By James Morley III | Wednesday, 05 November 2025 07:01 PM EST
Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., praised the election of democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani in the New York City mayoral race. Sanders highlighted a “division” within the Democratic Party between the establishment and a new generation of far-left candidates. Speaking during a post-election news conference Wednesday, Sanders stated: “Obviously, you have a Democratic establishment. I ran for president against the Democratic establishment. That’s what Mamdani did, it’s no great secret. That’s what Alexandria did,” he said, referring to Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y.
Sanders emphasized that progressive candidates are addressing working-class needs and challenging “big-money interests.” He criticized the Democratic Party for failing to support progressive candidates in key races in New York and Maine, noting: “The party leadership did not support Mamdani in New York. Party leadership is not supporting [Senate hopeful Graham] Platner in Maine. I think there is a growing understanding that leadership defending the status quo and the inequalities that exist in America is not where the American people are.”
Sanders also commended Mamdani for “taking on oligarchs who put in millions and millions of dollars to try to defeat him.”
