The Democrats of New York City: A Tale of Two Parties

Written By Kristi Yang and Madeline Reilly

Last summer, on Wednesday, June 25, as temperatures finally began to ease down from a dreaded 102 degrees, people dotted the warmly lit coworking lounge known as The Bench, holding chilled white wine and small novelty popcorn bags. Up an early-20th-century elevator on Elizabeth Street, guests settled into booths beneath a collage of campaign buttons — “Vote Carter and Mondale ’80” — Kennedy headshots and a Zabriskie Point poster, a film about university protesters clashing with the police.

This year’s Democratic primary had taken on unusual national weight. Former Governor Andrew Cuomo’s attempted political comeback collided with Zohran Mamdani’s insurgent campaign, which had mobilized young voters around housing, policing, and the fallout of the Israel–Gaza conflict. For many Democrats, the race served as a proxy battle over the future direction of the party — between an establishment figure and a rising democratic socialist.

At The Bench, the crowd had gathered for a watch party for New York City’s Democratic mayoral primary, with the stream and live Q&A set to begin at 7:30 p.m.

The crowd was sweaty and dressed in suits, nine-to-five business casual, and Adidas Sambas. The room was a blend of generations and political views, with allegiances stretching from Cuomo to the then-mayor, Eric Adams.

The party was hosted by The Free Press, an independent news organization covering national politics. Maya Sulkin, FP’s Chief of Staff, and Rick Brooks, Free Press contributor and former standards editor at The Wall Street Journal, ran the Q&A. 

At 9 p.m., early voting results started rolling in, with Zohran Mamdani already starkly in the lead, former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo polling behind by an average of 10 points.

However, the overarching tone of the room from the Q&A was grim.

Questions lamenting not only his policy but also the future of New York City’s increasingly polarized climate around the protests at Columbia University, growing antisemitism, and the realism of Mamdani's campaign promises.

The questions were anonymous, and submitting them was required for attendance. One asked, “Who is the abundance candidate?” There was a muted chuckle from the audience. 

This was a reference to Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson’s recent book Abundance. The book examines the bureaucracy surrounding public infrastructure and 21st-century housing policy and has been regarded as a blueprint for the Democratic Party’s agenda and its response to the Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025, which Republican lawmakers and politicians have unofficially adopted.  

The book and proposal discuss the need for public infrastructure to be funded by private and corporate groups to achieve a utopian vision of funding public infrastructure projects.  

Klein and Thompson explicitly state in their mission statement on their website: “For some, it [abundence] represents an internal debate within the left, challenging progressive governance models. Others within the Democratic Party view abundance as a strategic framework to counter conservative populism. Many on the right see abundance as a practical reality — reflected in longstanding commitments to housing, energy independence, and deregulation.”

Within this context, one of the proposals on the same ballot for Mayor would fast-track construction plans for affordable housing in New York City. Housing shortages had become the key issue for Democratic voters in 2025, with 88 percent calling for more affordable housing and making it a top priority for their next mayor, according to the Siena Research Institute.

At The Bench, the panel assumed Andrew Cuomo to be closest to an ‘abundance agenda,’ though he never embraced the label. As a candidate, Cuomo was favored by many Wall Street leaders. Mamdani’s supporters, by contrast, often criticized the framework as too deferential to private developers. Mamdani, who campaigned on affordability and public infrastructure, would rely on a 2 percent income tax surcharge on high-earning New York City residents and corporations making over $1 million annually.

Another submission read, “Is it time to migrate to Miami?” referring to Miami’s sizable Jewish population, the increase in pro-Palestinian protests in New York City, and frontrunner Zohran Mamdani's personal activism for Palestinians and criticism of the Israeli government’s actions on the Gaza Strip. Mamdani’s comments have led some, including his opponents, to accuse him of antisemitism.

The question reflected a broader anxiety among Jewish Americans. In an American Jewish Committee report released in February, for the first time, the majority of American Jews are changing their behavior due to fear of antisemitism, even as all major candidates publicly condemned antisemitism.

