Zohran Mamdani just became the next mayor of New York City. For at least the next four years, America’s largest city will be run by a self-avowed socialist. When it comes to the future of the Democratic Party, the question is whether Mamdani’s win is an anomaly or a sign of things to come. Across America, a slate of progressive and socialist candidates are trying to prove it is the latter.
Like Mamdani, they are young outsiders betting that populist economic promises and a progressive cultural message will be a winning formula. Many also share Mamdani’s anti-Israel beliefs, social-media virality, and explicit support for socialism.
If they are successful, they will have directed the future of the American left away from the center. Meet a few of these candidates below.
