BernieSanders: Mamdani won. The establishment is in panic. Leftwing populist victory can be replicated across US

[vanessa_ca]

Bernie Sanders @BernieSanders
Mamdani won. The establishment is in panic.

Billionaires are raising money against him; Trump is ranting; Islamophobes are on the loose.

They know what we know: Candidates who stand boldly with the working class can win not only in NYC, but anywhere.

Let's stand with Zohran.
11:05 AM · Jun 27, 2025

Link to tweet

Mamdani says leftwing populist victory can be replicated across US
Democratic socialist tells MSNBC his campaign against Cuomo shows leftist politics can thrive beyond New York
Chris Michael
Thu 26 Jun 2025 09.23 EDT

Mamdani, a Democratic socialist, stunned many observers by beating Andrew Cuomo on Tuesday night, delivering a devastating blow to the former New York governor who ran a centrist campaign backed by most of the party establishment.

Mamdani told MSNBC’s Jen Psaki that his populist campaign – which focused on inequality and promised radical moves on rent, the price of food and free public transport – could be deployed anywhere in the US as Democrats seek to combat Donald Trump and his Maga movement.

“I think ultimately this is a campaign about inequality, and you don’t have to live in the most expensive city in the country to have experienced that inequality, because it’s a national issue. And what Americans coast to coast are looking for are people who will fight for them, not just believe in the things that resonate with their lives, but actually fight and deliver on those very things,” he said.

-snip-

“We have found exactly the way to defeat organized money, which is organized people. We’re speaking about a scale of a campaign that we haven’t seen in this city in a long time,” Mamdani said.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jun/26/zohran-mamdani-interview-leftwing-politics-us-elections

And he's right. The wealth inequality and deteriorating material conditions of the working class in NYC are universal all across America in every single working class community. Mamdani's message and vision resonate.

[ananda]

1. Exactly!

Stay with your roots, Dems!

[Kid Berwyn]

2. Wealthiest times in human history.

And in the USA, all government can ever do is cut taxes for the rich and pay welfare for the wealthy.

We the People notice when pols point out the hypocrisy.

[vanessa_ca]

3. Exactly. People noted how the worse our living conditions get,

the more rich donors make out like bandits.

[Kid Berwyn]

7. It's why people like Jimmy Carter wanted to take private money out of political campaigns.

Publicly financed campaigns would remove the undue influence of money and the undue influence of those who have it, compared to those who don't.

At the end of his term as term, President Carter didn't have many friends on his side of the aisle.

[bottomofthehill]

4. Not exactly, the rest of the country is not New York City.

That is the problem. He is a great candidate for the city, but …. What sells in New York City does not sell in Peoria, Cincinnati, Youngstown, Akron, places the Democratic Party needs to win in.

[Emile]

8. Affordable housing, healthcare, etc are national interests.

[W_HAMILTON]

30. But many of these types of candidates don't focus on that and instead get baited...

...into extreme and/or tangential debates that derail them in places like those mentioned.

[Evolve Dammit]

20. Gotta start somewhere. Gen Z will decide in the long run?

[PatSeg]

35. Exactly

Every city, district, and state is different. What works in one place might not work in another. This divisive approach will not serve Democrats well.

I am disturbed by some of the talk of purging the party of more established and experienced candidates. It is a recipe for failure. I am sure republicans are loving it, not to mention probably encouraging it.

[FrankBooth]

5. Yes, because the New York City electorate is exactly like the rest of the US

I'd love it to be true, but it ain't.

[Lovie777]

6. There's no panic........................

RWers are mad.

[betsuni]

10. The Establishment is scared, in a panic, terrified, will stop at nothing to defeat us -- ridiculously overdramatic.

[Skittles]

23. it's part of the one trick pony playbook

yup

[emulatorloo]

29. Yeah, plenty of Dems have congratulated Mamdani. It is the Republicans who are freaking out

But Bernie has his “narrative” so he’s sticking to it.

[Joinfortmill]

9. The country is swinging left in response to Trump.

[LilElf70]

12. I certainly hope so

80 Million to go.

[Evolve Dammit]

24. Dear Dog I hope so!

[LilElf70]

11. I sure wish someone started taking on CItizens United.

That's OK. Baby steps.

[JI7]

13. Could it be replicated in Vermont ? They have a Republican governor

who got like 80 percent of the democratic vote.

Maybe there should be a few rallies held there with AOC and Mamdani.

[JI7]

14. There is already a Mayor similar to Mamdani in Chicago

Brandon Johnson is already Mayor and Mamdani and him have similar positions.

[et tu]

15. poverty and despair

will unite us all

[Cha]

16. What's the point of

Being Divisive? We Need All hands on Deck.

Not Diviision. This happened before. Not a winning strategy

How about calling out the Treasonous assholes that have taken over our Country?

[Emile]

17. That's what billionaires do. They divide the party.

[W_HAMILTON]

31. I know he's written a lot of books lately, but I don't think Sanders is a billionaire just yet.

[Emile]

32. Nice try, or spin. LOL

[W_HAMILTON]

34. Sanders is the one that is dividing OUR party here with another of his rants about """the Establishment."""

[Emile]

39. So do you feel AOC is also dividing the democratic party too. Since her and Bernie

together are crisscrossing the country on their Fighting Oligarchy Tour?