According to the Anti-Defamation League, reports of antisemitic attacks, both criminal and noncriminal, have skyrocketed across the United States since October 7th, 2023. In 2024, the ADL reported 976 antisemitic incidents in New York City.

“Jews feel it will be, to quote from someone today, ‘open season,’” Sulkin told the room.

“You know, we've had a very pro-Israel mayor who has taken antisemitism really seriously. And even still, New York feels, I think, pretty by and large, unsafe for Jews,” she continued. “So I think everyone should buy your apartment in South Beach.”

Part of the Democratic Party's divide has been over its stance on the Israel-Gaza War. The domestic response to the U.S. involvement has sparked protests on college campuses across the country, most notably at Columbia University. The student unrest at Columbia had become a flashpoint in local politics, shaping debates over policing, campus autonomy and the city’s response to rising antisemitic incidents.

“I feel like it’s an unusual time,” said Dave Lacy, an attendee of the event. 

“I haven’t lived here very long, but I get the sense that it’s not just another election. And people are worried… some people are extremely excited and some people are extremely worried,” he continued. Lacy, who works in tech, recently moved from San Francisco to New York City. 

The Q&A session ended at 9:30 p.m. By that time, it was clear that Mamdani would be the victor over Andrew Cuomo, the former governor of New York State. Mamdani had secured the democratic nomination. However, Cuomo later announced he would continue his candidacy in the primary as an independent.

Across the bridge in Brooklyn, the night had only just begun.

The Montrose Avenue L train station is in East Williamsburg’s industrial zone. At half past ten, the streets were illuminated by brightly lit bodegas, and pulsating electronic beep boops leaked from abandoned warehouses.

News of Andrew Cuomo’s concession had been announced, and the New York City Democratic Socialists of America were holding a large election night event at 9 Bob Note, the sister venue to popular queer club 3 Dollar Bill. Outside the red brick building, huddles of Mamdani supporters lingered, laughing and savoring their win.

While the Free Press event space was colored in shades of beige and brown, the DSA event was purple. The interior was bathed in indigo light, and a booming bass reverberated throughout the space. 

Behind the DJ booth, orchestrating the beats were Kenneth Takanami and Lucas Grant. The month prior, the two musicians had organized the Governor’s Fall Rave, an event supporting DREAM for NYC, a Working Families Party-supported political action committee that told voters: “Don’t Rank Evil Andrew for Mayor.” From the “Zohrave,” they raised over $1,000 for DREAM and registered over 10 people for DSA.

“Me and those folks def wanna do more organizing of shows together,” Takanami said in early June, mentioning he’s “gotten to know that team well,” through canvassing with them.”

So when the opportunity came to DJ the flagship DSA primary night party, Takanami took it.

While half of the attendees were bouncing and bobbing to beats under the disco ball, the other half were through the double doors, across the rainbow-lit veranda, and outside, on the graffiti-covered patio.

Outside, the heat hung heavy over the crowd. Even on the hottest day of the year, the space outside remained packed as music spilled from the building and voices fought to be heard. Sweat glistened on faces in the moonlight, beer slicked the pavement, and fallen “I Voted!” stickers clung to shoes. Attendees were wearing Zohran pins and Bernie t-shirts, accessorized with cans of PBR and cyan American Spirits.

“There's like an electricity to it that is hard to describe to somebody who hasn't been a participant in a large group effort and really given their blood, sweat, and tears to something over months with many, many other people,” says Tim Covell, a Mamdani canvasser who has been a canvasser since 2018.

The night marked not only the Democratic primaries but also a celebration of the canvassers’ hard work.

“To be able to share that victory with those people is just absolutely amazing,” Covell concluded.

Achieving this victory in the current political moment is notable, too.

New York City native Alberto Maristany criticized the Democratic Party, saying it “built the middle class in America and the United States, and now it's a little bit soulless.”

This sense of disillusionment has grown as Democratic-led cities grapple with crises—highlighted by the deployment of the National Guard in Chicago and Los Angeles earlier this year and intensified scrutiny from the president. Against this backdrop, Zohran Mamdani’s election in New York stands out. To many New Yorkers, Mamdani represents an alternative to the established Democratic leadership and a sign of renewed political possibility.

