Example Image
Civitas Outlook
Topic
Politics
Published on
Nov 4, 2025
Contributors
Joel Kotkin

Zohran Mamdani’s rise is fuelled by generational resentment

Contributors
Joel Kotkin
Joel Kotkin
Senior Research Fellow
Joel Kotkin
Summary

Downwardly mobile Millennials, not blue-collar workers, are driving the new ‘socialism’.

Summary

Downwardly mobile Millennials, not blue-collar workers, are driving the new ‘socialism’.

Listen to this article

The likely election of Zohran Mamdani as New York City’s next mayor reflects a profound shift in generational politics. As the era of boomer domination finally draws to a close, a new cohort is bringing fresh energy to an already polarised landscape on both right and left – with potentially devastating results.

Diminishing economic prospects for younger workers have played a key role in undermining faith in free-market capitalism, making the case for socialism seem viable again. Cast largely in traditional Marxist terms, many on the reinvigorated left see the ‘cost of living’ focus as a promising strategy for progressives otherwise out of step on cultural issues.

Yet it would be wrong to view Mamdani’s rise as driven primarily by the working class. In the primary, he lost in many predominantly black and Latino areas such as the Bronx, Brownsville and Rosedale, and traditional working-class districts like Canarsie in south Brooklyn, all of which backed his rival, Andrew Cuomo. Mamdani’s support instead came largely from the gentrified zones of Lower Manhattan and brownstone Brooklyn, particularly Williamsburg, where a cadre of educated young voters drove record turnouts.

Read the full article at Spiked.

10:13
1x
10:13
More articles

Confronting the New Antisemitism

Politics
Jun 17, 2026

The Declaration Is a Metaphysical and Political Triumph

Pursuit of Happiness
Jun 17, 2026
View all

Join the newsletter

Receive new publications, news, and updates from the Civitas Institute.

Sign up
More on

Politics

Is American Nationalism Still Creed-able?

We are not there now, but there is reason to worry that the United States is in danger, if we are not careful, of ceasing to be a nation with the principles of 1776 at its core.

Richard Samuelson
Politics
Apr 29, 2026
National Civitas Institute Poll: Americans are Anxious and Frustrated, Creating a Challenging Environment for Leaders

The poll reveals a deeply pessimistic American electorate, with a majority convinced the nation is on the wrong track.

Politics
Feb 19, 2026
Liberal Democracy Reexamined: Leo Strauss on Alexis de Tocqueville

This article explores Leo Strauss’s thoughts on Alexis de Tocqueville in his 1954 “Natural Right” course transcript.

Raúl Rodríguez
Politics
Feb 25, 2025
Long Distance Migration as a Two-Step Sorting Process: The Resettlement of Californians in Texas

Here we press the question of whether the well-documented stream of migrants relocating from California to Texas has been sufficient to alter the political complexion of the destination state.

James Gimpel, Daron Shaw
Politics
Feb 6, 2025

The Three Whiskey Happy Hour

Steven Hayward brings you the Power Line Blog's perspective on the week's big headlines.

View all
** items
Our Ability to Fight Foreign Terrorism Just Got Weaker

John Yoo
Politics
Jun 16, 2026
America Can’t Build for War Anymore

Arthur Herman
Politics
Jun 15, 2026
Policymakers Need to Get Tax Treatment of Litigation Funding Right

Michael Toth
Politics
Jun 15, 2026
Left-Wing Civil War Threatens LA’s Future

Joel Kotkin
Politics
Jun 11, 2026

Palisades Fire Arson Trial Begins as Prosecutors Detail Alleged Rage, Motive

Politics
Jun 10, 2026
1:05

Fascism on the March? with Joel Kotkin

Politics
Jun 8, 2026
1:05

Minnesota Fraud Mastermind to Face Sentencing for $250 Million Scheme

Politics
May 19, 2026
1:05

"Get Real" With RCP's David Desrosiers: Voting Rights Act, New Affordability Agenda & Tax the Rich

Politics
May 11, 2026
1:05

May Day Protests Take Place Across the U.S.

Politics
May 1, 2026
1:05
No items found.
No items found.
Confronting the New Antisemitism

"The postwar effort 'to rebrand Judaism as a religion' has made it impossible for American Jews to understand what they are facing today, because what we are facing today is an attack on the idea of Jewish peoplehood.”

Melissa Langsam Braunstein
Politics
Jun 17, 2026
“Democratic” Socialism Is Undemocratic

By promoting class hatred, suppressing private initiative, and seeking enhanced control of our lives, today’s democratic socialists undermine patriotism and individual initiative—two qualities that have long distinguished the United States from other major nations.

David Lewis Schaefer
Politics
Jun 10, 2026
America Doesn’t Need to Fear the “Thucydides Trap”

While American leaders can learn much from the ancient Peloponnesian War, the lessons run counter to Xi Jinping’s purposes.

John Yoo
Politics
Jun 9, 2026
Will Alberta Leave Canada?

Premier Smith is trying to navigate a camel through the eye of a needle.

James Allan
Politics
Jun 4, 2026
No items found.