Will a Mamdani Victory Push the Democrats Further Left?

This week, editors Peter Suderman, Katherine Mangu-Ward, Nick Gillespie, and Matt Welch discuss the upcoming New York City mayoral election and what a Zohran Mamdani victory could mean for both the city and national politics. They weigh the best-case/worst-case scenarios of a leftward turn in New York, asking whether Mamdani represents a lasting anti-AI socialist movement or simply the newest iteration of the Democratic big tent.

The editors then turn to the governor’s races in Virginia and New Jersey, where Democratic wins would signal continued strength for the party’s centrist wing. They examine a federal judge’s order requiring the government to keep SNAP funded during the ongoing shutdown, and then analyze Trump’s tariff case as it heads to the Supreme Court and what a ruling could mean for presidential trade powers. Finally, a listener asks whether libertarians who work in the defense industry are violating their principles or simply operating within the system as it exists.

0:00–The best-case scenario and worst-case scenario for a Mayor Mamdani

8:09–Gubernatorial races in New Jersey and Virginia

20:04–SNAP benefits and shutdown politics

29:32–Does the GOP have an Obamacare alternative?

34:57–Listener question on ethical contradictions

44:37–Tariffs case reaches the Supreme Court

55:05–Weekly cultural recommendation

Mentioned in This Podcast

“The Democratic Thrill for Mamdani Is a Tell,” by Matt Welch
“Will Democrats Find Their Way?” By Liz Wolfe
“Mamdani’s Socialist Mayorship Will Make New York a Worse Place To Live and Do Business,” by Nick Gillespie
“Zohran Mamdani’s $5 Billion Corporate Tax Hike Threatens NYC’s Status as the World’s Financial Capital,” by Filippo Borello
“3 Reasons Why Zohran Mamdani’s City-Run Grocery Stores Will Fail,” by Natalie Dowzicky
“New York City Is About To Elect a Socialist Mayor in Zohran Mamdani. Why Won’t This Failed Ideology Die?” By Zach Weissmueller
“About 1 in 5 Kids Are at Risk of Losing SNAP. Centralized Control Keeps Failing Low-Income Families.” By Romina Boccia and Tyler Turman
“SNAP Stops,” by Liz Wolfe

“In Tariff Case, Trump’s Attorneys Can’t Decide if Foreign Investment Is Good or Bad for America,” by Eric Boehm
“Trump Hopes To Bully SCOTUS Into Upholding His Tariffs,” by Damon Root
“Trump’s Tariff Tantrum Proves He Shouldn’t Have That Power,” by Joe Lancaster

“In Yorgos Lanthimos’ Bugonia, Elites Are Alien Creatures,” by Peter Suderman

“I’m Just A Shill (FT. Zohran),” by Andrew Cuomo

• Producer: Paul Alexander
• Video Editor: Ian Keyser