Maristany points to Mamdani’s rise as evidence of voters’ dissatisfaction with traditional Democratic figures, such as Andrew Cuomo, and their search for leaders who feel more aligned with the needs and frustrations of their communities.

“A lot of older Democrats — Chuck Schumer, Hakeem Jeffries, Nancy Pelosi, Andrew Cuomo, Bill Clinton — they've lied to us so much that, at this point in time, we're just over it,” Maristany said, declaring, “We're done, we're done, we're done.”

It was a sentiment echoed throughout the DSA event. Several attendees noted that Mamdani’s appeal stemmed from a sense that long-standing Democratic figures had grown detached from the economic and political anxieties of younger voters.

Maristany believes the youth's strong turnout in elections is due to frustration with the current political system and a desire for fresh leadership.

“No one wants to accept this political system that we see through now,” he said, “You can't gaslight us anymore. You can't lie to us anymore.”

He argues that Mamdani's clean record and tangible policies have garnered significant support, despite some criticism labeling his supporters as brainwashed.

“There's a natural, unfortunate response to policies that are meant to lift working-class people. There's this propaganda spin where people try to say that it's unrealistic. And I'm just so tired of that,” Maristany said.

“Government used to be this mechanism in which amazing things happen, going back to the New Deal and FDR basically saving this country from the Great Depression in World War II, and the American government had its hands on every aspect of society in those years, and that's when they launched a middle class,” Maristany says, “I think that right now in 2025, our imagination has been killed.”

Early voting began on October 25. On that same night, back at the Bench, the Young Democrats of New York had their inaugural Blue Party. There, canvassers and party reps from all five boroughs gathered, dressed head to toe in blue, smelling like soap and sipping Modelos.

“I'm very excited that we are going to see Zohran Mamdani become the next mayor. This is what the Democratic Party needs, because this responds to what the Democratic base wants and what young people want,” said Carlos Calzadilla-Palacio, president of the Young Democrats chapter in Brooklyn. 

Calzadilla-Palacio walked through the crowd to the quieter end of the lounge, exchanging hugs and fist bumps with his fellow Young Dems.

“We want a politics of bold ideas. We want a politics that actually inspires people to get involved. We cannot have the same tired leadership that is out of touch, really with the needs of the working class of the American people,” continued Calzadilla-Palacio.

As the evening wore down after a drag performance, attendees circled the dance floor. Wrappers of blue Takis, Chips Ahoy!, and Oreos were left scattered on the tables, and dollar bills littered the floor. The loud thumping music persisted.

The 2025 New York City mayoral election took place while Democrats are still grappling with the outcome of the 2024 presidential election and with falling approval ratings among voters. Democrats currently hold an approval rating of about 33.6 percent, according to RealClearPolling. 

“If you look at the approval ratings of the party right now, they're so low. So we're seeing that it's in New York with the Zohran election and the excitement around it, but also to implement that agenda,” said Calzadilla-Palacio 

Some polls attribute Democrats' sweeping victory in November to a shift in the party’s campaign focus toward affordability. Meanwhile, others cite the government shutdown, sparked by increased healthcare subsidies under the Affordable Care Act, as a significant factor.

However, the shutdown ended a week after the election results, with several prominent Democrats conceding over SNAP benefits funding in early November. Since then, their approval rating has remained stagnantly low. 

“We need new leadership, and we need younger people, younger ideas, and bold ideas, to take on the fundamental problems in this society,” declared Calzadilla-Palacio. ---

Fast forward to this summer, during the June 2026 Democratic congressional primaries, all three candidates endorsed by Democratic Socialist and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani won their races. And according to CNBC's All-America Economic Survey, more voters would be more likely to support a democratic socialist candidate than a Make America Great Again supporter or a candidate endorsed by President Donald Trump.

As the November midterm elections loom closer, and more and more people separate from the mainstream establishment democrats, the words of past summers ring with possibility.