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To the editor:
Zohran Mamdani’s primary victory marked the second time young New York City voters sent a message to the political establishment. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s takedown of Democratic party boss Joe Crowley in 2018 was the first salvo.
What both AOC and now Mamdani proved is that having a big name and even bigger bankroll doesn’t necessarily translate to victory; a big vision matters far more. Voters, particularly younger voters, are demanding to be heard and to be taken seriously. They reject candidates who are entrenched in the past and yearn for elected officials who speak to the issues they care about — affordability, real economic opportunity and a clean, healthy environment. Many young folks I have spoken with say they are jaded by politics; many don’t vote because they don’t feel represented by those in office. That is, until an AOC or Mamdani connects with them.
The Democratic party needs to pay attention; “rose garden” campaigns no longer work. America’s youth wants accessible leaders, people who walk among them and listen as well as they orate. The U.S. population has nearly tripled since the number of House of Representative members was capped at 435 in 1929; with each passing day, a single voter holds a smaller and smaller share of members’ attention. Younger Americans recognize the diminishing influence each voter holds and they want something done about it.
I don’t know which Democrats will run in 2028, but I believe if the primary produces a 60+ year-old from the party establishment, that person will lose.
Joseph Cannisi
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