New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has stated that the Democratic Party is currently being run by "well-paid consultants and big money interests" rather than reflecting the desires of its voters.
Mamdani's remarks, made in an interview with Rolling Stone, were in response to comments by former Democratic National Committee (DNC) chair Jaime Harrison. Harrison had previously criticized candidates supported by the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) who had defeated incumbent politicians in primary elections.
"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," Mamdani said, addressing Harrison's statement. He emphasized that the Democratic Party should prioritize the voters who have shown 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 stated. He added that this sentiment is representative of the fact that "in this country there is just one majority and that's of the working class," and that people desire a party that understands and champions this demographic.
Mamdani had previously voiced criticism of the Democratic Party, suggesting it had "lost its focus on working people" and calling for greater efforts to address the issue of high prices. He expressed a desire to return the party to its core principles, citing the New Deal era as a time when the party was "unabashed about its focus on working people."
In a separate instance, Mamdani offered a definition of 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 indicated this group earns approximately one million dollars a year or less.