It's a message strikingly similar to one being promoted by an entirely different politician: Zohran Mamdani, a 33-year-old Democratic socialist who is running to become New York's next mayor.
It is clear that much attention is being paid to Mamdani's rise. focuses on your style. He's a charismatic and persuasive politician with an invaluable gift in 2025: he can speak simultaneously and comfortably in almost any format, be it sports podcasts, silly Instagram snippets or long interviews. However, the substance of Mamdani's candidacy is often not given due attention. He's in charge phenomenally disciplined the campaign is built around the skyrocketing cost of living. He can turn almost anything—the rising prices of halal food trucks or the World Cup—into a story about accessibility. That's why he is likely to be elected mayor in next month's general election.
The affordability crisis is easily lost in the manic news cycle dominated by the growing despotism of the Trump administration. ICE raids, the push for regime change in Venezuela, the arrests of critics on (mostly) bogus charges—these are all stories worth covering. But for many Americans, it's not the most important story in the country. The cost of staples like coffee and beef has skyrocketed in recent months, thanks in large part to Trump's tariffs. Democrats may have spent the beginning of the year bitching about the cost of eggs, but they have lost track in recent months. However, the ongoing government shutdown provides an opportunity to do so again.
