Politics Makes Strange Bedfellows

Much has already been written about Zohran Mamdani’s primary election “win” in the New York City mayoral race on June 24, but many of us who follow American politics are still scratching our heads as to how a loud, brash Socialist Democrat was able to do that considering he was running against Andrew Cuomo, a well-known, former New York governor.

However, it is possible the outcome may have been helped along by the fact that only one out of three registered Democrats voted in the primary and that the voting was conducted by ranked choice. Ranked choice voting in elections in the United States is still a relatively new idea, and it makes it much harder for pollsters or pundits to predict outcomes.

Mamdani, who has literally no praiseworthy career or political credentials, comes across as energetic and self-confident, but he has, in my opinion, no practical ideas for how to improve quality of life for the citizens of New York City. While his broad political platform calls for inclusiveness, social justice, and sustainability, the only specific things he advocates for include free childcare, free bus rides, city-run grocery stores, defunding the police, and higher taxes for “the wealthy” and for corporations. I find it hard to believe that the average New Yorker would think that defunding the police and higher taxes are going to “fix what’s broken” in NYC.

Furthermore, Mamdani, who was elected to the New York State Assembly in 2020, has done nothing as a state assemblyman to distinguish himself. In fact, his record shows that he has not introduced any legislation and that he has been absent for 50 % of the Assembly votes. In short, his legislative record does not speak well for someone who claims to have what it takes to “run” the largest city in the United States.

One news article I read after Mamdani’s primary victory last Tuesday indicated he had 29,000 volunteers working on his mayoral campaign. That is very hard to believe, considering this was only a local election, he is not well known, and not a candidate from a major political party. A later news article claimed that a large majority of those volunteers were actually paid campaign workers. That I do believe considering that Mamdani once worked for MoveOn.org in Seattle, and that George Soros would just love to help install a socialist mayor in New York City.

I was seriously concerned when I first heard that Mamdani had won the New York Democrat primary, but now I’m less concerned as I hear some Democrat party members and supporters speaking out against him. Based on everything I have read about Mamdani’s education, failed career efforts, and vision for NYC’s future, I believe he would absolutely destroy the city’s economic base and any hope for regaining its once stellar reputation.

The Democrat Socialists of America (DSA), which is the largest socialist political group, consists of democratic socialists, eco-socialists, revolutionary socialists, and libertarian socialists. In other words, as long as you believe in the basic tenets of socialism, you are welcomed into the group, who currently has 210 chapters and organizing committees in the United States.

Each DSA chapter has four main working groups: eco-socialism, labor, electoral, and editorial. I checked the website of the local DSA chapter here in my own community and learned that they are currently trying to form a tenant’s union in Missoula and Bozeman, Montana, with the goal of persuading local city government to establish rent controls on landlords. (While rent control may sound great to those who rent, it is not the panacea it is thought to be for reasons too numerous to discuss here.)

The DSA also has special chapters for young socialist democrats. That group goes by the acronym YDAS, and it is especially active in the eastern part of the United States. When I looked at their website (y.dsausa.org/about) I learned they believe that “capitalism is negatively impacting every social justice issue from immigration rights to free healthcare to stopping global warming.”

I should not have been surprised to learn that there is a similar political organization in Canada. The Democrat Socialists of Canada (DSC) is a not-for-profit, grassroots organization that was formed in 2020 by a man named Joe Roberts. However, in 2021 the membership seized control of the organization and ousted Roberts due to disagreements about organizational structure and policies. I could find no information about actual DSC membership numbers in Canada, but their website says DSC is a socialist political organization with a focus on advocating for tenant rights and organized labor.

While looking at many, many different, essentially socialist websites over the last several months while gathering information about groups funding the LA protests (nee riots) and the No Kings protest on June 14, 2025, I saw the same words and phrases used over and over. The websites describe the organization’s goals in very lofty terms, which helps to draw disgruntled individuals into their group. However, the real goals of these organizations are far more dangerous.

In my opinion, socialism is attractive to two types of people: (1) people who are struggling to make a decent living because they live in cities, states, or countries where taxes and other user fees are excessively high; (2) people who have a very high opinion of themselves and seriously aspire to control other people’s lives. (I’m sure CFP readers can think of a name or two!)

But back to Zohran Mamdani. For someone with such a truly unremarkable resume to even think he is capable of being elected Mayor of New York City, he is either a full-blown narcissist and not very smart or being urged on and/or supported by somebody else who has their own nefarious agenda. CFP readers can draw their own conclusions, but I’m betting on the last option I suggested. Like so much that has happened in both American and Canadian politics this last year, only time (and some good sleuthing) will reveal the whole story.

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