The Movement That Won New York is Coming to Vermont

Tonight we celebrate NYC Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani’s victory. 

Not long ago, Zohran was a state assemblymember the media and party leaders brushed off as a “fringe socialist.” They said his ideas were too radical. They said movements like his couldn’t build power. But he proved them wrong. He built a campaign powered by renters, workers, and neighbors who believe that the government should actually make life better. Not just manage decline. 

Image source: Angela Weiss / AFP via Getty Images

His victory marks a historic shift. It shows that Democratic Socialism isn’t some fringe movement. It’s a growing force for change grounded in economic justice. Zohran’s campaign built power block by block, neighbor by neighbor, speaking to the daily struggles of working people and offering a vision for a more affordable, livable city. That message has resonated far beyond New York. 

There are two important take-aways from this election victory. First, that the working class is fed up with politics as usual. With stagnant wages, out-of-control rent, and the concentration of wealth in the hands of the few, we can no longer put up with the status quo. Zohran’s campaign was anchored on a message of affordability, a message that resonates everywhere, not just the five boroughs. His win puts the political class on notice.

Second, we saw that the establishment’s attempts to divide us did just the opposite. Zohran campaigned as a proud Democratic Socialist, a Ugandan-born Muslim, and a supporter of Palestinian liberation. Earlier this year, that was enough for corporate politicians to dismiss his electability and fearmonger. However, despite constant smears, Zohran’s campaign mobilized a wide-reaching coalition, the biggest in NYC history.

Here in Vermont, this win is a call to action. And it’s just the beginning.

Green Mountain DSA is organizing to bring this movement to every corner of our state. Between now and Town Meeting Day, and through the 2026 elections, we’re focused on building worker power, recruiting candidates, and challenging incumbents who’ve gone silent while Vermonters struggle to make ends meet. 

This moment shows us that transformative politics isn’t naive or unrealistic, as the establishment likes to say. Rather, it’s inevitable when we organize together and refuse to accept the narrow limits set by the donor class and consultants who’ve dictated the terms of our politics for too long. 

Zohran’s win is the beginning of a movement that’s spreading. Vermont is next.