A few days ago, the godfather of American democratic socialism, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), held a rally with New York City’s democratic socialist mayor, Zohran Mamdani, supporting three democratic socialists running for the U.S. House of Representatives in New York City districts.
Under the banner of “Our Team/Our Year,” meaning democratic socialists in 2026, Sanders boasted, “In the last eight months, progressive, democratic socialist candidates all over this country have been winning major victories.”
Bernie is correct. Moreover, democratic socialism has momentum, money, and star power.
Mayor Mamdani, a socialist superstar on social media, excited the crowd as he touted his “movement to usher in a new era for our city.”
He described democratic socialism as “the future.” He announced the end of the Blue Dog Democrat era. He demanded that the “Democratic Party must change.”
Mamdani believes the Democratic Party will soon become the Democratic Socialist Party.
In New York City, the Democratic establishment certainly seems to be running on fumes. Sen. Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) are like political zombies in the Big Apple. They have no real power, influence, or clout at the local level.
Mamdani has a monopoly on political credibility and messaging. Plus, he’s very popular, likable, a good orator, and smiles a lot.
Mamdani’s decision to endorse and appear on the campaign stump for the three democratic socialist candidates demonstrates the sheer confidence he has that New York City has embraced democratic socialism.
While that may be true, it is also worth noting exactly how radical these three candidates are, seeing as how they could become members of Congress.
Meet former New York City Comptroller Brad Lander, who is running in the 10th House District, Democratic socialist state Assembly Member Claire Valdez, who is running for the 7th House District, and Darializa Avila Chevalier, who is running for the 13th House District.
Lander is challenging Rep. Dan Goldman (D-NY), a so-called moderate.
According to his campaign website, Lander supports abolishing ICE, expanding the Supreme Court, social and public housing, Medicare for All, universal childcare, the Green New Deal, and wealth taxes.
“We’ve had it, corporate Democrats,” Lander said. “It’s time for politics of solidarity,” he declared.
Valdez is running against Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso. Although Reynoso is far from moderate, Valdez could be the most far-left member of Congress.
Valdez supports unions for all, housing for all, Medicare for all, abolishing ICE, transit for all, the Green New Deal, a federal AI and data center moratorium, and “free” education at every stage of life.
Like Lander, Avila Chevalier is in a race against an incumbent, establishment, supposedly moderate Democrat, Rep. Adriano Espaillat (D-NY).
Avila Chevalier’s democratic socialist bona fides need not be questioned. Her Day 1 Agenda includes: “Homes Act to build deeply affordable public housing, cooperatives, and community land trusts with rent caps and other protections for tenants,” “Green New Deal to transition to a 100% clean energy economy with high-wage union jobs and a livable world for everyone,” “universal child care nationwide,” “tuition-free community college,” “Medicare for All Act so everyone has health insurance including dental, vision, and hearing aids,” and much more.
It goes without saying that the huge expansion of government services that all three advocate for is totally unaffordable.
This year, total U.S. government spending is $7.1 trillion and counting.
The U.S. national debt is $38.2 trillion and increasing every second.
The debt to GDP ratio is 122 percent, nearly double what it was in 2000.
The federal deficit is $1.6 trillion and counting. The Congressional Budget Office projects annual multi-trillion-dollar deficits over the next decade.
Most ominously, this year, the federal government has paid more than $1 trillion in debt service.
Annual interest payments on the national debt exceed total military spending and don’t sit far behind Medicare/Medicaid and Social Security in the overall government spending pie.
Meanwhile, nobody talks much about the fact that state and local governments are also facing major math problems with their budgets.
State governments have accumulated more than $1 trillion in debt, whereas local governments have spent more than $2.2 trillion beyond their means.
This state and local spending charade can last only so long. Unfortunately, the day of reckoning was likely prolonged by the odious emergency spending during the COVID-19 panic.
Remember, the federal government sent hundreds of billions of dollars, in many cases with no strings attached, to keep towns and cities afloat after the federal government decided it could stop the spread.
Well, in most cases, those funds have dried up. So have the billions handed out by the Biden administration under the Inflation Reduction Act and American Rescue Plan.
So, states like New York and cities like the Big Apple are facing bankruptcy. What is the next logical step?
Get a bunch of democratic socialists in Congress, pave the way for a democratic socialist in the Oval Office, initiate modern monetary theory, and bask in the utopia you have created.
If only it were that easy.
I have a much better idea for NYC and the nation, as we stand on the cusp of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.
We declare independence from devious and despicable democratic socialism, which is inherently anti-freedom and therefore un-American, for the next 250 years.
Chris Talgo (ctalgo@heartland.org) is editorial director at The Heartland Institute.
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