Democrats Should Embrace Young Progressives Who Fight And Have New Ideas

The recent New York Democratic primary shocked the political world. Young progressive Zohran Mamdani won the Democratic primary for NYC mayor in spite of support from establishment Democrats and monied interests supporting Andrew Cuomo.

Republicans were quick to label Mamdani a "communist" and say he was the new leader of the Democratic Party. That's no surprise. They do the same to any liberal or progressive that shows ballot strength.

More disappointing was the reaction of the media - including some mainstream media outlets. They were quick to label Mamdani as a socialist and claim the party has a huge split among its ranks.

Even more disappointing was the reaction of some moderate Democrats, who still think the same old policies that didn't work in the 2024 election would somehow magically take them to victory in 2026 and 2028. They are wrong.

Anyone who has been reading the polls would know that. Poll after poll has shown the voters are not happy with the Democrat (or the Republicans). Most of these polls have Democratic favorability below 40%.

The moderate establishment Democrats seem to think there is nothing wrong with the economy except the actions of Trump (which have made it even worse). That is not true. Even before Trump, while the economy was great for the billionaires and corporations, it was NOT so great for most Americans.

Half of families in the U.S. are just a paycheck away from poverty. Millions work for poverty-level wages. Child care is so expensive that it doesn't pay for many to work. Groceries and consumer goods are too expensive. Wages for most have virtually remained flat while inflation eats away at it. Millions remain with our any kind of health insurance. Rural hospitals are disappearing. Interest rates are too high. Houses are too expensive - and many people can no longer accomplish the dream of home ownership. The climate is getting worse and disasters are increasing.

All of these problems have answers, but the current politicians don't seem to have any answers - including many Democratic leaders. They seem to be happy with the status quo (Democrats) or want to make it worse (Republicans). It's no wonder the voters are disgusted with both parties.

New York voters chose the candidate with new ideas, the candidate willing to listen to their problems, and the candidate willing to fight for them. And it's not just New Yorkers. I think voters across the country would respond to young progressives not tied to the past, but have new ideas about how to solve problems and the passion to fight for ordinary Americans.

If the Democratic establishment was smart, they wouldn't turn their backs on these candidates. They would embrace them. The party needs more people like Zohran Mamdani, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, David Hogg, and other young progressives. They will revitalize the party and make voters beige in Democrats again.