For now, whether the party likes it or not, the Democratic party baton has been passed to another generation

Photo: AP Images

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here is a 1961 photograph of John F. Kennedy swearing in a man for public office. Next to this proud man stands his wife, and next to her his 21-year-old daughter, Nancy Pelosi. This photograph is a startling reminder that Nancy Pelosi has wielded Democratic political power for most of our lives. This past week, she announced that she will be retiring. Forty-eight hours prior to that announcement another picture was snapped: an ebullient 34-year-old Democratic Socialist celebrating election as mayor of the largest and most important city in America.

Does this split screen signal that the Democratic party is passing the baton to the next — more radically left — generation, or is the New York election an outlier?

In other words, is this just a local Mamdani moment, or a new direction for Democrats nationally?

Feeling the Bern

The Democrats’ slide to socialism started in a 1981 mayoral election in the small town of Burlington, Vermont. Three candidates were running in the progressive city, one as a socialist. The socialist candidate knew it would be a low-turnout election and outworked his opponents, winning the election by only ten votes. His name was Bernie Sanders. Mayor Sanders became Congressman Sanders and then Senator Sanders. When I met him for the first time, he was Congressman Sanders, and he identified politically as an “Independent,” yet he caucused with the Democratic party. How could the Democratic party accept the reality that an avowed socialist would also identify with them? These are two different political philosophies. The answer was simple: They needed his vote. When the Democratic party conveniently needed his vote, he was a member of the caucus, and when inconvenient they could dismiss the rest of his policies as unaffiliated with the party. This was the political definition of having one’s cake and eating it too. But eating cake daily isn’t healthy. It’s a bad habit. A tiny bad habit will often grow into a full-blown addiction, and the party had its first reckoning with what it had wrought in 2016. That year, Hillary Clinton was the presumptive nominee until Bernie Sanders decided to spoil the party by showing up. Sanders’ campaign pulled in socialists, but also young Democrats who didn’t really know or see the difference between the two political philosophies. The Democratic establishment rightfully lost their minds. Who was this socialist to take their presidential nomination? The powers that be worked hard to stop him and he was defeated. But the addiction grew. In 2018, desperate to show success after their 2016 drubbing, the Democratic party accepted another socialist into their caucus, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC). This young Queens bartender had been inspired by Bernie Sanders, and with a 4,000-vote primary margin she galvanized enough of her socialists to win election. The Democratic party liked AOC’s “star status,” which came with a massive social media following and new voters. At this point, the addiction of the Democratic party to the socialist movement was fully realized. Cholesterol had reached dangerous levels from all that cake. AOC recruited and helped elect fellow socialists all over the country. Like the grandfather of their movement, once elected these new socialists caucused with... the Democratic party.

Socialist Success

Until Mamdani’s election, no socialist had risen to such an important and high-profile political position. Sanders and AOC may be irritating at times for the Democratic party, but they are legislators among many others. They can’t do much to pass their socialist policies. For example, AOC’s “Green New Deal” never advanced because she didn’t have the power to advance it. Mamdani is a different story. As mayor, Mamdani is now an executive and the leader of what is one of the top ten most important elected offices in America.

Mamdani wants to defund the police? Guess what? He oversees the police department.

Mamdani wants free buses and free grocery stores? Guess what? He has a budget larger than all but a few states.

Mamdani wants to message or platform certain ideas or opinions? Guess what? He has the media capital of the world in his backyard.

No longer can the Democratic party simply rely on these socialists for their votes when convenient and dismiss them when inconvenient. If Mamdani passes things that are ultimately popular, they will embrace him. How could they not? That’s politics. Most politicians will go where the political wind is blowing. And if his policies are unpopular, it’s nearly impossible to distance or disavow the party from such a prominent officeholder. We’ve already begun to see this intermingling of socialists and traditional Democrats in the endorsement process for Mamdani’s general election. A supermajority of Democrats endorsed Mamdani because he had just turned out new voters in unprecedented numbers in many of their districts. Where does this leave the Democratic party going forward?

Mainstream Momentum

Combative and cutthroat primaries are the short-term future of the Democratic party. Socialists around the country, now empowered by Mamdani, have declared their intention to run. These activists know that they can win a Democratic primary, when traditionally, the most ideologically driven of the party come out en masse. There is little downside for most of these challengers. Running as a socialist has been mainstreamed and you may even win and be embraced by the Democratic party. These primaries will force moderate Democrats to lean left to avoid these challenges. Additionally, it will move proactive politicians to veer to the left just to avoid primaries. Socialist ideas will be considered because the politics of the moment demand it.

New Democrats?

This is the here and now for the Democratic party. The reason why this may not be the future of the Democratic party is that primaries may be where the socialists can take or influence policy, but general elections remain an electoral platform that they can’t truly win. Nancy Pelosi could teach them that. Pelosi was elected from one of the most far-left districts in America — San Francisco — and despite that she has repeatedly led her party to general election victory. As Speaker she frequently dismissed “The Squad” and emphasized the need to win in purple and red states and to tone down language like “defund the police.” The Democratic party simply can’t win the swing states and general elections that they need by embracing socialist policies. This is the dilemma for the Democratic party. Yes, they can win over new voters and recruit younger candidates through socialism, but it will ultimately diminish their ability to hold and keep political power.

For now, whether the party likes it or not, the Democratic party baton has been passed to another generation. Whether they hold it for decades or drop it in a matter of months will be determined by how they govern.

(Originally featured in Mishpacha, Issue 1086)