Latest news with #DemocraticSocialism
Fox News
03-08-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Young progressives look to Zohran Mamdani, AOC as future of the Democratic Party
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., and New York City Democratic mayoral nominee, Zohran Mamdani, are the future of the Democratic Party, young political activists at the Voters of Tomorrow Summit in Washington, D.C., told Fox News Digital. At the summit, attendees voiced their enthusiasm for the democratic socialist stars—but also pointed to one issue where they want a stronger, clearer stance. The "Fighting for Our Future" event on Friday, July 25, featured more than 200 youth organizers, leaders and progressive politicians, like Rep. Ro Khanna of California and former DNC vice chair David Hogg. As the progressive wing of the party looks to new leadership, one attendee urged Ocasio-Cortez to get louder about Gaza. "I really like AOC," Reihena Djema, an attendee from Ohio, told Fox News Digital. "Unfortunately, I would like to see her stand and be more vocal about Palestine. But other than that, I really think that she should be the leader of the Democratic Party as she is a Democratic socialist." Ocasio-Cortez made political waves when she welcomed Mamdani to the nation's capital for a closed-door skill-sharing event with congressional Democrats on how to run a successful digital campaign. The self-described Democratic socialists may have been missing from Friday's event, but their policies seeped into conversations at the summit. "I think that more politicians should be adopting socialism," Djema said. "I think it's really important to be class-conscious, and remove ourselves from this neo-liberal idea of it's okay to, like, do capitalism and exploit workers, and I think the Democratic Party should be the party for workers and look more towards socialism." Mamdani has been criticized by conservatives and moderates for his past anti-capitalist comments, including a years-old suggestion to seize the means of production. And Ocasio-Cortez's own progressive base, including the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), has criticized her for voting against an amendment proposed by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., to cut $500 million in funding for Israel's defense systems, which the Democrat said "does nothing to cut off offensive aid to Israel nor end the flow of US munitions being used in Gaza." "If you're saying I voted for military funding, you are lying," Ocasio-Cortez fired back on X. And she had previously clarified, "I remain focused on cutting the flow of US munitions that are being used to perpetuate the genocide in Gaza." But her campaign office was later vandalized with red paint, reading, "AOC funds genocide in Gaza." "I think that she should be more vocal about what's happening in Gaza, specifically condemning Israel for their genocide, and standing out on that," Djema said, while adding she thinks Ocasio-Cortez is "great." "Being a young person, a young voter, a college student, seeing people like Zohran Mamdani and AOC, just gaining so much more footing and so much more recognition in the policy field is very empowering," Zainab Chowdry, a rising junior at the University of Texas, told Fox News Digital. Chowdry said there's a "stigma" around socialism, particularly from conservatives, so she's optimistic and empowered that "people are really advocating for very common-sense policies," like healthcare for all and affordability. "I think candidates like Zohran Mamdani and AOC are really inspiring to see. Someone like Mamdani, a Muslim like me, and Zainab here, it's so inspiring to see. I think that someone like that in 2028 can carry a lot of momentum. I think people are so excited," Ayan Molodina, a high school sophomore from Austin, Texas, told Fox News Digital. Molodina said people in Texas are "fired up" about Mamdani, adding, "I think that's proof right there that people are ready for change, and I think that he brings that fresh perspective that people are looking for." Deon Tran, a young voter from California, admitted that, "Yes, sometimes, a lot of these policies seem out there. They haven't been tried before." But Tran told Fox News Digital that young voters "need politicians and leaders who are willing to fail and are willing to try, at the very least, instead of sticking with institutional traditions." The Californian touted Ocasio-Cortez's support for the failed Green New Deal and Mamdani's emphasis on the cost of living. And Ashi, another Californian who was representing her state's chapter at Voters of Tomorrow, said young voters are looking for "fresh thinkers" and leaders who can deliver for everyday Americans. "To some extent, that's probably why a lot of these young voters are really resonating with AOC and people like Zohran Mamdani," she added. Fox News Digital reached out to Ocasio-Cortez's office regarding the implication that she do more for Gaza.
