From Pelosi to Mamdani and everything in between
BarcelonaThe victory of Zohran MamdaniBorn in Uganda and raised in Queens, Joe Biden's run for mayor of New York City coincided with the departure of Nancy Pelosi, the historic Democratic leader and first woman to speak in the House of Representatives. Knowing her track record, it's hard to believe it's a coincidence. Pelosi doesn't leave anything to chance. Her decision to leave politics signals a generational shift, something she championed when she pressured Joe Biden to step down afterward. of his disastrous presidential debate against Donald Trump
However, Pelosi's farewellThe rise of 85-year-old Mamdani, 34, not only symbolizes a generational shift—which is sure to fuel the open war within the party to force the two dozen Democratic congressmen over 75 to retire—but also the need for the Democratic Party to stop protecting status quo which no longer works for most Americans.
Since the emergence of Donald Trump, with a populist and anti-establishment message, Republicans have gained ground among key sectors of the traditional Democratic electorate: the white working class and, in the last presidential election, even Latino and African American voters in industrial areas. Democrats, with figures like Joe Biden, lost the transformative narrative and message of hope that Barack Obama had inspired in 2008. The good results of 2020 and 2022 made them complacent: they thought that popular rejection of Trump would be enough. They were wrong.
Trump managed to caricature Democrats as a party obsessed with culture wars, incapable of providing effective answers to problems such as inflation or illegal immigration. In this context, Mamdani's campaign has shaken up a party that many were beginning to consider dead.
This son of Indian immigrants, who He will become New York's first Muslim mayor.He captivated his fellow citizens with his affable personality, contagious enthusiasm, and a message focused on accessibility and social justice, with policies that included affordable housing, improved public services, and combating inequality.
The path for the Democrats
Affordability (affordabilityZohran Mamdani (in English) has been on everyone's lips these days among Democratic politicians and has become key to recent victories. Mamdani has managed to reconnect the party with the real problems of the people thanks to his communication skills. But other more pragmatic Democratic candidates have also done so, such as those who won the gubernatorial elections in Virginia and New Jersey. Their resounding victories point the way for Democrats to regain their power.
"Our job is to put forward the strongest candidates to defend the working class wherever necessary," said New York Democratic Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez during an interview on MSNBC on election night. "In some places—like Virginia, for governor—it will be Abigail Spanberger. In New York, it's definitely Zohran Mamdani."
The Democratic Party is looking to put its internal struggles behind it. Moderates and progressives agree that it is necessary to recover what political scientists call a "collecting party" (big tent), capable of integrating diverse perspectives, focusing on the real problems of citizens, and combining progressive ideals with pragmatism. With this strategy They hope to cope with Trump's second term.