Much of the flak Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani has taken since winning the Democratic mayoral primary in New York City has been for his standing as a “Democratic Socialist.” But his victory was as much generational as it was ideological. The complaints of older Democrats about his ideology may reflect their fear that there is a generational changing of the guard within the party. They are certainly right about that.
Mamdani’s (33 years old) stunning victory over former Gov. Andrew Cuomo (67) demonstrates the existence of a generational fault line that runs through the party’s future. The shocking outcome of the primary could presage surprising upsets nationally in Democratic congressional primaries in 2026 and the emergence of a strong, youthful contender for the party’s presidential nomination in 2028.
The party’s youth movement is natural and organic. Young voters have been stalwarts of the Democratic Party for a decade. Vice President Harris won over voters under 45 last year, whereas President Trump scored "bigly" with voters 45 and over. Now, the young people who supported the Democratic presidential nominee are starting to take their rightful place in the party’s high councils.
Think of the new wave as a fresh breeze that blows away old cobwebs. Mamdani isn’t the only younger Democrat to take center stage this year. The party’s nominee for governor of Virginia, Abigail Spanberger is 45.
Young Democrats are vital to the health and well-being of their party. They provide much needed energy, enthusiasm and an indifference to outmoded conventions. Generation X also brings new tactics to a party that badly needs them.
The contrast in the nature of the Mamdani and Cuomo campaigns demonstrated the difference between the generations. Cuomo depended on millions of dollars of traditional broadcast television ads in his losing effort. Mamdani made effective use of short form Tik Tok ads that broke through Cuomo’s broadcast clutter. Use of cheaper new media venues should be an important ingredient in all Democratic campaigns.
This is not a call for throwing out senior Democrats with the bathwater. It’s an argument for balancing the scales. The presence of seniors in the party leadership isn’t the problem. It’s just that there are too many of them and not enough young people in the upper echelon. The millennial generation is the largest age group in the United States. But there are almost three times as many baby boomers in Congress as there are millennials.
The ideal solution is for the new faces and old hands to work together in harmony. At a time when MAGA is beginning to split with the formation of Elon Musk’s new America Party, it is imperative for Democrats of all ages to get along.
Veteran Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and young Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) are the most active tag team tandem in the Democratic Party. Together the two members of Congress have generated huge crowds in Republican territories, provided the energy behind the opposition to Trump in Congress and raised millions of dollars for progressive candidates.
Trump, at 78, became the oldest president to be inaugurated. Before Joe Biden in 2020, Democrats had a history of electing young presidents. John Kennedy was only 43 when he was inaugurated, Bill Clinton was 46 and Barack Obama was 47.
Kennedy designated his presidency as the “New Frontier.” He filled his administration with youthful enthusiasts who contrasted with the “tired old men” from the Eisenhower administration. Democrats could learn a lesson or three about the potency of a new generation from a president who was inaugurated 64 years ago.
The representative from New York could inherit the Sanders mantle and run for president in 2028 when she will only be 38. Another young Democratic White House aspirant is former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg who will be only 46 in three years.
I’m not talking about my generation because I’m a baby boomer who helped members of my generation take over from the members of the greatest generation who saved this nation from the ravages of the Great Depression and World War II. It was sad to see them go after so many decades of service, but it was a lesson in the circle of political life.
Youth must be served. Renowned political strategist and pollster Pat Caddell stated that “demography is destiny.” The Democratic destiny is the millennial or the GenXer who will shape the direction of the party and lead a ferocious resistance to Trumpism for decades to come.
Brad Bannon is a national Democratic strategist and CEO of Bannon Communications Research which polls for Democrats, labor unions and progressive issue groups. He hosts the popular progressive podcast on power, politics and policy, Deadline D.C. with Brad Bannon.
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