New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani on Sunday brushed off a group of moderate Democrats‘ new warning against socialism, warning his wing of the party has already proved its appeal with voters after a slate of socialist candidates scored major primary victories in New York.
Mamdani, a self-proclaimed socialist, was asked on ABC News’s This Week about an open letter from 13 moderate Democrats rejecting socialism and declaring, “We are capitalists and not socialists.”
The letter, led in part by Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ), came after Mamdani-backed candidates won several New York primaries, intensifying debate inside the party over whether its future should move left or stay closer to the center.
“I mean, that’s great, but what’s a party if not its voters?” Mamdani said. “I’m not interested in writing a manifesto or, frankly, in reading one. I’m interested in delivering.”
The New York results have quickly become a flashpoint for Democrats heading into the midterm elections. Mamdani endorsed a slate of candidates who campaigned on housing, affordability, childcare, opposition to support for Israel, and a broader message that Democrats should focus less on President Donald Trump and more on economic pressures facing working-class voters.
The wins included victories by congressional candidates Claire Valdez, Brad Lander, and Darializa Avila Chevalier, who defeated more moderate Democrats, including two incumbents. Mamdani said their campaigns reflected a “national crisis” over rent, grocery prices, and child care costs.
“For too long, all we’ve had to say as a party is opposition to the current administration,” Mamdani said. “What do we have to say beyond that?”
Mamdani defended the party as a “big tent,” saying there is room for both socialists and moderates. But he said Democrats need “a party with a spine” that clearly fights for working people.
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He also pushed back on Trump’s criticism that socialist governing would bring disorder, arguing his administration has delivered wins for the working class.
“We don’t have to ask ourselves what life looks like if a socialist wins,” Mamdani said. “I won last November.”