A New, Unsettling Force: The Fall of Neoliberal Democrats?

The American working class has a new Mayor—and he hasn’t even officially been elected yet. His name is Zohran Mamdani, and yesterday, he spanked the neoliberal darling in the Democratic primary for New York City mayor.

A new, unsettling Force has entered the arena. Does it mean the fall of neoliberal democrats? The results from Tuesday’s Democratic primary is sending shockwaves through the political establishment and they are scared. Zohran Mamdani didn’t just beat Andrew Cuomo—he crushed him. Cuomo carried only the manicured precincts of the Upper East and West Sides. Everywhere else, from Queens to the Bronx, Mamdani rolled, turning the race into what can only be described as class warfare—and the working class delivered a knockout punch.

Key Takeaways by Neighborhood

Graphic Source: Sourced from a compilation via The Washington Post, The City, AP, and election tools using official NYC Board of Elections data.

Let’s be real: neoliberal Democrats are just Republicans by another name. They cling to corporate donors, prop up the military-industrial complex, water down climate bills, and talk like moderates while voting like lobbyists. They back human and civil rights only as far as it doesn’t threaten their own political standing. Their time is up—and voters are finally calling their bluff. It’s something I’ve personally been waiting for over the past 37 years.

A Class Rebellion

This primary wasn’t just about picking a nominee. It was about drawing a line—and the working class drew it in bold and then highlighted it.

Cuomo, the epitome of the neoliberal elite—and a crook, con, and alleged sexual predator (sound familiar)—whittled down to support in the wealthiest enclaves. Mamdani, by contrast, carried neighborhoods where rent burdens are crushing and incomes stagnate. His message—rent freezes, fare-free buses, free childcare, and city-owned grocery stores—was a direct challenge to the status quo. The victory was sweeping: he won nearly everywhere.

End of the Line for Neoliberal Consensus?

Cuomo’s defeat signals a seismic shift. Democrats are no longer placated by pragmatic promises wrapped in neoliberal platitudes. Voters—especially young, working-class ones (and this Gen Xer)—want bold, systemic change. That message is resonating hard: early voting surged, nearly doubling since 2021, and 45 percent of voters were under 44.

Cuomo’s strategy relied on institutional heft—$25 million in super‑PAC ads, endorsements from Jim Clyburn and Michael Bloomberg—but that machine failed. He fell into the same trap progressives have exploited elsewhere: out-of-touch centrism drowned out by grassroots energy.

A Turning Point

This is more than a local upset—it’s a pledge delivered by a rising progressive wing to reshape the Democrats. “A model for the Democratic Party,” Mamdani declared.

The neoliberal model—moderation, consensus, triangulation—is now on notice. A candidate rooted in working‑class communities, unapologetically left‑wing, just routed one of the party’s most recognizable faces backed by record breaking PAC money.

Love Where You Live Foundation

Will this moment catalyze a broader realignment? By early voting metrics, winning neighborhoods, and demographic turnout, the answer is clear: yes.

The Fault Lines Are Spreading

This wasn’t a one-city moment. AOC vs. Chuck Schumer is no longer fantasy—the progressive base in New York has tasted victory with Mamdani, and it’s emboldening calls for Alexandria Ocasio‑Cortez to take him on. A match-up once seen as impossible is now on the table. Recent polls have her rolling over him at a margin of 54%-33%.

The cracks in the neoliberal dam are showing across the country—including here in the Great Lakes Basin Region, where a new generation of progressive candidates are lining up to take down corporate-aligned (neoliberal) Democrats:

Abdul El‑Sayed (MI – Senate): Running for the open U.S. Senate seat that will be vacated by Gary Peters—a so-called Democrat whose neoliberal record deserves to be remembered and called out in his remaining 1.5 years in the seat. Peters consistently votes with MAGA and corporate interests, supports expanded surveillance, backs bloated defense budgets, and does little to nothing to serve the working people of Michigan (just like his fellow democratic senator Elissa Slotkin). Abdul, endorsed by Bernie Sanders, isn’t pulling punches. Like Mamdani, he’s a spitfire—calling out corruption directly, refusing corporate PAC money, and centering working-class power in everything he does. He’s not here to soften the party’s image—he’s here to flip the script.

Mallory McMorrow (MI – Senate): Also running for Peters Senate seat. She’s taken shots at party leadership and presents a younger, media‑savvy progressive with growing grassroots momentum. If you remember, she went viral a few years ago from her impassioned speech on the floor of the Michigan State Senate in response to Republican Senator Lana Theis, who falsly accused McMorrow of wanting to “groom and sexualize kindergartners” in a fundraising email. Why did she do this? Because McMorrow supports the rights of marginalized kids and Theis believes only white, heterosexual kids deserve human and civil rights.

Donavan McKinney (MI–13): Running for U.S. House in Michigan’s 13th District (Detroit). Backed by Justice Democrats and Bernie Sanders, McKinney is a working‑class challenger to corporate-aligned incumbent Shri Thanedar, running on climate justice, housing, and public power.

