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New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani claimed on Tuesday to Rolling Stone Magazine that the Democratic Party has become something “run by well-paid consultants and big money interests.”
During an interview, Mamdani was asked about a comment from former Democratic National Committee (DNC) chair Jaime Harrison after candidates backed by the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) defeated incumbent politicians in a primary election last month despite previously attacking the party.
“I say this with no ill will or animosity: if you hate the Democratic Party, then please don’t run for our nomination. Don’t use our resources. Don’t rely on our volunteers. Don’t use our infrastructure. Don’t ask Democrats to invest their time, money, and energy in your campaign. Focus on building the party you actually support. Political parties aren’t perfect, but they’re built by millions of people who knock doors, make calls, organize meetings, and fight for the values they believe in. If you don’t believe in the party, then don’t ask its members to carry you across the finish line,” Harrison wrote on X.
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Former DNC chair Jaime Harrison criticized the focus on socialist candidates who “hate the Democratic Party.” (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
In response, Mamdani commented, “I think usually if someone says this is not of any ill will or animosity, what they’re about to say is characterized by ill will and animosity.”
He emphasized that the Democratic Party needs to be beholden to the voters, who have voiced their support for socialist candidates.
“You say that that is not representative of the party. It may not be representative of what has effectively become our party, which is something that’s run by well-paid consultants and big money interests, but it is representative of what Democrats themselves want to see,” Mamdani said.
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He added, “And it’s representative of the fact that in this country there is just one majority and that’s of the working class. And that’s not just true in this city. It’s not just true in another city. It’s true across the entirety of our nation. And people want to see a party that understands that and fights for that.”
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani pushed back against critics of democratic socialist candidates. (Yuki Iwamura/AP Photo)
Fox News Digital reached out to the DNC for comment.
Mamdani previously criticized the Democratic Party for having “lost its focus on working people” during an interview last month and pushed for more efforts to be done to combat high prices.
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“You know, you look at the four freedoms, you look at the real core of the New Deal, there was a moment when this party was unabashed about its focus on working people. And I’m excited to bring it back there,” Mamdani said.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has criticized the Democratic Party for failing to appeal to the “working class.” (Getty Images)
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However, over the weekend, Mamdani struggled to offer a clear definition of who qualifies as the “working class.” He described the working class as “those who are working to try and afford the basic dignities of life and aren’t able to do so” and drew a line at “about a million dollars a year.”