Nov. 5, 2025

Who Is Zohran Mamdani? The 34-Year-Old Socialist Who Just Shocked New York—and Trump

Show Notes
Transcript

Democrats just handed Donald Trump the political beating of his second term. In New York, 34-year-old democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani toppled Andrew Cuomo’s comeback bid and made history as the city’s first Muslim mayor. Out west, Gavin Newsom passed Prop 50—the so-called “Election Rigging Response Act”—to out-maneuver Trump’s redistricting games. Meanwhile in Virginia and New Jersey, pragmatic Democrats Abigail Spanberger and Mikie Sherrill cruised to double-digit wins while every Trump-backed candidate went down in flames. From coast to coast, voters sent a message loud enough for even Truth Social to hear: America’s done playing along.

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WEBVTT

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Callaroga shark media from America, where if you were running

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as a Republican last night, you probably lost. This is ballot,

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that's right. But think of all the cool, free stuff

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that's magically paid for you're gonna get in New York City,

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let's hit this. I'm Patrick Gutfield, and Democrats swept Tuesday's elections,

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winning everything from New York City to California. Voters delivered

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a report card on President Trump's second term, and let's

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just say he's not making the honor role. In New York,

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thirty four year old Democratic socialist Zoron Mamdani beat Independent

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Andrew Cuomo and Republican Curtis Sliwa with more than fifty

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percent of the vote. Cuomo is the former governor and

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son of former Governor Mario Cuomo. Mamdanni is a state

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assemblyman from Queens, New York. Looked at a political dynasty

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versus a guy nobody heard of six months ago and

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said we'll take the new guy. That's how unpopular din

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have become. Mom Donnie gave a victory speech where he said,

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my friends, we have toppled a political dynasty. Then he

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wished Cuomo well in private life. And promised never to

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say his name again, which is a bold move considering

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he just said it twice in one sentence. Meanwhile, across

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the country, in California, Governor Gavin Newsom passed Prop fifty,

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a ballot measure that lets California redraw its congressional districts

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to elect more Democrats. It passed by roughly thirty percentage points.

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Here's what happened this summer. Trump pushed Republican state legislators

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to redraw congressional districts five years early to help the

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GOP win more House seats. In twenty twenty six, Texas

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went first. Newsom saw that and said, oh, we're playing

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that game. Hold my kombucha. He introduced Prop fifty, also

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known as the Election Rigging Response Act, which is an

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incredible name because it's completely honest about what it does.

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Texas could gain five House seats from their redistricting. California's

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plan could flip five red districts blue. Newsom told NBC

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news Trump's changing the rules, he did not expect California

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to fight fire with fire. Translation, you cheat, we cheat.

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Welcome to politics. In twenty twenty five, Newsom is reportedly

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eyeing a twenty twenty eight presidential run. So this is

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basically his audition reel for Democrats who fight back. His

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closing argument Tuesday night was that Democrats can de facto

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en Donald Trump's presidency. The Minute speaker Jakeim Jeffries get

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sworn in, that's not over confident at all. Now Democrats

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in Virginia, Illinois, Maryland, and New York are all pursuing

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similar redistricting plans. We are in a full on redistricting

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arms race. Pretty soon every state is going to look

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like a roar shock test designed by someone having a

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panic attack. Then there are the governor's races. In Virginia,

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former Congresswoman Abigail Spamberger won by double digits. She's a

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forty six year old former CIA officer who calls herself

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a passionate pragmatist, which sounds like someone who really means

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it when they say I will find you. Spanberger focused

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on the cost of living, especially relevant in Virginia, where

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many residents work for the federal government, you know, the

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one Trump has been cutting. She said, Virginia's economy doesn't

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work when Washington treats our Virginia workers as expendable Her opponent,

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Lieutenant Governor Winsome Earl Sears, ran on culture war issues

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like transgender rights. Spanberger talked about grocery prices. Spanburger won shocking.

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Zoran Mamdani was elected Tuesday as New York City's one

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hundred eleventh mayor, making history as the city's first Muslim mayor,

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first South Asian mayor, and youngest mayor in more than

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a century. He's thirty four years old. The last time

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New York had a mayor this young, people were still

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getting around on horses. Mamdannie secured more than fifty percent

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of the vote. Former Governor Andrew Cuomo finished second with

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just over forty percent. Republican Curtis Sliwa got just over

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seven percent, which in New York politics is what we

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call ouch. When Mom Donnie launched his campaign last fall,

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he was a relatively unknown state lawmaker from Queen's His

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platform was all about affordability. Freeze rents on rent stabilized units,

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build more affordable housing, raise the minimum wage to thirty

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dollars an hour, make buses free, and tax the wealthy

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to pay for it. Basically, he ran on making New

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York livable for people who aren't hedge fund managers revolutionary stuff.

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His campaign was fueled by small dollar donations, tens of

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thousands of volunteers, and a savvy social media presence. In June,

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he beat Cuomo in the Democratic primary by nearly thirteen points,

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shocking the city's political establishment. Cuomo had resigned as governor

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in twenty twenty one after more than a dozen women

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accused him of sexual harassment, allegations he's denied. After losing

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the primary, Cuomo decided to stay in the race as

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an independent, attempting a political comeback. Spoiler alert, it didn't work.

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Throughout the campaign, Mamdanni and Cuomo sparred constantly. Mamdannie accused

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Cuomo of being beholden to wealthy donors and serving corporate interests.

