The Democratic Party establishment is old, weak, and corrupt. Mamdani benefited from being an anti-system candidate, and Cuomo was weighed down by being the poster boy of the establishment. Da The Nation
Zohran Mamdani made history Tuesday night in the New York City Democratic mayoral primary by trouncing not just Andrew Cuomo but the entire political and media establishment that had coalesced around the former governor. Mamdani won by beating expectations, beating the polls, beating the big money, beating the endorsements of the legendary political leaders and venerable institutions. This is a victory over an elite that has been viscerally hostile to Mamdani’s youthful energy and economics. Axios rightly calls this “an earthquake victory.” To be sure, Mamdani isn’t mayor yet.
