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Al Jazeera
26-06-2025
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
Mamdani's New York victory boosts pro-Palestine politics in US
Mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani has bold plans for New York City. He wants to establish city-owned grocery stores, build more homes, make buses free and freeze rents for subsidised tenants. But in the lead-up to the Democratic primary on Tuesday, his opponents and media outlets seemed more concerned by his views on the conflict between Israel and Palestine. He is a defender of Palestinian rights who has decried Israeli abuses and echoed the assessment of rights groups that Israel's assault on Gaza is a genocide. Mamdani did not back down from his positions, and he won, edging out former Governor Andrew Cuomo, who had more institutional support and was backed by record spending. Mamdani's supporters say his victory could be an inflection point in United States politics that shows the electoral viability of left-wing policies and support for Palestinian rights. 'It's monumental,' said Usamah Andrabi, spokesperson for the progressive group Justice Democrats. 'The sky is the limit for true progressives who are willing to unite the working class against billionaires and corporate super PACs while still refusing to compromise on issues as large as a genocide.' While the official results are not yet final, Mamdani leads Cuomo by more than seven percentage points with nearly every vote counted, all but securing the nomination. His lead is expected to grow with subsequent rounds of counting in the city's ranked-choice voting system. Cuomo has conceded defeat, and Mamdani has declared victory, putting him on the path to be the next mayor of the largest city in the US. New York is overwhelmingly Democratic, so as the party's nominee, he is likely to comfortably prevail in the general election in November — an outcome that seemed impossible when he was polling at 1 percent in February. 'He refused to back down' Savvy with digital media, charismatic and approachable, Mamdani — a 33-year-old state legislator — started to grow his base with viral videos and grassroots campaigning on the streets of New York. After the presidential election in November of last year, Mamdani spoke to Donald Trump's supporters and non-voters, who voiced frustration with status quo politics. He then presented them with his own platform. In a video segment he filmed, some of them said they would back him for mayor. Mamdani's supporters say he also excelled in amassing an army of thousands of volunteers, who knocked on doors to spread the word about his campaign. Heba Gowayed, a sociology professor at the City University of New York (CUNY), said many young people were drawn to Mamdani and got involved in his campaign because of his opposition to Israeli policies. 'The fact that he refused to back down from his position on Palestine is huge,' Gowayed told Al Jazeera. 'In an atmosphere where we've been told that holding that position is politically disqualifying, it was a movement that not only insisted on this position but was, in a sense, predicated on it.' She added that, if Mamdani had flipped to appease critics, he would have lost the support and enthusiasm that put him over the finish line. But Mamdani's support for Palestinian 'likely bolstered his campaign', she said. Mamdani faced seemingly insurmountable odds in his campaign for the Democratic nomination. Not only did he lack funding early on, but his name recognition was also low. Few voters seemed to know who he was, compared with the candidate he was running against: Cuomo, a former governor from a political dynasty in New York. Cuomo's father had also served as governor, and in the lead-up to Tuesday's race, he had amassed endorsements from key figures in the national Democratic Party, including former President Bill Clinton and lawmaker Jim Clyburn. Mamdani, meanwhile, was endorsed by the local branch of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA). That is what makes Mamdani's win stunning for his supporters. It appeared to be a David and Goliath battle, a clash of the old guard and the new. 'The old guard personified was beaten by a democratic socialist, a young, pro-Palestinian brown Muslim kid who had 1 percent name recognition as of February,' Gowayed said. 'It is absolutely phenomenal and remarkable.' Born in Uganda to parents of Indian descent, Mamdani has been serving in the state assembly since 2021. Many viewed the face-off between Cuomo and Mamdani as a reflection of the years-long arm-wrestling between progressives and centrists in the Democratic Party. The debate over Palestinian rights and the US's unquestioning support for Israel has been a core issue in that fight. Cuomo's focus on Israel As a state legislator, Mamdani had been vocal in his opposition to Israel's military campaign in Gaza, which has killed at least 56,077 Palestinians. He even led a hunger strike outside the White House in November 2023 to demand an end to the war. But as he launched his campaign for mayor, his focus was on local issues. Still, Cuomo — who resigned as governor in 2021 over sexual harassment allegations — tried to make Mamdani's position on Israel and Palestine a central issue in the campaign. Earlier this month, the former governor suggested that calling out Israeli abuses contributes to attacks against Jewish Americans. The target of his message appeared to be Mamdani. 