Fox News
09-07-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
The revolution will be livestreamed: How Zohran Mamdani won the NYC primary online
Socialist 33-year-old Zohran Mamdani's primary victory shocked the Democratic Party establishment this June, as his campaign played into the hands of an evolving – and chronically online – New York City electorate. Scrolling through Mamdani's social media, his TikTok and Instagram pages resemble that of a New York City influencer. From the film-like filters and consistent fonts on his vertical videos to the cameos from celebrities, including model Emily Ratajkowski and comedian Bowen Yang, Mamdani's videos have amassed millions of views. However, if his social media strategy wasn't enough to attract voters' attention, the primary colors of his campaign graphics are likely to turn heads. Mamdani's cobalt blue, poster-like red and taxi-cab or MetroCard yellow are bright compared to former Gov. Andrew Cuomo's muted red, white and blue color scheme. Mamdani's politics are a departure from the establishment Democratic Party, as the self-described Democratic socialist campaigned on taxing the 1% and creating government-run grocery stores, among other radical proposals. If Mamdani wins in November, he will not just become the first Muslim mayor, but the first millennial mayor of New York City. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., is the youngest woman ever elected to the U.S. Congress. She was 29 years old when she took office in 2019, in a blue wave that elected progressive "Squad" members during President Donald Trump's first midterm elections. Known by her supporters and detractors as AOC, the progressive Democrat was quick to seize on her millennial social media sixth sense. She has made plenty of headlines from her off-script Instagram lives and stories as her supporters and constituents chime in with questions for the Bronx and Queens representative. The social media strategy is one used by influencers, but in an ever-evolving media landscape, more politicians have seized on viral moments to send their message to the masses. Trump successfully used new media during the 2024 presidential election, appearing on long-form podcasts and creating viral TikTok videos. Ocasio-Cortez, along with her fellow Democratic socialist Sen. Bernie Sanders, endorsed Mamdani ahead of New York City's primary election. On primary day in New York City, Ocasio-Cortez hosted an Instagram Live conversation with Mamdani, who had a simple but effective message: "If I win, that rent's getting frozen. If Andrew Cuomo wins, the rent's going up." On the Friday before the election, Mamdani walked the entire length of Manhattan, shaking hands with ordinary New Yorkers and supporters alike. However, Mamdani didn't just walk through Manhattan, he documented the journey, bringing his followers along for the ride just like an influencer would. The walk, from Inwood to Battery Park, has become somewhat of a rite of passage for New York City influencers over the past few years, as walking clubs like City Girls Who Walk NYC, and "Hot Girl Walks" have gained popularity in the fitness space. Mamdani appeared on the popular "Subway Takes" podcast, sharing his campaign pitch to Kareem Rahma's 1 million followers. Additionally, he joined 25-year-old progressive Democrat star David Hogg for man-on-the-street-style interviews in Washington Square Park, the site of popular TikTok series like, "What's Poppin?" Hogg recently left the Democratic National Committee (DNC) after stirring up tension over his $20 million plan to primary older incumbent Democrats he said were "asleep at the wheel" through his outside political group, Leaders We Deserve. Mamdani also created his own viral moments on the campaign trail, riding side-by-side on CitiBikes with NYC Comptroller Brad Lander, whom Mamdani cross-endorsed on the ranked-choice ballot to secure his win over Cuomo and when he posted his subway-to-courthouse wedding photos covered by The Cut. While another such article by The Cut, "It Must Be Nice to Be a West Village Girl," by Brock Colyar, carefully articulated the changing landscape and demographic of New York City, Mamdani also met "outer borough voters," including older and immigrant New Yorkers, online. "One week ago today, we shocked the establishment and redrew the political map of New York City with a campaign relentlessly focused on the needs of working people," Mamdani said in a social media video, speaking directly to his followers and supporters alike. In the video, Mamdani explained how he won back voters "many had written off," including Trump voters and incumbent Mayor Eric Adams voters. Mamdani said he built a "coalition" campaign by speaking voters' languages, or at least trying to, to reflect the "mosaic" of New York City. Speaking in Hindi in another two-minute video with his signature filter, Mamdani even broke down ranked-choice voting ahead of the primary by pouring juice into cups with his and Cuomo's faces photoshopped on top, to show how consolidating his vote could land Mamdani a victory, and ranked-choice voting did just that.
Fox News
09-07-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Zohran Mamdani secures victory with 'most total votes' in NYC mayoral primary history
Democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani clinched a historic, and deeply polarizing, victory by officially receiving the most votes ever recorded in a New York City mayoral primary. After three rounds, Mamdani received 565,639 votes, surpassing the previous record of 547,901 votes held by David N. Dinkins in 1989, according to updated ranked-choice voting totals released Tuesday by the NYC Board of Elections. Mamdani celebrated the milestone on X, posting: "With the updated RCV totals just released by the Board of Elections, our campaign has officially earned the most total votes in a primary in New York City history." The far-left Assemblymember from Queens secured 565,639 votes after just three rounds of ranked-choice voting, defeating former Gov. Andrew Cuomo by nearly 13 points, official BOE data confirms. Cuomo finished with 440,655 votes. Mamdani's campaign immediately seized on the numbers, touting the result as a "mandate" for progressive policies like a citywide rent freeze, taxpayer-funded childcare, and even "fast and free" public buses. "This movement made history on election night," Mamdani said in a statement Tuesday, promising to "fulfill our promises to lower costs and build a city working people can afford."MAMDANI OFFICIALLY WINS NYC DEM PRIMARY BY 12 POINTS OVER CUOMO, WHO'S STAYING IN THE RACE FOR NOW Mamdani, who openly identifies as a Democratic socialist, currently represents Astoria and Long Island City in the New York State Assembly. His two-term record includes pushing for tenant protections, opposing utility rate hikes, and advocating for mass transit subsidies. Ranked-choice voting was used for only the second time in a NYC mayoral primary. Mamdani secured 56.2% of the vote after three rounds, compared to Cuomo's 43.8%. Mayor Eric Adams needed eight rounds in 2021 to reach a narrow 50.4%.The leftward political shift in New York City has drawn attention from state and national leaders. "I had the first of what I consider to be many conversations with the nominee yesterday," New York Gov. Kathy Hochul told reporters Tuesday, adding that they discussed shared affordability goals as well as concerns from Jewish communities that "feel under siege." Hochul said Mamdani "understands the need" to engage those constituencies. When asked about a Truth Social post by President Donald Trump calling Mamdani a "Communist Luncatic" and implying New York could lose funding under a Mamdani administration, Hochul pushed back firmly. "We're New Yorkers, we're not going to be intimidated by threats from Washington, not now, not ever," she said. With the general election looming, eyes are now on whether Cuomo or other centrist Democrats will mount independent challenges. "President Trump supports Eric Adams, and we do not believe socialism is the answer," Cuomo campaign spokesman Rich Azzopardi told Fox News Digital. "Most New Yorkers are not Trumpers, and most New Yorkers are not socialists -- the majority lies in the middle. We will continue to assess the current situation in the best interest of the people of the City of New York." The Mamdani campaign did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.