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Cuomo dismissed Mamdania's too inexperienced to lead the city. New

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Yorkers heard both arguments and picked the inexperienced guy. That

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should tell you something about how they felt about the

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experienced guy. Mamdani drew support from Bernie Sanders and Alexandria

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Ocasio Cortes, who appeared with him at rallies. He also

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got endorsements from Representative Jerry Nadler, Attorney General Letitia James,

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and Governor Kathy O'Toole, who endorsed him despite quote policy differences,

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which in politics means I don't agree with him, but

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I really don't want the other guy to win. House

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Minority Leader Hakim Jeffries finally endorsed Mamdanni less than two

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weeks before election day, ending months of pressure. Both New

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York Senators Chuck Schumer and Kirsten g Lebrand notably did

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not endorse anyone. They must have been very busy that week.

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Every week for months, the race got ugly. Mamdanni faced

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attacks about his age, experience and progressive agenda. He also

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came under fire for criticizing the Israeli government and supporting

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Palestinian rights. Republican Representative Elise Stephanik A Trump ally called

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him a jie hottiest candidate for mayor very subtle. In October,

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a conservative radio host set on air that Mamdanni would

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be cheering if another nine to eleven happened. Cuomo laughed

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along with the comment. Mamdanni called the exchange disgusting and racist.

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Cuomo presumably called it Tuesday. Earlier in the campaign, a

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super pac supporting Cuomo put out a proposed flier featuring

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an image of Mamdani that appeared manipulated to make his

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beard look darker, longer, and thicker. Mamdanni accused them of

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blatant Islamophobia. The super Pac presumably said, wow, what, we

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were just adjusting the contrast. Donald Trump got involved too,

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calling Mam Donnie a radical and a communist. On Monday,

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the day before the election, Trump endorsed Cuomo and said

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that if Mam Donni won, it would be highly unlikely

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that the city would receive federal funds other than the

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very minimum as required. So Trump threatened to withhold money

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from New York City if they didn't vote the way

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he wanted. That's not authoritarian at all. Whether you personally

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like Andrew Cuomo or not, you really have no choice,

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Trump wrote on truth Social You must vote for him.

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New Yorkers voted for mam Donnie anyway. Billionaire Elon Musk

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also urged New Yorkers to vote for Cuomo on Monday,

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So Mam Donnie had Trump and Musk against him. That's

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the kind of endorsement you can't buy. Well, actually, Musk

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could probably buy it, but you know what I mean.

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Mam Donnie was born in Uganda to Indian parents. He

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moved to New York City with his family when he

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was seven and became a US citizen in twenty eighteen.

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In July, Trump raised the possibility of revoking Mama Donni's citizenship.

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Mam Donnie denounced it as an attack on our democracy,

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but an attempt to send a message to every New

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Yorker who refuses to hide in the shadows. If you

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speak up, they will come for you. Despite all the attacks,

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or maybe because of them, Ma'm donnie. One. The Guardian

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reported in August that his campaign inspired more than ten

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thousand progressives across the country to consider running for office.

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Turns out, getting called a communist by Trump and attacked

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by billionaires is pretty good for grassroots organizing. Shortly after

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the race was called in his favor, Mam Donnie posted

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a video on x of subway doors opening, with the

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conductor saying over the loudspeaker, the next and last stop

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is city hall. That's how you do a victory post

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in New Jersey, Congresswoman Mikey Cheryl also won by double digits.

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She's a fifty three year old former Navy pilot who

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proposed declaring a state of emergency for public utilities and

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freezing electric bills. Her opponent was Jack Chitarelli, who Trump endorsed.

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Chitarelly also went heavy on culture war stuff. Exit polls

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showed voters cared most about affordability. Who could have seen

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that coming besides, literally everyone's paying for groceries. So here's

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the big question facing Democrats. Are they now the party

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of Mam Donnie's democratic socialism and Newsome's aggressive redistricting or

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are they the party of moderate pragmatists like Cheryl and Spanberger.

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Tuesday's answer was both, which isn't really a strategy so

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much as a we'll take whatever works. But all three

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Democratic wins had one thing in common. They hammered Trump

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on the economy. The latest yahoo you gov poll shows

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sixty percent of Americans disapprove of how Trump is handling

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the economy. Fifty six percent think the economy is getting worse,

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seventy six percent say grocery prices are rising, fifty six

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percent say Trump's tariffs are making things worse. Trump promised

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to bring ice is down an end inflation on day one.

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That was ten months ago. Milk still costs what it costs.

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People have noticed Mamdani's solution government owned grocery stores, rent freezes,

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free bus fairs, free childcare for kids six weeks to

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five years old, and raising the minimum wage to thirty

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dollars by twenty thirty. He'd pay for it by taxing

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corporations and millionaires. That's not a platform, that's a wish

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list to Sanna, written by Bernie Sanders, Cheryl and Spanberger

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had more modest proposals, freezing electric bills, cutting costs, problem

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solving over partisanship. Spanberger said, Virginia chose pragmatism over partisanship.

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We chose our commonwealth over chaos. The election was a

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test of Trump's influence. Less than a year into his

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second term, he personally intervened in these races, endorsing Cuomo

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in New York, Chitarelli in New Jersey, hosting telephone rallies.

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He lost every single one. Conservative commentator Eric Eric sas

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And had the most brutal take. Trump cannot turn out

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the vote unless he is on the ballot, and that

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is never happening again. So Democrats are feeling good. They

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swept the major races. They're redistricting like their lives depend

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on it. They've got progressive populists winning in New York

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and moderate pragmatists winning in Virginia and New Jersey. The

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only thing they haven't figured out is whether they agree

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on anything, but hey, they've got until next November to

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work that out. Portions of today's show were made with

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the help of people who voted and Ai