'Hate foments hate. The anti-Israel rhetoric of 'genocide,' 'war criminals,' and 'murderers' must stop. It is spreading like a cancer through the body politic,' Cuomo said in a social media post after a fire attack injured 15 people at a pro-Israel rally in Colorado. The former governor is part of the defence team representing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes charges in Gaza, including the use of starvation as a weapon of war. When Mamdani and some of his fellow candidates, including City Comptroller Brad Lander, campaigned jointly against Cuomo, the former governor invoked Israel. 'How does … a Brad Lander support Zohran Mamdani, support his positions on Israel, support his statements on Israel?' Cuomo said. Lander, who is Jewish, went on to cross-endorse Mamdani, and the two candidates encouraged their supporters to rank them both highly on their ballots. A pro-Cuomo election group, known as a super PAC, has also focused on Mamdani's positions on the Israel-Palestine conflict. Dubbed Fix the City, the super PAC received $500,000 from pro-Israel billionaire and Trump supporter Bill Ackman. Former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, another staunch Israel supporter, contributed a whopping $8m to the group. Media outlets also scrutinised Mamdani's view on Israel. He was repeatedly asked about foreign policy, including whether Israel has a right to exist as a Jewish state and whether he would visit Israel as mayor. 'A turning point' Beth Miller, the political director of the advocacy group Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) Action, said Cuomo miscalculated by trying to make the race about Mamdani's views on the Middle East conflict. The Democratic base has been increasingly moving away from unconditional support for Israel, especially amid the atrocities in Gaza. A Pew Research Center survey in April showed that 69 percent of Democratic respondents indicated unfavourable views towards Israel. 'Cuomo is part of an old dinosaur way of thinking about politics,' Miller told Al Jazeera. JVP Action endorsed Mamdani at the outset of his campaign. Miller said that, while his campaign was rooted in making New York affordable, his progressive politics are based on upholding the humanity of all people, including Palestinians. 'Cuomo was counting on the idea that Zohran's support for Palestinian rights would be a liability for him, but what last night showed was that that's not true,' Miller said. 'And in fact, what I witnessed and what I saw was that his support for Palestinian rights was an asset to his campaign. It mobilised young voters. It mobilised a lot of progressive Jewish voters and Muslim voters and many, many others.' In recent years, pro-Israel groups, including the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), have poured record amounts of money into Democratic primaries to defeat progressives. In the last election cycle, they managed to help oust two Democratic Congress members who were critical of Israel: Jamaal Bowman and Cori Bush. Progressive advocates say they hope that Mamdani's win will help turn the tide in their favour. 'We are finally seeing a turning point,' said Andrabi of Justice Democrats. 'AIPAC likes to say supporting Israel is good policy and good politics. I think what has become extremely clear at this point is that supporting apartheid Israel is bad policy and bad politics.'
The Hill
17-06-2025
- Politics
- The Hill
Sanders backs progressive challenger to Thanedar
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) has declared his support for a progressive primary challenger to Rep. Shri Thanedar (D-Mich.), his first primary endorsement against an incumbent for the upcoming cycle. Sanders announced his support for Michigan state Rep. Donavan McKinney (D) on Tuesday, giving him his second congressional endorsement after Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) endorsed him last month. Sanders said in a statement that McKinney understands the struggles that working class communities are facing in Detroit and across the country because he's experienced them himself. 'A former union leader, he has dedicated his life to standing with working people, and is ready to lead the struggle against Donald Trump, the oligarchy, and the corporate interests who prioritize profits over people,' Sanders said. 'I'm urging all Michiganders to join me in supporting Donavan's campaign.' Progressives are targeting Thanedar after he fended off a primary challenge last year despite facing heightened scrutiny from the left. But they're hoping to be successful this time in Michigan's 13th Congressional District. McKinney has gone after Thanedar over his significant wealth and is seeking to depict him as an out-of-touch millionaire. He compared the two-term congressman to President Trump and Elon Musk in his campaign launch video and slammed the large amounts of money he lent himself during his last campaign. 'Senator Sanders has long been a progressive champion for working class Americans, and I am honored to receive his endorsement,' McKinney said in a statement. 'His political courage and his commitment to doing the right thing — even when it's unpopular, even when it's hard, even if he's alone — are a true inspiration to me, as is his commitment to fighting for a more just, more equal America.' Thanedar initially ran as a progressive for his House seat in 2022 but has faced attacks from the left over his self-funding and other issues. He's maintained that he hasn't changed politically and remains popular in his district. McKinney has also received support from the progressive group Justice Democrats.
