Mamdani wins NYC mayoral primary as Cuomo concedes. Will Democrats listen now? | Opinion
Instead of studying Zohran Mamdani's social media strategy or taking notes on what progressive policies seem the most popular with voters, establishment Democrats seem terrified.
This column was updated to add new information.
It was a sweltering Tuesday on June 24 in New York City, when the Democratic primary election for mayor was coming to a boil and Democratic leadership seemed very concerned about one particular campaign.
And apparently for good reason.
Disgraced former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and state legislator Zohran Mamdani were polling closer than ever earlier in the day. But results came in, and they came in more decisively than anyone expected Tuesday night.
Cuomo conceded the mayoral race less than 90 minutes after polls closed at 9 p.m. Predictions had been that we'd be lucky to get results by July 1.
On my Instagram, everyone was talking about Mamdani – friends, enemies, politicians and celebrities are coming out of the woodwork to voice their support for the democratic socialist. People in my circle are excited about the prospect of a true progressive running New York City – and it seems there’s a lot the Democratic Party could learn from that.
Yet instead of studying Mamdani’s social media strategy or taking notes on what policies of Mamdani’s seem the most popular, establishment Democrats seem to be terrified.
Mamdani's campaign is a warning to Democrats
A pro-Cuomo super PAC has spent much of the $24 million raised on ads attacking Mamdani that play at every commercial break.
Former President Bill Clinton decided to endorse Cuomo, as did former Mayor Michael Bloomberg – both of whom have also received, uh, famously mixed performance reviews from female staffers.
The New York Times Editorial Board, which made no official endorsement, specifically told its readers not to rank Mamdani because of his lack of experience and grandiose ideas. Cuomo, who resigned after it came out that he allegedly sexually harassed 13 women, did not get a warning.
Supposedly, this fear is because of how the right will respond to someone with Mamdani’s politics running for mayor. Democrats must not understand that they’re going to be called socialists regardless.
If Mamdani’s campaign was a complete failure, people within his party wouldn’t have worked so hard to discredit him. Through a combination of his politics and his messaging, he built a campaign strong enough to shake things up within a party that badly needs it. It’s not just about his beliefs or his platform, it’s about how he’s delivered the message.
I’ve previously written about how Mamdani’s use of social media feels different from the way former Vice President Kamala Harris used it during the 2024 presidential race. While I’m still wary of the Democrats putting all their eggs in the digital basket, Mamdani’s campaign makes it clear that there is a right way to run an online campaign.
Mamdani is the future. Democrats should embrace it.
Mamdani’s videos are more than memes, but they don’t spend time waxing poetic about how he’s the only one who can stand up to President Donald Trump. His platform is easy to understand in bite-size pieces, even if you have questions about how he’ll achieve some of its more explicitly socialist elements.
He always brings it back to why he’s running – to make sure working-class New Yorkers can afford this city.
This populist message seems to infuriate Democrats. They do not want to admit that this message – one that is at odds with the motives of ultra-rich donors – is a successful one. Polling shows that the populist argument is more appealing to Democratic voters than the “abundance argument” that liberals seem to prefer.
At minimum, I hope that Mamdani’s primary success inspires Democrats to have a more compelling social media presence. At best, I hope it inspires them to focus on messaging that actually gets people excited.
It’s clear that Mamdani’s campaign accomplished more than anyone expected. It is remarkable that a democratic socialist and 33-year-old politician has been able to hold his own against an established Democrat like Cuomo, 67.
If Democratic leaders are smart, they’ll try to recruit the people who worked on Mamdani’s campaign to work on the 2026 midterm elections. To do that, however, they’ll have to get comfortable with the future of the party, which seems to be swinging far to the left.
Follow Paste BN columnist Sara Pequeño on X, formerly Twitter: @sara__pequeno