Ayoung, unknown progressive goes up against an establishment Democrat backed by well-heeled real estate interests and conservative donors. With a campaign focused on affordability, propelled by grassroots energy and small donors, the progressive wins a shocking victory that inspires wild joy on the left and predictions of doom on the right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This wasn\u2019t June 2025 in New York City, when Zohran Mamdani captured national attention by winning the Democratic mayoral primary. It was June 2021 on the other side of the state in Buffalo, where India Walton, a progressive Democrat backed by the Working Families Party and the Democratic Socialists of America, pulled off a come-from-nowhere victory over four-term incumbent mayor Byron Brown.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In Buffalo, as in New York, the winner of the Democratic primary is usually the winner of the general. At the time, it seemed<\/a> to some like a decisive moment for progressives in their attempt to build power in the Democratic Party.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n But then Brown launched a write-in campaign \u2014 a tactic that is almost never successful in elected politics \u2014 and he attacked Walton, painting her as a radical whose policy ideas were clueless at best and dangerous at worst<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The strategy worked: in the general election, Brown won handily by about 18 points<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In the postmortem, Walton\u2019s primary victory seemed less like a hinge moment and more like an anomaly, the one-off result of a complacent incumbent who barely campaigned in the primary, before leveraging the muscle of the party machine in the general.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But now, in the wake of Mamdani\u2019s similarly dramatic primary win and a determined effort to stop him in November, Walton\u2019s experience has heightened relevance. It is more than just a cautionary tale. It\u2019s a map of the landmines surrounding Mamdani \u2014 and guidance for how the democratic socialist assembly member can avoid them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As is now<\/strong>\u00a0the case for the Mamdani campaign, the leaders and institutions that usually support the Democratic nominee\u00a0didn\u2019t coalesce behind Walton<\/a>. Governor Kathy Hochul never endorsed her. Democratic state party chair Jay Jacobs said that he wasn\u2019t any more obligated to endorse Walton than he would be if\u00a0KKK leader David Duke had won<\/a>. Senators Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand waited until October to offer tepid endorsements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cObviously, [Walton] wins and everybody\u2019s like, \u2018Oh shit,\u2019\u201d says Democratic political strategist Basil Smikle Jr., who once worked under Brown in the Democratic state party leadership. \u201cThere\u2019s a moment of reckoning where folks say, \u2018we\u2019re not ready for this,\u2019 and find a way to push back, which they did. And I think that\u2019s where you see the machine really come into action.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The two contests are not a perfect comparison. Buffalo\u2019s population is only 2.5 percent of New York City\u2019s, and the dynamics of the races are dissimilar in some notable ways. Mamdani\u2019s closest rival, former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, carried baggage into the primary<\/a> that was more significant than Brown\u2019s negatives in Buffalo, which basically amounted to frustration with the status quo. New York City\u2019s incumbent mayor, Eric Adams, chose to skip the primary to run in the fall as an independent. And Mamdani won the Democratic nomination more decisively than Walton, who edged Brown by only 1049 votes<\/a> in the primary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The demographic coalitions behind the candidates in the two cities were different as well. A SUNY Geneseo analysis<\/a> of the 2021 race concluded that Brown won based on \u201cmoderate and conservative white fear of progressive policy.\u201d By contrast, in the New York City primary, Cuomo narrowly won<\/a> in precincts that had more Black voters, while Mamdani won in precincts<\/a> that had more white, Hispanic and Asian voters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But as the general election approaches, the similarities are impossible to overlook: Adams and Cuomo are fighting Mamdani using the Brown playbook: deploying tactics that worked in Buffalo, like drumming up fear of<\/a> and opposition to socialist policies<\/a>, and raising money<\/a> with real estate interests and conservatives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOur opposition in both of these cases are being funded by real estate billionaires and in some cases by right-wing Republicans,\u201d says NYC Democratic Socialists of America co-chair Gustavo Gordillo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Rich Azzopardi, a spokesperson for the Cuomo campaign, disputed this characterization of the fundraising but did not provide specifics on that topic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Adams campaign did not respond to requests for comment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Either way, Buffalo\u2019s experience elevating a democratic socialist to the brink of City Hall and then rejecting her raises a question that is at the heart of New York City\u2019s mayoral race in November: Does the Brown playbook still work, even at a moment when the Democratic Party establishment is weaker and more discredited than ever?<\/p>\n\n\n\n India Walton has<\/strong> been watching Mamdani\u2019s campaign closely, not just because of the parallels to her own race but for another reason: she has a personal connection to the Democratic nominee. It was Mamdani, then a newly elected assemblymember, who helped convince her to run for mayor four years ago.