Editorial: Mamdani: A triumph of wishful thinking over reality

Las Vegas Review-Journal, Las Vegas Review-Journal on Nov 7, 2025

Published in Op Eds

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H.L. Mencken wrote, “Democracy is the theory that the common people know what they want and deserve to get it good and hard.” Hello, New York City.

On Tuesday, a handful of states held off-year elections, and Democrats enjoyed a good night, comfortably winning governor’s races in New Jersey and Virginia. They also prevailed in a California ballot measure that allows Democrats to gerrymander congressional districts to pick up seats in Congress.

Many pundits hailed the victories as a harbinger of the 2026 midterms, when control of the U.S. House and Senate is at stake — and perhaps that will be the case. But, in fact, it would have been a bigger story had Democrats stumbled in three states that vote reliably blue. In addition, one year is an eternity in politics, although Republicans face challenges, particularly given the historical record involving midterms and the party that occupies the White House.

Perhaps the most-watched race, however, was the New York City mayoral election. As anticipated, Zohran Mamdani prevailed in the three-way contest, winning 50.4 percent of the vote.

Mamdani, 34, is a charismatic socialist who has limited experience in the private sector and seems utterly unconcerned about his guiding philosophy’s long track record of creating misery. His victory embodies the triumph of wishful thinking over reality. His platform — more stringent rent control, government-run grocery stores, free day care, free public transit, massive tax hikes on the rich — is a laundry list of counterproductive or failed policies that appeal to class warfare aficionados. He is virulently anti-Israel in a city with the nation’s largest Jewish population.

Mamdani touted his victory as the onset of a “new age.” But are far-left Democrats electable on a national stage? The story of Mamdani is a microcosm of the internal conflict within competing factions of the Democratic Party.

There’s a reasonable argument that progressive extremism and “woke” policies explain the rise of President Donald Trump and recent GOP electoral success. Indeed, the Democrats who prevailed in the New Jersey and Virginia gubernatorial races ran close to the center. While Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and her “squad” grab the attention, they win races only in House districts drawn to favor progressives. Sen. Bernie Sanders, another socialist, may have wider influence, but it’s worth remembering that Democrats pulled the 2020 presidential nomination out from under him because they feared Trump would clobber him.

Mamdani will be checked somewhat by the New York Legislature, so perhaps the damage he can inflict will be limited. Meanwhile, large pockets of the country now hope that what happens in New York City stays in New York City.