New York City will likely elect a socialist as its next mayor despite his unapologetic stance on his positions and policies. Elected progressive Democrats and fellow activists see the probable election of Zohran Mamdani as proof that Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez‘s (D-NY) playbook is alive and well. 

Progressive Democrats have watched as the Republican Party under President Donald Trump has turned from a free-market party to one that embraces policies unheard of before 2015. From Trump pushing tariffs to taking stakes in private companies, a significant portion of the Democratic Party believes it needs to capitalize on the pro-populist movement by staking its claim to win back some of the voters who gravitated toward the GOP. 

The messaging around economic issues — including housing, healthcare costs, economic inequality, job insecurity, trade protectionism, distrust of the democratic process, and distrust of institutions — resonates with many voters, possibly giving Democrats an opportunity to reclaim some voters or attract new supporters. 

Some in Democratic circles think the better way to go is to embrace the so-called “abundance agenda,” coined from the book Abundance by New York Times columnist Ezra Klein and former writer from the Atlantic Derek Thompson. The idea is a supposed reorientation of progressive politics away from scarcity and knee-jerk defensive regulation and toward building, growth, and scale. They argue that many of the pathologies afflicting politics, including the housing shortage, environmental inaction, stalled infrastructure, and underutilized innovation, stem from burdensome regulation, an overemphasis on process, and an aversion to scale.

It’s almost a rebirth of Al From’s “New Democrat” movement, which sought to move the party away from the left and more toward the center, that proved successful with the election of Bill Clinton in 1992, after three straight defeats at the hands of Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush. 

Still, it is the populist message that appears to be winning at the moment, and a win by Mamdani in New York City, despite it........

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