Zohran Mamdani’s Win Was a Victory for Us—So Why Are Democrats Acting Like They Lost?

The Establishment Keeps Proving It Fears the Left More Than the Right.

Zohran Mamdani just locked in the Democratic nomination for mayor of New York City with the kind of numbers that make consultants sweat and landlords nervous. The energy was electric. The turnout was massive. It felt, for the first time in a long time, like hope was actually trending.

There were cheers in Astoria. Cheers in the Upper West Side. Cheers in Flatbush. Cheers all across the country from leftists, organizers, broke millennials on group chats, and your closest Bernie Bro. For once, we had something to celebrate.

But not everyone was popping champagne. While you heard the expected groans and racist reactions from Republicans. Some of the loudest groans came from the Democratic establishment—the same crew that says “diversity matters” until someone like Zohran actually wins something.

And I get it. It’s not technically surprising. But it still feels surreal to watch a party that claims to care about youth, equity, and multiracial coalitions lose its mind the minute someone embodies those values and threatens its grip.

Because Zohran didn’t just win a race. He won people. Real people. Working-class people. People who’ve been told by this system—loudly and repeatedly—that their voices don’t matter. People the Democratic Party uses as campaign props in October and forgets by November. He organized, inspired, mobilized. Meanwhile, his opponent was... Andrew Cuomo.

Yes, that Andrew Cuomo.

The disgraced former governor who left office under a pile of sexual harassment allegations and a nursing home death cover-up so grim it might qualify as a war crime in any country that wasn't America. A man who went from COVID-era liberal daddy to pariah in less than a news cycle. And yet, here he was, being resurrected by the very same Democrats who once told him to resign.

Jim Clyburn endorsed him. Party operatives lined up behind him. MSNBC ran soft-focus segments pretending Cuomo had merely taken a sabbatical, not presided over what amounted to institutional manslaughter. Suddenly, Cuomo was the moderate savior. Zohran? The scary socialist. The radical. The danger.

This is how you know the party doesn’t actually fear losing to the right. They fear losing control to the left.

We’ve seen this movie before. 2016 wasn’t that long ago. Bernie Sanders had momentum, numbers, volunteers, a clear agenda. The DNC responded not with support, but sabotage. They tanked their own base’s enthusiasm just to protect the donor class—and in doing so, helped pave the way for Trump. Because they’d rather lose to fascism than win with socialism.

Sound familiar?

Zohran is facing the same dynamic. He represents a threat not because he’s unelectable, but because he’s real. Because he speaks plainly about housing justice and police violence and rent control and international solidarity. Because he calls for dignity, not just optics. Because he believes in a future that doesn’t have Wall Street at the wheel. And for the establishment, that’s terrifying.

And it’s not over. Zohran may have won the primary, but the knives are still out. Cuomo could easily run as an independent just to spoil the general. The DNC could pivot to backing Eric Adams—the guy they were just calling to resign—if it means stopping Mamdani. And don't be shocked if the same pundits who called for Cuomo’s resignation last year start talking about his “maturity” next week.

And when that fails? They’ll start dog-whistling. They’ll say Zohran’s “divisive.” That he’s “too Brooklyn.” That he “doesn’t understand how the city works.” Don’t be surprised when they start fear-mongering around Islam, around his name, around the word “socialist,” as if we didn’t all just live through a pandemic that proved capitalism has no moral compass.

The Democratic establishment’s entire brand is built on weaponizing hope while quietly strangling it. They tell us to believe, to organize, to vote—and then they kneecap the very people who actually follow through. They’ll claim Mamdani’s win is “exciting,” and then spend the next four months trying to make sure it doesn’t happen again. Trust me, they’re already on the phones, putting money together, and doing everything possible to try to stop Mamdani’s momentum.

Because at its core, the modern Democratic Party isn’t fighting the GOP. It’s fighting the left. It’s fighting change. Its biggest fear isn’t Trump. It’s the possibility that people like Zohran might actually govern—and prove that a different way is possible.

But we’re not falling for it this time—we can’t fall for it this time.

We’ve seen the brunch cycle play out—panic, protest, vote blue, go home. This ain’t that. This is not about electing someone so we can “return to normal.” Zohran’s win isn’t a punctuation mark—it’s an opening sentence.

So yes, celebrate. Dance in the streets. Blast some Beyoncé. But also: donate, organize, door-knock, stay angry. Because the establishment isn't done coming for Zohran. And by extension, they’re coming for the rest of us too.

Let’s prove them wrong—not just once, but over and over again. Let’s make hope strategic. Let’s make solidarity dangerous. Let’s make winning a habit they can’t kill.