In what’s being called a “stunning” upset, 33-year-old Zohran Mamdani—a self-avowed socialist—just beat out former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo in the Democratic primary for mayor of New York City.
And not by a slim margin, either.
I’m actually a little shocked to be honest. Sure, I’ve been warning for years that young people have a highly favorable view of socialism, but even I didn’t see this coming.
I mean, a man who proudly runs on a platform of rent freezes, free childcare, free public transit, higher taxes on the wealthy, and expanding city control over everyday life (he literally wants the city to run the grocery stores) just toppled one of the most recognizable names in Democratic politics. In the largest city in America.
The reactions from democrats have been pretty chaotic.
Moderates are scrambling to distance themselves from the word “socialist” as fundraisers trip over themselves to assure donors that Mamdani doesn’t represent the future of the party. But the truth is, they’re not just worried about the optics—they’re worried that he might actually be the future of the party.
And worry they should.
Mamdani didn’t win because of some fluke in voter turnout or a clever PR stunt. He won because he said out loud what younger progressives have been whispering (and sometimes shouting) for years.
He promised a government that guarantees comfort, takes on risk for the individual, and redistributes wealth not as an act of charity—but as a moral imperative.
It’s totally utopian, and totally unrealistic. But that doesn’t matter to the voters who have been conditioned by years of public education to expect that the government’s job is to fix all of life’s discomforts.
And that’s the part that should make us all think.
Because really, this isn’t just about New York City. This is about your city, your school board, and your local elections. If you think these ideas are confined to coastal bubbles, think again. They’re being taught in your public schools. They’re being platformed by your local libraries. They’re being normalized by your children’s favorite YouTubers and TikTok influencers.
Mamdani’s victory speech said it plainly: “A life of dignity should not be reserved for a fortunate few. It should be one that city government guarantees for each and every New Yorker.”
That is scary.
Of course it sounds familiar, because you’ve heard variations of it before—from candidates, college professors, and even children who’ve been fed the philosophy in classrooms that no longer teach about merit or equality of opportunity, but indoctrinate in equity.
It’s the same anti-market ideology that we warn about in our books. Every promise of “safety” or “fairness” from the state always comes at the cost of freedom. Every time. Always.
It matters to those of us who don’t live in NYC because Mamdani didn’t just win a race. He proved that young voters who are disillusioned, diseducated, and disconnected from the principles that built this country can be rallied around central planning, collectivism, and the promise of a “guaranteed” easy life—history of these ideas in practice be damned.
This means that unless we’re actively teaching the next generation the truth, this trend is only going to accelerate.
The good news, of course, is that we don’t have to sit on the sidelines.
We created the Tuttle Twins books to arm families with the ideas that counter this kind of political poison. We tell the truth about free markets, personal responsibility, and the dangers of giving the state more control “for the greater good.”
Parents don’t need to be policy experts or political activists to make a difference, they just need to have the right tools—and use them early and often.
If we want our kids to grow up knowing the difference between real freedom and feel-good tyranny, we can’t wait for another election cycle to show them.
The time is now.
— Connor
