It’s a message that sounds strikingly similar to one pushed by a very different politician: Zahran Mamdani, the 33-year-old democratic socialist poised to become New York City’s next mayor.
There is a lot of coverage of Mamdani’s rise which is understandable He focuses on his style. He’s a charismatic and persuasive politician who has an invaluable gift in 2025: he can speak synchronously and comfortably in any format, be it podcasts about sports, stupid Instagram clips, or long interviews. But the substance of Mamdani’s candidacy often gets little attention. He manages a Tremendously disciplined A campaign built on the rising cost of living. He can turn almost anything — the rising cost of halal food trucks or the World Cup — into a story about affordability. That’s why he’s likely to be elected mayor in next month’s general election.
The affordability crisis is easy to get lost in the midst of a crazy news cycle dominated by the Trump administration’s increasing authoritarianism. ICE raids, the push for regime change in Venezuela, the arrests of critics on (mostly) false charges — these are all stories worth covering. But for many Americans, this is not the country’s most important story. The cost of staples like coffee and beef has soared in recent months, thanks in large part to Trump’s tariffs. Democrats may have spent the first part of the year complaining about the cost of eggs, but they’ve lost sight of the topic in recent months. However, the ongoing government shutdown presents an opportunity to restore it.