In a historic victory that almost nobody would have predicted a year ago, New York state legislator Zohran Mamdani was elected mayor of New York City. Mamdani is the first Muslim and first Asian American mayor of the city, as well as the youngest mayor in more than a century.

His victory was decisive – albeit slightly closer than some polls suggested – but Mamdani still came away with a majority of the vote.

The question now is what this victory means for both New York City and the Democratic Party going forward.

What Zohran Mamdani's victory means for national politics

There are a number of lessons that national Democratic leaders can take from Mamdani’s victory. First, his relentless focus on affordability is likely to be a winning message for Democratic candidates across the country.

According to a recent NBC News poll, the cost of living was one of the most important issues nationally at 16% (protecting constitutional rights came in first at 26%, followed by protecting democracy at 23%).

Additionally, an aggregation of polls by Strength in Numbers (run by G. Elliott Morris, formerly of FiveThirtyEight) shows that inflation is President Donald Trump’s worst issue, with his disapproval on the issue about 25 percentage points higher than his approval.

Mamdani’s pledge to stand up to Trump could also serve as a road map for the Democratic Party. While his main focus has been on affordability, his clear opposition to the president tapped into Democratic voters' frustration about the party's leaders and their willingness to take on Trump.

Democrats would also be wise to listen to New York Democratic voters’ rejection of former Gov. Andrew Cuomo. To be sure, Cuomo carried a significant amount of baggage unique to him and his time as governor. However, in an era where a significant percentage of voters believe government officials to be corrupt, Mamdani’s pledge to root out corruption and waste in government is likely to be a winning one that cuts across party lines.

This promise to go after government bloat even has echoes of Georgia Republican and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich’s "Contract with America," which Republicans unified behind in 1994 before winning their first congressional majority in four decades. (Admittedly, Gingrich and Mamdani would almost certainly disagree about what counts as wasteful spending.)

Mamdani's victory doesn't mean America wants democratic socialism

At the same time, Mamdani’s victory does not mean that the entire country is ready for democratic socialism, the ideological label embraced by the mayor-elect (and politicians such as Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vermont).

According to the same NBC News poll referenced earlier, 18% of respondents nationally viewed socialism favorably compared with 49% who viewed socialism negatively. As a point of comparison, 44% of respondents viewed capitalism favorably compared with 28% who viewed capitalism negatively.

Even in New York City, the exit poll conducted by SSRS for various media organizations found that only 25% of voters self-identified as democratic socialists.

It would likely not be a winning strategy for Democrats in states with potentially competitive Senate elections ‒ such as Michigan, North Carolina or Ohio ‒ to embrace democratic socialism in the 2026 midterm elections. However, voters nationally also support (at least in theory) a number of the policies proposed by Mamdani.

For example, Mamdani has argued in favor of universal free child care during his campaign. Voters around the country rate the cost of child care as a major concern and think the government should do more to lower costs. Indeed, a July national survey from The Associated Press and NORC at the University of Chicago found that 64% of respondents favored free or low-cost day care.

Ultimately, the best endorsement for making it so that democratic socialism is not a liability – and could even be a positive – for a statewide or national Democratic campaign would be for Mamdani to be a successful mayor.

In the meantime, there are clear elements of Mamdani’s campaign, such as the focus on affordability and opposition to Trump, that can serve as a model for Democrats one year out from the 2026 midterm elections.

Jacob Smith is an assistant professor in political science at Fordham University in New York City.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: What does Zohran Mamdani's win mean for Democrats? It's complicated. | Opinion

Reporting by Jacob Smith / USA TODAY

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