Late on Election Day, the downtown Stoney’s Bar and Grill was split between two groups — Colorado Avalanche fans and dozens of democratic socialists.

While there were several statewide and local ballot initiatives they cared about, the democratic socialists had their eyes trained on Stoney’s televisions, where they were eagerly awaiting news out of New York City — a city thousands of miles away.

Tuesday night capped off the historic and city-shaking rise of Zohran Mamdani, the 34-year-old who centered democratic socialist ideals to become mayor of the largest U.S. city. His supporters in Denver huddled together in a corner of Stoney’s expansive bar, ignoring the basketball and hunting arcade games flashing nearby.

Zerrick Kellow, who rushed to Stoney’s after work without even changing o

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