Zohran Mamdani’s campaign demonstrates that in order for socialists to contest citywide elections, we must run campaigns that redefine and expand the Democratic electorate. At the core of this new coalition are newly politicized younger New Yorkers, rent-stabilized tenants, reengaged “Bernie millennials,” and voters drawn to Mamdani’s vision of affordability and to his commitment to standing up for Palestinian rights, with this last pillar particularly resonating with Muslim and South Asian communities.

Over the next two months, the Mamdani coalition will need to continue to broaden its appeal and win over both newly-politicized working class New Yorkers and large segments of the Democratic Party base, including many who voted for Andrew Cuomo. To do this, our message must be clear: if we want to defeat Trumpism and tackle the crisis of affordability, we must fight for a left-wing economic populist agenda, reject pro-austerity politics, and stand up to Israel’s genocide in Gaza.

Crucial to expanding and sustaining the Mamdani coalition is a “mass action” field program and a communications strategy that continues to prioritize talking to new voters. NYC-DSA and its seven geographic branches can become “Little Local City Halls”, where newly-politicized working-class New Yorkers can plug into action to protect a Mamdani mayoralty, help implement neighborhood initiatives, and deliver accessible city services. Our issue-based working groups will need to be focused on onboarding hundreds of new organizers and on becoming a vehicle for grassroots implementation of the Mamdani agenda. As the socialist wing of a growing governing coalition, NYC-DSA should seize the opportunity to build our collective capacity and become a political home for all these people.