Beyond Mamdani’s Inauguration: What’s in store for the Democratic party in 2026

Zohran Mamdani, an avowed socialist, will be sworn in as New York City’s new mayor on January 1. His rise has revived old debates about the future of the U.S. Democratic Party.

For most of the last century, the Democratic Party offered a clear promise. If you worked hard, if you were new to the country, if the economy knocked you down, this was your political home. But today, that bond feels weaker. Registrations for the Democratic Party are slipping. Younger voters are drifting away. Many longtime supporters say that the party sounds less like a movement and more like a kind of a corporate meeting room, technical, a little distant.

Their political rivals, the Republicans, champion smaller government and conservative values, and in recent years have been reshaped by Donald Trump’s brand MAGA politics.

Into this moment came New York City’s surprise, Zohran Mamdani, promising affordability and everyday dignity to a metropolis exhausted by rent and inequality. His ascent to public office comes at a time when the Democrats are nationally seeking momentum.

So what’s happening with the Democratic Party, and where is its future actually being written?

Guest: Hadas Thier, a journalist, activist, and author of A People's Guide to Capitalism. 

Hosts: Anupama Chandrasekaran and G Sampath 

Edited and produced by Sharmada Venkatasubramanian 

 

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