I traveled around New York City to speak with Claire Valdez, Darializa Avila Chevalier, and Brad Lander, right after the left-wing trio shocked the nation with their primary wins in New York - and upended the Democratic establishment in the process.
Between the Knicks’ championship, World Cup fervor, and effervescent atmosphere Mayor Zohran Mamdani has fostered – the city is abuzz. Following the three candidates around the city… buzz is an understatement. We couldn’t go more than a few steps without people of all ages and backgrounds stopping these three new Democratic congressional nominees.
In midtown, between constant smiles-and-waves, Lander told me the “joyful energy” Mamdani ran on is contagious. “People are pissed off and anxious, and want to fight fascism and protect our immigrant neighbors – but to do it with some joy and hope. It feels pretty special.”
In Brooklyn, a young boy in a Messi jersey ran to Valdez, smiling from ear to ear, saying he’s seen her everywhere. A man in his 30s asked Valdez about the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), saying he was on the fence; she convinced him to consider joining.
In Harlem, as Avila Chevalier and I talked about her being arrested in the Columbia student demonstrations, a group of children, some in school uniform, squealed in delight from across the park: “DARIALIZA?!”
After years of compounding struggle – Covid-19, civil rights protests, skyrocketing prices, increasingly egregious inequality, all while people’s tax dollars have gone toward livestreamed massacres – a new politics is brewing. And the epicenter is New York City.
In the wake of Tuesday’s elections, in which Mamdani and his movement’s candidates swept the field, pundits have scrambled to cope with what’s unfolded. Watch the video above to hear directly from Claire Valdez, Darializa Avila Chevalier, and Brad Lander – straight from New York – on exactly how Tuesday happened.
This is a truly important and unique set of conversations with candidates who have been demonized by mainstream media, so we’re publishing the video without a paywall and for everyone to watch for free. If you’re not yet a paid subscriber, please do consider becoming one today so we can fund more independent journalism like this, challenging the corporate media’s version of political events. If you’re already subscribed to Zeteo, thank you and please do consider donating to help us do more of this work, and to ask the questions so many ‘mainstream’ journalists fail to do.
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