New York election says a lot … about New York

New York City’s Democratic mayoral primary says a lot about New York City. The Democratic voters of the Big Apple selected Zohran Mamdani — a radical socialist — as their candidate for mayor over former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, the Democratic establishment choice and initial odds-on favorite.

All in all, it was a surreal political season in New York City. The incumbent Democratic Mayor, Eric Adams, fell out of favor after a federal indictment for political corruption — charges that were later dropped by President Trump’s Justice Department. Instead of retiring, Adams is making a reelection bid as an independent candidate in the upcoming general election.

Cuomo was plagued by a dozen accusations of sexual harassment that forced him to step down as governor in 2021. Nonetheless, he gained the endorsements of several notable Democratic leaders, including former President Bill Clinton, former Republican-turned-independent Mayor Michael Bloomberg, and South Carolina Congressman Jim Clyburn.

If Mamdani wins the general election, he would become the first Muslim to serve as mayor of New York City. That is an interesting development in a city that Jesse Jackson once referred to derogatorily as “Hymie Town” — a reflection of the fact that New York is purported to have the largest Jewish population of any city outside of Israel.  Today, New York is at the forefront of major cities grappling with a significant antisemitism problem – much of it emanating from colleges and universities. Some of that sentiment undoubtedly helped fuel the Mamdani campaign.

As a firebrand street activist, Mamdani has expressed controversial views on Israel – including past support for the slogan “from the river to the sea,” which is a call for the dismantling of the state of Israel. He later clarified that he believes Israel has a right to exist, but not as a Jewish state — rather, as a multicultural nation. He condemned Israel’s response to the barbaric, gruesome Hamas attack on October 7, 2023.

Mamdani has long supported the BDS Movement — advocating for boycotts, divestment, and sanctions against Israel. He has even stated that, as mayor, he would seek to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if he visited New York City — a claim that drew widespread criticism.

Mamdani’s radical socialist agenda is as extreme as any major Democratic candidate or officeholder. He goes far beyond the stated positions of socialist Senator Bernie Sanders and New York Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez — both of whom endorsed Mamdani. His platform includes:

• Establishing government-owned grocery stores
• Defunding the police
• Freezing rents on over one million apartments
• Free (city-subsidized) bus transportation
• Instructing police not to cooperate with ICE
• Universal childcare from 6 weeks to 5 years
• Tax hikes on corporations and the wealthy
• A $30 minimum wage
• Declaring New York a sanctuary city for the LGBTQIA+ community

(LGBTQIA+???   Every time I look, there are more letters representing more individuals and groups in the alternative sexual and gender subculture.  I am no longer sure who all those letters represent.  And I love the “+” to cover any individual with an alternative lifestyle they might have overlooked.  I suppose that means even more color strips in the already overcrowded rainbow gay flag, which some – even gays — call the “fag flag”.  Just saying.  But I digress.)

The election of such a radical left-wing figure will be shocking to many – but this is New York City, after all. In 2018, the radical left candidate for Congress, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, defeated incumbent Joe Crowley in the Democratic primary. Crowley was Chair of the House Democratic Caucus at the time — and a close ally of then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

Some recent polls indicate that AOC could defeat Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer in a Democratic primary — and by wide margins in New York City.

The demographics of New York City have obviously changed… a lot. More than 10 percent of the city’s population is Muslim. That nearly matches the Jewish population, now just over 11 percent – down from 25 percent in 1950. Muslims also represent an even larger percentage of Democratic voters.

Mamdani gained support from populations with strong sympathies for the Palestinians – and deep anti-Israel sentiment. This was especially true among younger and college-aged voters. There is also a surge of next-generation voters who see the Democrat old guard as out of touch and ineffective.  Mamdani is a charismatic campaigner — young, articulate, and media-savvy. He was the candidate of change when far-left Democratic voters wanted change.

Given New York’s political culture, Mamdani is expected to win the general election. The exodus from New York City has mostly been business leaders, wealthy individuals, Whites, Republicans, conservatives, Jews, and others – making radical upstarts more powerful. That means the city faces four years of political turbulence. That’s a given when a disrupter candidate takes over. As Alexis de Tocqueville once said, “In a democracy, the people get the government they deserve.”

The broader question is: What are the implications for the Democratic Party as a whole? It advances the perception of a political party lurching further and further to the extreme left. Republican candidates across the country will campaign against the party as much as against individual candidates. There is bound to be a backlash against a party the collective face of which is Zohran Mamdani, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Jasmine Crockett, Rashida Tlaib, David Hogg, Bernie Sanders, and others.

Since New York runs an open general election, there is no Republican candidate with even the remotest chance of winning. That was the goal behind changes to local election laws. But incumbent Democrat Mayor Eric Adams now has a better chance than he would have had if Cuomo had won the primary.

In cities and states experiencing population exodus, moderates and conservatives are the ones leaving – giving radicals greater opportunities to seize power through the ballot box. Should Mamdani win, that migration will likely increase – making blue cities and states even bluer. And if you want to know what the future might look like for those cities and states, check out Detroit, Chicago, and San Francisco.

So, there ‘tis.

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