New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani (D) said Saturday that Democrats have lost sight of the important economic issues facing working-class Americans as the party works to rebuild itself after a devastating loss in the 2024 presidential election.
“The party, as a whole, has lost its focus on working people,” Mamdani said in an interview with MS Now.
“People want to know: What are you going to do for rent? What are you going to do for housing? What are you going to do for gas? What are you going to do for groceries? We have to have answers to that.”
Issues like housing affordability, the cost of healthcare and rising gas prices should be at the forefront of the party’s focus, according to Mamdani, rather than ideological battles that distract from what matters to most Americans.
They need huge money to win big elections. Huge money hates working class.
Historically, the working class was a popular source of fundraising and campaign staffing. But after generations of economic and political decay, mobilizing large numbers of people has grown more difficult while raising a ton of money from one self-interested party has grown comparatively simple.
It’s a vicious cycle. Corruption fuels anti-labor politics. Anti-labor politics incentivizes further corruption.
Eventually, you’re looking at an India or Russia, where a handful of ultra-conservative oligarchs rule with an iron fist.