‘Free-good promises sound good, don't work': Ex-AOC supporter sounds alarm for Zohran Mamdani's youth base

Time of India

6 hours ago

AOC (left), Zohran Mamdani (AP)
A former supporter of Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has issued a strong warning to young New York City voters following socialist
Zohran Mamdani
's win in the Democratic primary.
In a video posted on X, Lucy Biggers said,'If I was 25, I would've been obsessed with Zohran,'
'Now I'm 35, and I've grown up.
The feel-good promises of free college, free food, free housing might sound great, but they don't work,' she added.
She goes on to share her opinion that socialist policies drive wealthy residents away, making the cities poorer, leading to higher taxes for those who remain, with few benefits in return.
Biggers, a media professional, says she played a key role in transforming AOC from a little-known figure into a political powerhouse in 2018.
'I met AOC when she was basically a nobody. And I really thought she had something special going on, so I booked her for an interview at our studios,' Biggers told The New York Post.
She created a viral video for the media outlet NowThis, which Ocasio-Cortez's campaign eventually paid to promote on social media.
'They downloaded it, and they used it as a campaign asset… they used it as a digital ad,' said Biggers, who now works with The Free Press as social media editor.
by Taboola
by Taboola
Sponsored Links
Sponsored Links
Promoted Links
Promoted Links
You May Like
Doutor: Manter a massa muscular após os 50 anos depende deste hábito noturno
Revista do Homem
Saiba Mais
Undo
Back in 2018, AOC sent shock waves across the American political landscape when she defeated 10-term incumbent Representative Joe Crowley in the Democratic primaries for the 14th Congressional district of New York. Later that November she went on to win the midterm elections.
'The video got her message out. At that time, no one cared about AOC, she was not on cable news,' Biggers recalled.
Seven years later, Biggers, now a mother of two and a homeowner in Connecticut, has started to see things differently.
She said the pandemic and the effects of government spending were major turning points for her.
'As you grow up, you start to see the world less black and white. You can't sell this bill of goods that promises to create a utopia in America,' said Biggers, who works in the city.
'There's a glorification of socialism among young people. They don't know what happened in Cuba, Venezuela, the USSR. They glamorize these countries and are indoctrinated into thinking the US is bad.
It's very naive… it's embarrassing,' she said, talking about her own views back in time..
She went on to add that while the voter enthusiasm for Mamdani is genuine, it's completely misguided.
'It's young people who want to make a change. And he ran a really great campaign honestly,' she said.
'But I just think it's selling a fantasy that ultimately doesn't work.'