Mamdani demands Dems embrace democratic socialism for 2028

In an interview with Rolling Stone, New York City mayor Zoharn Mamdani said that in 2028 he wanted to push the socialist ideas that won him the election, and some of the DSA backed primary candidates in New York City and beyond.

“In 2028, yes, we have an opportunity to move beyond the current federal administration and that begs the question, to what?” he said. “I think it is time to be able to not only have a vision, but to deliver on that vision. What we are showing here in New York City is that it is possible to put working people back at the heart of our politics.”

Mamdani praised his own progressive policies and attributes his democratic socialist ideals to the city's success.

"Over the course of these past six months, we've taken what was previously an intellectual question of what does it look like to run a city with democratic socialism as part of its principles and delivered on it,” he said.

Mamdani pointed to a series of accomplishments that he argued demonstrated the effectiveness of his governing philosophy, including paving more than 165,000 potholes, returning millions of dollars to tenants through enforcement actions against landlords, expanding universal childcare, and pursuing rent freezes and other left-wing housing policy.

He also argued that the Democratic Party should embrace a more left-wing economic vision rather than define itself in opposition to Republicans.

"I think we all belong to the big tent that is the Democratic Party," Mamdani said. "I think for quite some time we've defined ourselves purely in response to what the Republican Party is. They have this seemingly limitless ambition for what it is that they want to accomplish, whereas we seem to be constructing an ever-lowering ceiling of possibility."

Mamdani added that he believes the party should focus on the concerns of the working class.

"I believe that the government's responsibility is to deliver for working people," he said. "If we cannot describe our politics and how it helps people afford their rent, their groceries, their childcare, then it seems like a hobby that some people can afford to have."