Zohran Mamdani’s victory as a democratic socialist in New York City is an odd one as analysts try to tease out lessons for next year’s midterm elections and forecast who will end up controlling Congress.
“It’s a weird situation,” said pollster James Johnson, who pointed out that Mr Mamdani’ main challenger was Andrew Cuomo, a former Democrat running as an independent. “It’s not Republican versus Democrat, so I don’t think we can learn anything from that.”
Yet the stunning victory will have delighted two sets of political campaigners: Mr Mamdani’s supporters and Republican strategists around the country.
The National Republican Congressional Committee, for example, immediately set out its plan for the midterms and the way it would tie Democratic candidates to Mr Mamdani’s radical politics.
“Every House Democrat is foolishly complicit in their party’s collapse, and voters will make them pay in 2026,” said spokesman Mike Marinella.