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n In an interview, Walton recalled meeting Mamdani and other DSA activists and state elected officials on Clubhouse, the audio-only social media app that had a moment around that time, where they were \u201ctalking about how complicated and idiotic the budget process was in the state\u201d and \u201cwhat it was like to be freshmen legislators\u201d in Albany.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For Walton, this transparency from Mamdani and the others, all of whom represented downstate districts, only deepened her frustration that Buffalo\u2019s elected representatives never seemed to speak directly to constituents that way. And then, she says, Mamdani proposed a solution: She <\/em>should run.<\/p>\n\n\n\n After Walton declared her candidacy, the group had a call to strategize. \u201cThey were like, \u2018We\u2019re going to hold you down. You can do this,\u201d Walton remembers. The group organized downstate fundraisers for her, and Mamdani and others also came to Buffalo to help campaign.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Following her defeat, Walton says, she kept in touch with Mamdani. But they don\u2019t talk regularly, and he didn\u2019t reach out before launching his own mayoral campaign.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Even so, Mamdani appears to have internalized one of the most important lessons Walton learned from her experience. As a first-time campaigner, Walton admits she was learning on the fly and wasn\u2019t always adept at answering questions about her policy ideas and about what being a socialist meant<\/em>. One of the key lessons of her candidacy, she says, is to avoid being on the defensive while speaking plainly about progressive and socialist policies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI was painted as this scary Commie, a red scare moment,\u201d she said. \u201cI was trying to catch up after they had said, \u2018She\u2019s going to take your property; businesses are going to leave.\u2019 It was impossible to reclaim the narrative.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mamdani, she notes, got ahead of the scare tactics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cZohran confronted socialism upfront. He\u2019s a longstanding member of DSA<\/a>. I think that plays to his benefit because it\u2019s not a surprise,\u201d says Walton.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mamdani\u2019s campaign did not reply to repeated requests for comment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Gordillo says that the DSA has learned to double down after a primary win and take nothing for granted, even in a heavily Democratic city. \u201cAfter the Walton primary victory, I\u2019m not sure that the movement took as seriously the need to keep campaigning and building on those forces,\u201d he says. \u201cWe are taking the moment with Zohran seriously, where everyone intends to continue fighting until the general.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Policy changes and subtle political shifts make a progressive win more plausible now as well. In 2021, Biden had just taken office and left-leaning voters may have been more likely to believe that the establishment was up to the task of beating back MAGA. But now confidence in the Democratic Party is at a 35-year low<\/a>, some traditional coalitions have fractured and \u2014 as the reelection of Trump showed on the right \u2014 there is an increasing appetite for bigger change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThat is really the crux of the parallel,\u201d says Smikle, who is not affiliated with any campaign. \u201cWhat you have in these two races in New York and in Buffalo, is candidates whose rhetoric would suggest that they fundamentally believe that the system is broken, that the institutions need to be revamped, and that the party itself needs a deep refresh.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s most obvious in the\u00a0small but real<\/a>\u00a0overlap of Trump and Mamdani voters. \u201cThe labels aren\u2019t sitting as neatly as they once did,\u201d says Working Families co-director Jasmine Gripper. \u201cI think the common thread is we want someone who\u2019s not the status quo. We want someone who\u2019s going to stand up and fight.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n One key change in the last four years that has benefited Mamdani is the expansion of early voting<\/a>, which resulted in higher turnout in<\/a> the primary, particularly among younger voters<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThey [Mamdani voters] were people who are unlikely to vote overall, they do not participate, and they are what we call \u2018least likely voters,\u2019\u201d says political strategist Hank Sheinkopf. Sheinkopf has been blunt<\/a> about his opposition to Mamdani and his support of Adams.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Gripper agrees that early voting has changed elections, but she phrases it differently: \u201cThis [early voting] allows the base of what they call \u2018<\/em>unreliable voters\u2019 to show up and be counted\u2026People went on the weekend, people went after work.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n And then there is public campaign financing<\/a>, which made it possible for Mamdani to rely on individual small donations that were matched by the city \u2014 a system that doesn\u2019t exist in Buffalo. Walton proved to be a respectable fundraiser, especially for a novice candidate, but Mamdani was able to raise more than $8 million thanks to the public match<\/a>. When Mamdani maxed out on fundraising early<\/a>, he asked his supporters to donate to other campaigns<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That emphasis on coalition building, supporters say, defines Mamdani\u2019s candidacy and is fundamental to the evolution of progressive influence in state and city politics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But so far, the campaign\u2019s efforts to reach out to establishment Democratic leaders have had decidedly mixed results. Jacobs, the chair of the state Democratic Party, has yet to endorse Mamdani. (His office did not return a request for comment.) Gillibrand, speaking on WNYC, went so far as to suggest Mamdani has referenced \u201cglobal jihad,\u201d a falsehood she subsequently apologized for, saying she \u201cmisspoke.