Yahoo
09-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Mamdani hits back at Trump's deportation threat: ‘We will not accept this intimidation'
Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic Party's nominee for New York City mayor, has hit back at President Donald Trump for threatening to deport him. The president issued the warning at a press conference in Ochopee, Florida, on Tuesday after his visit to the state's new 'Alligator Alcatraz' migrant detention center. Trump was asked by a reporter about Mamdani's pledge to stand up to raids on alleged undocumented migrants by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents. 'Well, then we'll have to arrest him,' Trump said. 'Look, we don't need a communist in this country, but if we have one, I'm going to be watching over them very carefully on behalf of the nation. 'We send him money. We send him all the things that he needs to run a government… We're going to be watching that very carefully and a lot of people are saying he is here illegally, you know, we're going to look at everything and ideally he's going to turn out to be much less than a communist. But right now he's a communist. That's not a socialist.' Mamdani, who considers himself a democratic socialist, responded with a strongly-worded statement in which he said: 'The president of the United States just threatened to have me arrested, stripped of my citizenship, put in a detention camp and deported. Not because I have broken any law but because I will refuse to let ICE terrorize our city. 'His statements don't just represent an attack on our democracy but an attempt to send a message to every New Yorker who refuses to hide in the shadows: if you speak up, they will come for you. We will not accept this intimidation. 'At the very moment when MAGA Republicans are attempting to destroy the social safety net, kick millions of New Yorkers off of healthcare and enrich their billionaire donors at the expense of working families, it is a scandal that [incumbent NYC mayor] Eric Adams echoes this president's division, distraction and hate. Voters will resoundingly reject it in November.' Mamdani, 33, was born in Kampala, Uganda, to Indian parents but was raised in New York and became a naturalized citizen in 2018. He has served as a New York State Assembly member representing a district of Queens since 2021. New York Governor Kathy Hochul was among those leaping to his defense, posting on X: 'I don't care if you're the President of the United States, if you threaten to unlawfully go after one of our neighbors, you're picking a fight with 20 million New Yorkers – starting with me.' Mamdani was only the second public figure Trump threatened with deportation on Tuesday, having already said he would 'look into' the citizenship status of Elon Musk, the world's richest man, his erstwhile friend, adviser and campaign donor. Since his surprise upset win over front-runner Andrew Cuomo in last week's primary, opponents have raced to attack Mamdani, with Trump calling him 'a 100% Communist Lunatic' on Truth Social. The president then told Fox News's Maria Bartiromo on Sunday: 'If he does get in, I'm going to be president, and he's going to have to do the right thing or they're not getting any money, he's got to do the right thing.' Mamdani responded to that on NBC's Meet the Press by saying: 'I have already had to start to get used to, get used to the fact that the president will talk about how I look, how I sound, where I'm from, who I am, ultimately, because he wants to distract from what I'm fighting for, and I'm fighting for the very working people that he ran a campaign to empower, that he has since then betrayed.' Other attacks on the candidate have included Mayor Adams accusing him of being born with a silver spoon in his mouth and Tennessee Republican Rep. Andy Ogles posting on X: 'Bye bye, little muhammad! If you lied on your N-400 naturalization forms, you're going home.' Mamdani and Adams – the latter running as an independent – are likely to find themselves in a three-horse race for City Hall come November alongside Republican Curtis Sliwa, founder of the Guardian Angels anti-crime group. However, Cuomo has signalled that he could also run again, also as an independent.
Wall Street Journal
09-07-2025
- Business
- Wall Street Journal
The Sequoia Investor Whose Anti-Mamdani Posts Set Off a Silicon Valley Storm
Shaun Maguire has built a reputation as Sequoia Capital's link to Elon Musk. The tech investor also shares Musk's penchant for sparring on social media, and his X posts about Zohran Mamdani have ignited a Muskian storm. Maguire on Friday chimed in on the New York City mayoral candidate, a democratic socialist who is Muslim, calling Mamdani an 'Islamist' who 'comes from a culture that lies about everything.' He's spent the days since sparring with X posters and Silicon Valley types.
