On September 6, Bernie Sanders and Zohran Mamdani packed a public school auditorium in Brooklyn. When asked what to do to make their vision of politics successful, Zohran answered, “Join DSA.” As those paying attention to New York City and State politics know, Mamdani’s victory in the New York City mayoral primary did not emerge solely from a savvy media strategy and a likable candidate. Zohran proudly calls New York City Democratic Socialists of America (NYC-DSA) his political home, and we worked hand in hand to develop the campaign strategy, culture, and day-to-day execution to make him the mayor of the largest city in the United States.
Now New York City’s left finds itself in thrilling but unchartered waters. As Ralph Miliband reminds us, “electoral victory only gives one the right to rule, not the power to rule.” Our path forward, to governing in New York City, must build upon the electoral and co-governance strategy that NYC-DSA has been developing and refining for nearly nine years. We have a model for winning mass campaigns; we have a model for true co-governance with legislators; now we will bring our experience to city hall.
Mamdani became an active member of the NYC-DSA chapter in 2017, during a period of tremendous growth for our project. Inspired by the surprise success of Sanders’s socialist message in the 2016 Democratic primaries and hardened by Donald Trump’s harrowing victory, socialists and leftists across the country felt inspired and compelled to become a more effective force.
In New York City, NYC-DSA tested our theory that socialism could win by experimenting in two city council races in Brooklyn: Khader el-Yateem and Jabari Brisport. In both races, NYC-DSA organizers, including a young Mamdani, built independent field operations that recruited hundreds of unpaid, highly motivated volunteers. Though we lost both races, we learned that our model, which demands that volunteers be trusted with campaign leadership and…
Auteur: Grace Mausser