Yahoo
05-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Centrist Democrats are convinced they hold the answers to their party's problems
Democrats are still staring down bleak polling numbers about their party's brand, even as President Donald Trump's favorability also has dropped. The answer to Democrats' troubles at WelcomeFest, the moderate Democrats' Coachella, include: purity tests are toxic, being unpopular on the social media site Bluesky is cool and winning again means running to the center. That's the gospel speakers preached on stage Wednesday in the basement of a Washington, D.C., hotel, where hundreds of centrist elected officials, candidates and operatives gathered to commiserate over the 2024 election results and chart their version of the path forward for the Democratic Party. 'There's a hunger for people to work together, to try to find solutions and to talk in common sense terms,' said Rep. Tom Suozzi (D-N.Y.), who won a much-heralded special election in 2024 by calling out his own party on immigration policies. 'I think that there's a lot more elected officials that are willing to speak up about that because they don't want to lose,' Suozzi told reporters after his appearance. Wednesday's daylong conference, which represented a who's-who of center-left Democratic politics, from analytics guru David Shor to Michigan Sen. Elissa Slotkin to New York Rep. Ritchie Torres, was the latest sign that moderate Democrats believe they are ascendant in the party, looking to influence its posture heading into the 2026 midterms and 2028 presidential primary. Seven of the 12 House Democrats who won in Trump districts last year participated in the event, including Reps. Jared Golden of Maine, Marie Gluesenkamp Perez of Washington and Adam Gray of California. 'Most Americans are Blue Dogs,' Gluesenkamp told writer Matt Yglesias, and noted only 10 Democrats remain in the once-robust Blue Dog Caucus. 'Politics has become irrelevant to most people because it has excluded the things that touch their life. It's about making politics more relevant to more people.' But the rifts within the Democratic Party are still evident. Speakers railed against progressive groups like Justice Democrats, Our Revolution and Indivisible, who they said forced the party into unwinnable positions — and weren't focused on winning majorities. 'When you read the documents of the national Indivisible group, they spell it right out, as plain as day, that they're throwing out the Blue Dogs and New Dems,' said Golden. 'Their goal is to divide the Democratic coalition until they are 100 percent in the image of the progressive caucus.' Progressives, for their part, called WelcomeFest a 'convention of corporate ghouls' that represents 'a massive step backwards for a Democratic Party that just lost working-class voters at a historic level,' said Usamah Andrabi, Justice Democrats communications director. 'Everyday people are not interested in elitist, technocratic, piecemeal solutions to the massive crises they're facing. They just rejected that exact Democratic Party in November,' Andrabi said. 'Voters want to see a Democratic Party that unites the working class against the handful of billionaires and corporations robbing them blind.' Andrabi also noted that Justice Democrats focus on safe Democratic House primaries, not competitive seats. Liam Kerr, a co-founder of Welcome PAC, which launched in 2022, said now that the 'leftist fever dreams died down,' they're growing a movement with 'a sense of, 'We need to think differently, we need to do things differently.'" "It's attracting a lot of people who are kind of a full generation behind the last wave of centrist Democratic entrepreneurs,' Kerr added. Data analyst Lakshya Jain kicked off the opening presentation by arguing that Janelle Stelson, a Democrat who challenged Rep. Scott Perry (R-Pa.), was a better performing candidate than Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) in 2024. 'This seems like a really controversial idea on Twitter, but I suggest that the Democratic Party take lessons on how to win elections and how to win voters from people who have won more votes than most other Democrats,' Jain said to applause. 'If we run candidates that D.C. finds appealing, we're probably going to lose. There's an inverse correlation between what you guys all find appealing and what the median voter finds appealing.' And like any other Democratic event in 2025, WelcomeFest was interrupted by protesters, who shouted at Torres during his interview. They were played off by the producers of the event, who blasted Carly Simon's 'You're So Vain.'
