A seismic moment for the left

The world's economic capital stands to have a democratic socialist at the helm.

- BY PHILIP ELLIOTT

No. That is not some AI hallucination. That really happened in New York City's June 24 mayoral primary when 33-year-old state assemblyman Zohran Mamdani from Queens prevailed over former New York governor Andrew Cuomo in a seismic moment that signals how much of an insurgent posture Democrats are in at the moment.

Mamdani, who became an avatar for the political movement led by Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, would be the first Muslim to lead New York. He cast himself as "Donald Trump's worst nightmare" and a progressive champion poised to lead a deeply resourced grand experiment.

As party leaders fret about whether Kamala Harris lost for being seen as too "woke" on various issues, the coastal deep-blue enclaves are completely disconnected from that conversation, and the party's dreadful standing on the national stage.