[W_HAMILTON]

40. I don't see people posting her constantly droning on about """the Establishment."""

Her attacks on the Democratic Party as a whole have seemed to decrease over the years, which is a good sign that she isn't following too closely in Sanders's footsteps because I'd like to see her have a productive political career with actual progressive accomplishments to her name.

[Emile]

41. You mentioned AOC attacked the democratic party. What attacks on the democratic party?

[W_HAMILTON]

47. Are you implying she hasn't, at times, gone after the Democratic Party the same way Sanders constantly is?

I mean, I lived through it. I used to rebut her attacks on Democrats about as often as I did Sanders, but she's since apparently learned that constantly attacking your Democratic colleagues that you are supposed to be working with is a good way to find yourself on an island and end up not amounting to much in terms of political power or accomplishments.

If you truly aren't aware of how she used to be, you can do a Google search and easily find out the sorts of attacks I am referring to. I would link some here, but I don't want to drive traffic to sites I view as biased against Democrats -- in fact, many of them would happily report on the divisions between AOC and the Democratic Party to further drive a wedge between those of us on the left. "Exasperated Democrats try to rein in Ocasio-Cortez" is one such article, just for those that honestly believe that AOC hasn't gone after Democrats quite often in the past...

[Cha]

50. EXACTLY. AGAIN.

TY!

[Celerity]

37. Since 2018 he has put out one book, and that was closing in on 2 and a half years ago.

It's OK to Be Angry About Capitalism (February 2023)

[muriel_volestrangler]

45. Which is Sanders' message exactly.

"Billionaires are raising money against him; Trump is ranting; Islamophobes are on the loose."

All hands on deck, not division, means supporting party primary winners. In the case of the NYC Mayor, that's Mamdani.

[dlk]

18. Bernie gets it

The backlash against Mamdani is based on fear from monied interests: corporations and the ultra-rich. They might be required to share a little more.

[Evolve Dammit]

19. He is right. He might enact legislation that takes 1% from the ultra-wealthy. Horrors (clutch pearls)...

[LisaL]

21. He just won the nomination.

Wait and see if he can actually win a general election.

[Warpy]

22. What are conservatives labeling themselves these days?

They've been DLC, Blue Dogs, Third Way, Fiscal Conservatives.....what is it these days? Some, like Cuomo, are legacies, never a good idea in any democracy. I don't really think Establishment says a lot since some of them could have been elected yesterday. It would just be convenient if they had a new label.

The Cuomo primary defeat was especially satisfying since it defeated trashing his own party, appeasing theirs, and his legacy status. It was a threefer, those don't happen very often.

It would just be nice to know what catchy ID they've come up with for themselves these days.

[Celerity]

38. The No Labels-spawned Problem Solvers Caucus (US House)

[AllaN01Bear]

25. ""

[RandySF]

26. No on so many levels.

And Bernie is not a Democrat.

[AntiFascist]

27. Mamdani needs to somehow appeal to union workers...

Sanders has put a lot of effort into this.

[AZProgressive]

28. I remember one major labor union endorsing Mamdani over Cuomo prior to the primary election

I remember one saying that Cuomo turned his back on them when he was governor. I wasn't sure I tried to look it up but did find this:

Two Major NYC Unions Drop Andrew Cuomo To Endorse Zohran Mamdani

Two major New York City labor unions that previously supported former Gov. Andrew Cuomo in this year’s race for mayor have dropped him to endorse Zohran Mamdani, the democratic socialist who won the Democratic primary.

The Hotel and Gaming Trades Council and 32BJ SEIU, which represents building service workers in the city, intend to back Mamdani, a 33-year-old state assemblyman, following his electrifying upset against Cuomo in the race for mayor, according to multiplereports.

The endorsements add another significant win for Mamdani: The hotel workers’ union represents 40,000 members in the city, while the building workers’ union represents an additional 85,000.

A third union, the New York State Nurses Association, also endorsed Mamdani. It represents 30,000 members in the city.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/two-major-nyc-unions-drop-183813018.html?fr=yhssrp_catchall

It looks like he is expanding his union support after the primary.

[MichMan]

52. The $30 per hour minimum wage is going to increase wages for everyone

Those union members now making 2x minimum wage should expect to get $60 per hour. Add in free child care, and rent freezes on top of it. Also, the city owned grocery stores will all be unionized. The unions will see a significant increase in dues.

To those that say it is unaffordable are ignoring the huge spike in city income tax collections and being able to eliminate many anti poverty programs that will no longer be necessary.

[Ping Tung]

33. Thanks Bernie. "Liberty becomes a question of morals more than of politics." Lord Acton

[Bluepinky]

36. Sounds like some people making the same argument about Mamdani that was made about Bernie.

“He’s too far to the left, mainstream America will never vote for him. We need a moderate Democrat.” And look where that got us.
People are ready for change, for our political system to work for the majority of us, not just the wealthy. Get big money out of politics!

[Oopsie Daisy]

46. I don't see "panic". Why would anyone use that word?

[kentuck]

48. Can it be replicated across America?

By the time FOX and right-wing media get thru defining "socialism", how strong will the movement be?

I'm not sure that Andrew Cuomo was that strong of an opponent?

We should wait and see how the general election goes against a very unpopular Mayor.

[snot]

49. H*ll, yeah!!!

Our pockets have been picked too long, and Dem voters aren't the only ones who've noticed.

And btw, re- the "BBB," people may finally be wising up to the "throw the plebs a bone while saving the steak for the 01%" tax strategy.

[republianmushroom]

51. Yup, Sanders nails it.