Libbi Urban (MI–05): Filed her 2026 campaign for Michigan’s 5th Congressional District—a steelworker, union leader, and mom. With grassroots union backing and a platform focused on healthcare for all, rural economic recovery, and working-class rights, she’s proving that real progressives can build campaigns from the bottom up.

Mandela Barnes (WI – Senate): Former Lieutenant Governor and 2022 Senate candidate. He hasn’t announced a 2026 run yet, but his unapologetically progressive campaign left a strong mark—calling to codify Roe, end the filibuster, and challenge corporate power. If he jumps in, he’s instantly a top contender.

Rebecca Cooke (WI–03): Narrowly lost the 2024 general election in Wisconsin’s 3rd District. She launched her 2026 campaign early, raised over $1 million, and is running again on healthcare access, rural economic recovery, and working-class dignity.

Dan Biss (IL–09): Former state senator now running for Congress in Illinois’s 9th District, which lies entirely within the Great Lakes Basin (North Side Chicago, Evanston). His campaign is rooted in clean energy, public education, and anti‑corporate reform.

Kat Abughazaleh (IL–09): A 26‑year‑old Justice Democrats–backed candidate also running in IL‑9. With a sharp digital presence and a grassroots platform, she’s focusing on labor rights, housing, and anti‑war policy. No corporate PACs. No bullshit.

Peggy Flanagan (MN – Senate): Currently Minnesota’s Lieutenant Governor and now officially running in the 2026 Democratic primary for U.S. Senate. As an Indigenous progressive, her presence would shift the Minnesota conversation left—and hard.

Why Pete Buttigieg Isn’t on This List

A now Michigan resident, there has been rumors of Pete running for Michigan’s 2026 open senate seat to replace neoliberal, Gary Peters. It pains me to admit it, but Pete Buttigieg isn’t the progressive we thought he was. We have to speak the truth straight: words mean nothing if policies hurt Americans. Pete talks smooth progressive(ish) policy, but when it comes down to his actions, he’s just another neoliberal using the platform against the working-class.

South Bend Gentrification: His “1,000 Houses in 1,000 Days” initiative demolished hundreds of mostly vacant homes—disproportionately in Black and Latino neighborhoods—triggering community pushback over displacement and emptier streets.

Housing and Homelessness Failure: Homelessness spiked during his mayoralty, and advocates say the initiative left many without affordable housing and worsened eviction rates.

Big‑Pharma Money: As a presidential candidate he bailed on Medicare for All, embraced a watered‑down “public option,” and pulled in over $90K from pharmaceutical and health‑insurance execs.

Corporate Politics: Justice Democrats accused him of ditching single‑payer after taking “tons of cash from corporate interests.”

Progressive branding is cheap. Pete sells it well. But policy is the proof—and he’s failed that test every time. That’s why he’s not on this list. And that’s why we don’t mistake polished rhetoric for actual solidarity with working-class Americans.

What Comes Next

Cuomo conceded Tuesday night and hinted at a possible independent run. The general election will feature at least three contenders: Mamdani, Republican Curtis Sliwa, and the incumbent mayor, Eric Adams, running independently. We’ve all learned how corrupt Eric Adams is as well. This candidate pool splits the map, but the core lesson remains: the working class has reclaimed precincts lost to neoliberalism—and it’s not settling quietly.

Tuesday wasn’t just an upset. It was a referendum on neoliberalism—and for now, the working class is writing the results.

What does the reaction by the establishment tell us about Neoliberal Democrats? That all neoliberal Democrats need to be primaried. Period. They are wolves in sheep’s clothing—wearing the blue jersey, talking a good game, but selling us out at every critical moment. They play defense for Wall Street while pretending to be champions of the working class. They speak in the language of justice but vote in the interests of their corporate donors. And when push comes to shove, they shove us out of the way.

Whether it’s backing ICE roundups under the guise of “public safety,” voting for mandatory detention laws (The Laken Riley Act and the Patriot Act), or parroting AIPAC talking points while bombs fall on innocent chlidren—these so-called Democrats are nothing more than a watered-down GOP with better branding. And voters are catching on.

This isn’t about party unity. It’s about truth. It’s about the 1% vs. the rest of us. If we don’t call it out, we enable it. If we don’t run against them, we stay complicit. Every seat held by a neoliberal Democrat is a seat not working for the people. That has to change—starting now.

And Republicans? They always have—and always will—serve only the billionaire class. They’re just not hiding it anymore. Trump brought it all out in the open while he gaslights us and blames the Democrats for enabling him. It’s abuse 101. Yes, neoliberal Democrats have enabled him—they’ve played the passive role in this political trauma cycle. They’ve stalled reforms, abandoned the working class, and left the door wide open. But Trump? Trump is the abuser. Make no mistake. He’s the loud one. The violent one. The one who doesn’t pretend to care. And just like any abuser, he counts on enablers to make excuses, distract the public, and keep the cycle going. If we want to break it, we have to stop protecting any of them—and start replacing all of them. We the People hold all the power. And they know it. And it’s exactly what they are afraid of. Keep them afraid.