Written by Ella Fortine, Staff Writer
Last week’s elections came with big wins for the Democratic Party nationwide, but what is the best way forward?
On November 5th, 2024, the Democratic Party, once again, failed. Failed to listen to the needs of the people, failed to run a candidate with a chance, and failed to win in what they premised as a fight for American democracy. On November 4th, 2025, the Democratic Party won in two very major, and very different ways. What changed?
With regards to the more local democratic win, not much. Proposition 50, an issue that saw division especially in Riverside County, is a bill that will create a new congressional district map drawn by the legislature starting in 2026. In 2031, the maps would return to those drawn by the independent California Citizens Redistricting Commission following the 2030 California census. This bill was put on the ballot by the state legislature in hopes of resisting the efforts made by the Texas assembly to remap their districts in a way that would create a greater Republican congressional majority. The redrawing of the maps would allow California voters to potentially flip five seats in the House of Representatives, directly countering the five Republican seats gained by the Texas redrawing and creating the possibility of a Democratic majority in the House.
However, as valiant an effort as it is, the Democratic Party’s response to a power grab through complicated and corrupt gerrymandering was…more gerrymandering? This fight for progress uses a tool that has been representative of shady political meddling and the outright disenfranchisement of particularly working class and minority voters for decades. It was yet another attempt at resistance to the establishment via the establishment’s own tried and true methods of repression and adherence to the status quo. In the case of progress, the means are just as important as the ends. Progress cannot be won with tools that are contrary to its nature.
The other momentous victory of the day was Zohran Mamdani winning the New York City mayoral race, one that has had the national spotlight on it for months. A self described democratic socialist, Mamdani has been hailed as the future of Democratic Party. His campaign was unapologetic, principled, and locally focused. He ran on affordability, and, crucially, did not compromise on his values to do it. It was, for many, a refreshing view of what a democratic campaign—one that wins—could look like. When compared to, say, the 2024 Harris Walz campaign, there are stark contrasts. While a mayoral and presidential race are not directly comparable, Mamdani succeeded in several of the areas that lost Harris many a leftist vote. He is loudly pro-Palestine, pro-LGBTQ+ rights (including the T), and, as mentioned, socialist. This is not to say that Harris lost her presidential bid due to not being a progressive (or jihadist marxist, if we’re going with the favored republican description of Mamdani); it was her lack of commitment to a principled stand on issues that were important to voters that ultimately caused her campaign to crumble. Not every New Yorker is pro-Palestine, but no New Yorker, or person for that matter, appreciates a politician that sacrifices values for bipartisan support. Mamdani proved that it is possible to hold steadfast to one’s values while adhering to a campaign that deals solely with the issues at the forefront of the minds of one’s constituents. He made promises to make New York safe and affordable, and detailed reasonable plans on how to do it. This is how to run democratic campaigns in the era of Trump.
And yet, Democrats have by and large rejected this lesson. Many high level Democrats, like Kamala Harris, New York Governor Kathy Hochul, and House minority leader Hakeem Jeffries, dragged their feet through the mud when it came to endorsing Mamdani. Chuck Schumer, Senate minority leader, simply chose to not endorse him at all. The idea that truly progressive policies can win has proved to be a hard pill to swallow for Democrats and Republicans alike. If Democrats hope to become the party of the working class once again, Mamdani’s campaign should be their exemplar—not Prop 50. As the nation approaches midterm elections in the second Trump administration, this should be the lesson for Democrats to remember. The tools of the past may win us short term gains and blow for blow revenge, but real safeguarding of democracy comes from candidates that stand truthfully on a bedrock of uncompromised values.