Politico
04-06-2025
- Politics
- Politico
Centrist Democrats are convinced they hold the answers to their party's problems
Democrats are still staring down bleak polling numbers about their party's brand, even as President Donald Trump's favorability also has dropped. The answer to Democrats' troubles at WelcomeFest, the moderate Democrats' Coachella, include: purity tests are toxic, being unpopular on the social media site Bluesky is cool and winning again means running to the center. That's the gospel speakers preached on stage Wednesday in the basement of a Washington, D.C., hotel, where hundreds of centrist elected officials, candidates and operatives gathered to commiserate over the 2024 election results and chart their version of the path forward for the Democratic Party. 'There's a hunger for people to work together, to try to find solutions and to talk in common sense terms,' said Rep. Tom Suozzi (D-N.Y.), who won a much-heralded special election in 2024 by calling out his own party on immigration policies. 'I think that there's a lot more elected officials that are willing to speak up about that because they don't want to lose,' Suozzi told reporters after his appearance. Wednesday's daylong conference, which represented a who's-who of center-left Democratic politics, from analytics guru David Shor to Michigan Sen. Elissa Slotkin to New York Rep. Ritchie Torres, was the latest sign that moderate Democrats believe they are ascendant in the party, looking to influence its posture heading into the 2026 midterms and 2028 presidential primary. Seven of the 12 House Democrats who won in Trump districts last year participated in the event, including Reps. Jared Golden of Maine, Marie Gluesenkamp Perez of Washington and Adam Gray of California. 'Most Americans are Blue Dogs,' Gluesenkamp told writer Matt Yglesias, and noted only 10 Democrats remain in the once-robust Blue Dog Caucus. 'Politics has become irrelevant to most people because it has excluded the things that touch their life. It's about making politics more relevant to more people.' But the rifts within the Democratic Party are still evident. Speakers railed against progressive groups like Justice Democrats, Our Revolution and Indivisible, who they said forced the party into unwinnable positions — and weren't focused on winning majorities. 'When you read the documents of the national Indivisible group, they spell it right out, as plain as day, that they're throwing out the Blue Dogs and New Dems,' said Golden. 'Their goal is to divide the Democratic coalition until they are 100 percent in the image of the progressive caucus.' Progressives, for their part, called WelcomeFest a 'convention of corporate ghouls' that represents 'a massive step backwards for a Democratic Party that just lost working-class voters at a historic level,' said Usamah Andrabi, Justice Democrats communications director. 'Everyday people are not interested in elitist, technocratic, piecemeal solutions to the massive crises they're facing. They just rejected that exact Democratic Party in November,' Andrabi said. 'Voters want to see a Democratic Party that unites the working class against the handful of billionaires and corporations robbing them blind.' Andrabi also noted that Justice Democrats focus on safe Democratic House primaries, not competitive seats. Liam Kerr, a co-founder of Welcome PAC, which launched in 2022, said now that the 'leftist fever dreams died down,' they're growing a movement with 'a sense of, 'We need to think differently, we need to do things differently.'' 'It's attracting a lot of people who are kind of a full generation behind the last wave of centrist Democratic entrepreneurs,' Kerr added. Data analyst Lakshya Jain kicked off the opening presentation by arguing that Janelle Stelson, a Democrat who challenged Rep. Scott Perry (R-Pa.), was a better performing candidate than Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) in 2024. 'This seems like a really controversial idea on Twitter, but I suggest that the Democratic Party take lessons on how to win elections and how to win voters from people who have won more votes than most other Democrats,' Jain said to applause. 'If we run candidates that D.C. finds appealing, we're probably going to lose. There's an inverse correlation between what you guys all find appealing and what the median voter finds appealing.' And like any other Democratic event in 2025, WelcomeFest was interrupted by protesters, who shouted at Torres during his interview. They were played off by the producers of the event, who blasted Carly Simon's 'You're So Vain.'
