For years, progressive activists celebrated the rise of Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez after her stunning primary victory in 2018. At the time, many political observers viewed it as a one-off upset that would generate headlines before fading into history.
That assumption now appears badly outdated.
In just a matter of weeks, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has emerged as a powerful force inside the Democratic Party, helping propel a new wave of socialist-aligned candidates toward Congress and exposing the growing weakness of the party’s longtime establishment leaders.
