement with the state government for a universal child care system, fixing over 100,000 potholes, and securing millions in settlement money for tenants and workers within the Big Apple. He has also overseen the lowest crime rates in modern NYC history, and plans to open the first city-owned grocery store to stabilize prices by the end of next year. In other words, he is getting (stuff) done. So, it should not come as a surprise to Americans tuning in to New York City that Mayor Mamdani is quite popular right now, and his endorsement has a lot of weight.
The second reason is that people disapprove of the actions taken by Israel right now. And this does not just apply to New York City; this is occurring all over the country. According to Pew Research, 80% of Democrats and even 40% of Republicans hold negative views of Israel. People are frustrated with the war and our unconditional support for Israel. Even Jewish-American voters are showing disapproval of Benjamin Netanyahu and actions taken by his government. This becomes evident when someone like Rep. Dan Goldman, a major supporter of Israel, decisively loses his primary where Jewish residents make up a large chunk of his electorate (151,000).
The third reason is that people are financially struggling, and they want elected officials who are going to fight for “economic populism.” According to Data for Progress, 65% say they want some type of Medicare-for-all. Agree or disagree, there are tons of polls out there that say the same thing. According to Pew, 63% want to raise taxes on the wealthiest in America. And according to KFF, 60% want caps on prescription drugs. The candidates who won on (June 23) were emphasizing ideas like this. None of them are running on seizing people’s private property unless talking about Medicare-for-all.
So, to say the Democratic Party is being invaded by hammer-and-sickle socialists is false.
Jack Teoli
Newhall