14-05-2025
- Politics
Smart politics or a publicity stunt? The man behind the latest effort to impeach Donald Trump
LANSING, Mich. -- A Michigan congressman is charging ahead — largely without support from his own party — in his attempt to impeach President Donald Trump, a move that comes as the congressman faces political trouble at home. Second-term U.S. Rep. Shri Thanedar has introduced seven articles of impeachment against the Republican president. Thanedar, who represents a safely Democratic Detroit-area district, is facing multiple primary challengers for a second time as some Democrats seek to shake up the party following the 2024 election. Here's the background. Thanedar, 70, represents Michigan's 13th Congressional District, a solidly Democratic district in Detroit. He easily won reelection in the November general election. Previously, he lost the Democratic gubernatorial primary to current Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in 2018 and then served one term in the state House of Representatives. An immigrant from India, Thanedar has said he is pushing an impeachment resolution because he feels compelled to defend the Constitution. He has put up advertisements in Michigan demanding that Congress impeach Trump. Thanedar was poised to force a vote on the resolution Wednesday, but backed down in the face of criticism from fellow Democrats. Still, Thanedar insisted he was not abandoning the effort and would seek to build more support. Thanedar beat eight other Democratic candidates for the party nomination in 2022 before he went on to win his first term in Congress in November of that year. The win, however, left the city of Detroit without Black representation in Congress for the first time since the 1950s — a notable omission for a city that is nearly 80% Black. Many prominent Black leaders of Wayne County and Michigan Democrats — including Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan — threw their support behind other primary candidates in 2024. One of his most viable competitors, state Sen. Adam Hollier, was kept off the ballot after election officials found that he had not submitted enough valid signatures. A businessman who made his career in the pharmaceutical and chemical world, Thanedar has poured millions of dollars of his own money into his political races, including $10 million on his unsuccessful run for governor. Two young Black Democrats, including Hollier, recently announced campaigns to unseat Thanedar in 2026. A spokesperson for Thanedar's campaign did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment about the incumbent's challengers. Michigan Rep. Donovan McKinney launched his campaign for the position about two weeks ago. He has the backing of Justice Democrats, a group known for helping to elect progressive members to Congress, and he earned the endorsement of U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib, who represents the neighboring 12th Congressional district. Thanedar's district features part of one of the largest Arab American populations in the U.S. Since the Israel-Hamas war, many of his constituents have decried his support for Israel. Tlaib, who represents the city of Dearborn, is the only Palestinian American in Congress and opposed the Biden and Trump administrations' unwavering support for Israel over the Gaza war. 'You all know I need a real partner in Washington, D.C. who will fight to represent and deliver for our Wayne County families,' Tlaib said in a video endorsing McKinney posted on social media Monday. Adrian Hemond, a Michigan-based political strategist, said the impeachment effort is likely to drive fundraising and mobilize support for Thanedar's primary race, even as it is destined to fail. The move may also be an attempt to 'box out' Thanedar's primary challengers from media attention early in the race, he said. 'So it's smart politics for him,' Hemond said. Hollier called the impeachment resolution a 'publicity stunt' in an interview with the Associated Press. He accused Thanedar of ignoring real needs of his district, such as veteran benefits and childcare. 'This is the kind of thing that Donald Trump wants Democrats to be doing,' Hollier said. Thanedar is expected to force a floor vote on the matter before the end of the day, but Republicans and possibly some Democrats will likely vote to table it. Given the Republican majority in Congress, almost certainly not. Thanedar's resolution is expected to fail in the House chamber if he calls it up for a vote. If impeachment gained traction — more likely if Democrats gained a majority in next year's midterm elections — it would represent a historic third time that Trump has faced efforts to impeach him after he was twice impeached during his first term as president — first in 2019 on charges related to withholding military aid to Ukraine as it confronted Russia and later on a charge of inciting insurrection over the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol by a mob of his supporters.
