There have been plenty of political pundits telling you what they think Zohran Mamdani’s election as the Democratic nominee for New York City mayor means for the overall Democratic Party. The prevailing narrative is that the mainstream Democratic Party is losing ground to the Bernie Sanders wing, and that within a few years, the party will be fully run by its far-left flank. I don’t believe that’s true. In fact, Mamdani’s win doesn’t say much about the party’s future – it only reflects the here and now.
Americans are a fickle bunch. Despite constant arguments over whether laws align with the Constitution – a document written over 200 years ago – we nearly always vote for change. Take the presidency, for example. The last time two consecutive presidents were elected from the same party was in 1988. No president since Ronald Reagan has successfully passed the baton. Every cycle, we hear candidates bragging about being political outsiders ready to shake up the status quo.
This mindset largely stems from Americans overestimating the government’s ability to improve their lives. Despite the fact that most federal policies don’t drastically affect the average person’s day-to-day life, voters behave as if they do – and they vote accordingly.
So what does that have to do with Zohran Mamdani and the current state of the Democrats? Everything.
What gets people excited? Something new. Something fresh. We saw this in 2008 with Barack Obama. Again in 2016 with Donald Trump. Then in 2020, people thought they wanted a return to the Obama years, so they elected Biden. By 2024, they realized that hadn’t worked either and returned to Trump. Voters want problems solved, and when the status quo doesn’t do it, they turn to something radically different.
Enter Zohran Mamdani.
Mamdani is offering something new to New York – not in terms of policy, which is recycled and ineffective, but in presentation. His ideas aren’t new. Government-run supermarkets have never worked. Housing subsidies have only increased costs. Overregulation remains a primary reason for economic stagnation. But Mamdani is new. He’s charismatic. He connects with an audience that’s craving change.
Now compare him to his competition. Andrew Cuomo represents the past. Not just older people or older ideas – just old. We’ve seen Cuomo for a decade, and that decade ended with a pandemic and two major scandals. Put the two candidates side by side, and it’s clear who comes across as more appealing to a restless electorate.
The problem isn’t that mainstream Democrats can’t win voters – it’s that all the mainstream Democrats are old. Look at potential Democratic candidates for 2028: Gavin Newsom will be 60. JB Pritzker, 62. Kamala Harris, also 62 – and still somehow considered a viable option. Against that backdrop, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez looks like the fresh direction the party might embrace – not because of her policies, but because she’s young and different.
Now compare that to potential Republican candidates in 2028: Marco Rubio will be 56. JD Vance, 42. Ron DeSantis, 48. Republicans have a bench of younger talent ready to step in. Ask yourself: How many people over 60 that you know are looking to take on the most intense job of their lives? Most are looking toward retirement. The only Democrats creating real energy today are Democratic Socialists – and that’s not a coincidence.
Mamdani’s win says more about the aging Democratic bench than it does about a hard-left shift in party ideology. The Democrats can still course-correct, but they need to start building up younger, dynamic leaders who can compete with the Mamdanis and Ocasio-Cortezes of their party. If they don’t, it’s only a matter of time before those same voters, hungry for change once again, move on to someone even younger and more energetic – repeating the cycle all over again.
Izzo Zwiren is the former host of the Jewish Living Podcast. Follow him and his brothers on their health journey on their YouTube Channel, Brotherly Lovehandles. Izzo lives on Long Island with his wife and three adorable, hilarious children.