Much of the flak Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani has taken since winning the Democratic mayoral primary in New York City has been for his standing as a “Democratic Socialist.” But his victory was as much generational as it was ideological. The complaints of older Democrats about his ideology may reflect their fear that there is a generational changing of the guard within the party. They are certainly right about that.

Mamdani’s (33 years old) stunning victory over former Gov. Andrew Cuomo (67) demonstrates the existence of a generational fault line that runs through the party’s future. The shocking outcome of the primary could presage surprising upsets nationally in Democratic congressional primaries in 2026 and the emergence of a strong, youthful contender for the party’s presidential nomination in 2028.

The party’s youth movement is natural and organic. Young voters have been stalwarts of the Democratic Party for a decade. Vice President Harris won over voters under 45 last year, whereas President Trump scored "bigly" with voters 45 and over. Now, the young people who supported the Democratic presidential nominee are starting to take their rightful place in the party’s high........

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