\u201d<\/a> Schumer has not endorsed Mamdani, nor have six of the 10<\/a> House Democrats representing New York City. Hochul also has not endorsed Mamdani, though she has<\/a> perhaps had a friendlier tone towards him than she did toward Walton<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Clearly, a lack of institutional Democratic support is something that Walton and Mamdani have in common. But it\u2019s possible that the progressive wing of the Democratic Party \u2014 led by the Working Families Party and the Democratic Socialists of America \u2014 has now built enough of its own alliances and campaign infrastructure to effectively counter the establishment. Add to this the fact that Mamdani is a more seasoned campaigner than Walton was, and a public that is no longer necessarily looking for the establishment\u2019s blessing, and it\u2019s not hard to see how the result could be different this time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This takes one of the central questions of Walton\u2019s candidacy \u2014 will party leaders fall in behind an insurgent candidate? \u2014 and turns it on its head. Now, local and national party leaders may have more to lose by not endorsing Mamdani than in endorsing him. Multiple political strategists pointed out that a Mamdani win without establishment support would lay bare a new balance of power, one in which the establishment is no longer the only kingmaker. As the largest city in the country and a hub of Democratic governance, the stakes in New York are much higher than they ever were in Buffalo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sheinkopf rejects this notion and urges centrists to coalesce around Adams, the incumbent, and to start fighting on a grassroots level \u2014 not only deploying the strategies that worked in Buffalo against Walton, but also taking a page from the progressive blueprint. \u201cGet into the street, target people across the board over 40,\u201d he said. \u201cMamdani\u2019s really not interested in the city. What he\u2019s interested in is the left having power.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Azzopardi says the Cuomo campaign is also trying more direct strategies to reach voters. \u201cWe learned some lessons from the primary and during this relaunch we are meeting New Yorkers where they are, in their neighborhoods, on the streets and yes, on social media.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n What all sides appear to agree on is that this election is about the long game, the balance of power in the Democratic Party in the state and even the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Editor;msserwanga@gmail.com<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Ayoung, unknown progressive goes up against an establishment Democrat backed by well-heeled real estate interests and conservative donors. With a<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":15328,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[65],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-15327","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-national-news"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/webp.webp","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":16234,"url":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/ugandan-born-zohran-mamdani-takes-oath-of-office-as-new-yorks-new-mayor\/","url_meta":{"origin":15327,"position":0},"title":"Ugandan born Zohran Mamdani takes oath of office as New York’s new mayor","author":"UgandaUpdate","date":"January 1, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"The midnight ceremony inside a landmarked former subway station precedes Mamdani's public inauguration and a massive, celebratory block party. 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Elsewhere, East Africans will be delighted to learn that Prof Mahmood Mamdani's \u00a0Ugandan born son Zohran Kwame Mamdani \u00a028 years old - an insurgent Democratic\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "National News"","block_context":{"text":"National News","link":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/category\/national-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/mohran.jpg","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/mohran.jpg 1x, https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/mohran.jpg 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":14957,"url":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/mamdani-travels-to-uganda-in-break-from-new-york-campaign\/","url_meta":{"origin":15327,"position":2},"title":"Mamdani Travels to Uganda in Break From New York Campaign\u00a0","author":"UgandaUpdate","date":"July 21, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Democratic mayoral nominee Zohran Mamadani is embarking on a trip to Uganda to celebrate his wedding, he announced Sunday \u2014 six weeks after indicating he would not take any foreign trips if elected mayor. Mamdani, who was born in Uganda and lived there until the age of five, announced the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "National News"","block_context":{"text":"National News","link":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/category\/national-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":16495,"url":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/the-rev-jesse-jackson-pioneering-civil-rights-activist-and-racial-pathfinder-dies-at-84\/","url_meta":{"origin":15327,"position":3},"title":"The Rev. Jesse Jackson, pioneering civil rights activist and racial \u2018pathfinder,\u2019 dies at 84","author":"UgandaUpdate","date":"February 17, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"The Rev. Jesse Louis Jackson, the towering civil rights leader whose moral vision and fiery oratory reshaped the Democratic Party and America,\u00a0has died, his son said. He was 84. Jackson, a prot\u00e9g\u00e9 of the Rev. 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