AOC Claims Mamdani Had To 'Defeat a Republican And The Old Guard Of The Democratic Party' In NYC Elections

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez celebrated the victory of Zohran Mamdani in New York City's mayoral elections, saying he had to defeat both a "Republican and the old guard of the Democratic party at the same time."

"He was fighting a war on two fronts and not just one. And he still won resoundingly. And I think the message that that sends is that the Democratic Party cannot last much longer by denying the future, by trying to undercut our young, by trying to undercut a next generation of diverse and upcoming Democrats that our actual electorate and voters support," she added.

Mamdani beat Andrew Cuomo, who ran as an independent after losing the Democratic primary, getting over 50% of the vote. He delivered a fiery victory speech in which he promised to fight President Donald Trump. Mayor Eric Adams also ran as an independent after winning as a Democrat in 2021, but he dropped out of the race in September and endorsed Cuomo in October.

"If anyone can show a nation betrayed by Donald Trump how to defeat him, it is the city that gave rise to him," Mamdani said in Brooklyn on Tuesday. "And if there's any way to terrify a despot, it is by dismantling the very conditions that allowed him to accumulate power," he added. "So Donald Trump," he noted, "since I know you're watching, I have four words for you: Turn the volume up."

In another passage of the speech, Mamdani said that his government, along with his supporters, will "usher in a generation of change, and if we embrace this brave new course, rather than fleeing from it, we can respond to oligarchy and authoritarianism with the strength it fears, not the appeasement it craves."

He again addressed Trump directly, saying "this is not only how we stop Trump, it's how we stop the next one."