_WHAT’S HAPPENING_

As radical socialists gain power in New York City and beyond, one overlooked factor keeps helping them win: low voter turnout.

Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s (D) allies achieved victory despite drawing support from only a small fraction of eligible voters, proving that a well-organized movement doesn’t need to convince a majority. Mamdani-backed candidates found support from a coalition of young, higher-income, and most importantly, energized voters.

_THE FACTS_

  • Just 17 percent of Democratic voters participated in June’s congressional primaries, yet Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) candidates swept multiple House seats.

  • Darializa Avila Chevalier won with 33,000 votes out of 449,000 active voters — just seven percent of the electorate.

  • Avila Chevalier swept white voters 61 percent to 39 percent despite whites representing only 15 percent of her district.

  • Claire Valdez, another socialist, won her primary with just 8.24 percent of active voters.

  • DSA's field operations proved superior to traditional Democratic grassroots efforts in low-turnout races, knocking on tens of thousands of doors by utilizing their energized base.

  • Beyond low voter turnout and a strong ground game, foreign-born voters constitute a major coalition supporting socialists.

  • In his 2025 election victory, Mamdani won 62 percent of foreign-born voters, while a majority of native-born Americans voted for Andrew Cuomo.

  • Mamdani’s ground game was powered by DRUM (Desis Rising Up and Moving), a nonprofit with alleged ties to a Pakistani Marxist political movement.

  • DRUM and its political arm, DRUM Beats, mobilized more than 150,000 South Asian and Indo-Caribbean voters, with nearly half of all registered Bangladeshis turning out.

_OUR TAKE_

Elections are not just about persuading the broadest coalition of voters. They also depend on whichever side can mobilize the most disciplined, energized base when everyone else stays home. And now with foreign NGOs, foreign-born voters, and even non-citizen voters, socialists are taking advantage of these faults and gaining victory.

Further, the elephant in the room is Donald Trump, and the pent-up energy of the anti-Trump coalitions. Just as anti-Obama sentiments propelled Trump in 2016, we may be witnessing the beginning signs of a radical post-Trump era.

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Bonnie Hissom4 months ago

The number one thing going on here is- low voter turnout out. I was raised to respect and participate in the process. Cannot understand voter complacency. If real Americans turned out to vote, this would never happen.

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Jeff Rutowski4 months ago

This isn’t the beginning. The communists have been actively working to destroy America for decades. Communists/Social Democrats/Democrats hate American despite the fact that the radicals at the top of their food chain have all benefited from the very system they are trying to destroy. They now seek to consolidate their power and wealth just like the Soviet Union, China and North Korea. Look how great communism has worked in Cuba.

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Terry McCall4 months ago

Yeah, I agree. Trump has had haters for many years now. Nothing new to see here.

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Photo Man4 months ago

"Are we witnessing the beginning of an anti-Trump counterreaction?" No. We are already well into it, with the political gains those idiots have made. The USA born are deadly brainwashed with their liberal education and compounded with MSM propaganda. The foreigners in the USA, whether here legally or illegally, supposedly came to have a better life than what their native country offered. But, look how many of them are pure radicals to not assimilate to US society, tear the fragment of US society to pieces, protest, commit fraud and vote for communists. So what was really their point for immigrating to the USA? And yet the mainstream US voters seem to overlook all this and also get sucked into the "have compassion" mode. They certainly do not understand the consequences.

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Robert Zuzzolo4 months ago

Exactly

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Fred Scott4 months ago

No, this isn't just anti-Trump! This is a coordinated effort by Communist/ Islamist organizations to destroy the USA. The movement has been going on for some time, fueled by the far-left Democrat party to totally control our government!

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Jim Harmon4 months ago

You are right, Fred! And don't forget the concerted efforts of our 1st Amendment-protected media, who support anything anti-Trump.

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Michael H.4 months ago

There is a thought that another party or their agenda could never actually happen and voter turnout to counter them is minimal. This leads to that small party being able to gain traction and actually win seats. The ONLY way to keep these socialist ideologs from gaining power is to outnumber them at the polls. The MAJORITY HAS TO VOTE to keep this fringe element of society out of public office.

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Wendy T4 months ago

Every time I get a fund raising letter from a politician I reply that I would be thrilled to knock on doors but I don't have cash for their bank. Not one has ever responded with info on how to volunteer to that.

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Jim Ahern4 months ago

This goes far deeper and longer running than Trump, although he's definitely not doing the country any favors in truly moving the needle in righting the ship, that's for sure. I've said this before and guess I'll say it again, but why are the powers that be, that claim to be All-American Patriots, allowing this Socialistic/Marxist bullshit to even exist in the U.S.?? It is an affront and antithetical to the Foundations and Principles of our country. These parasites are Enemies of the State, hence it is actually the job of this Administration/Government/Agencies to neutralize these ideological heretics. And no fellas, I don't think these people are duly elected. Like Biden, like The Squad and many others on the Left in this era, they are installed via a broken and compromised election system, only way they can win by the numbers.. The Bad Guys are who they are but why are the supposed Good Guys not truly dealing with this imminent threat to our way of life and The Republic?

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Scott Connell4 months ago

It's the old staying about the frog in the boiling water, if you turn up the heat slowly the frog will never notice until it's too late. Until people of this country start to feel the "heat" (who you vote into office will affect your life) nothing will change and the DSA will continue to gain strength.

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Jim Harmon4 months ago

Conservatives need to assess the underlying reasons behind lack of interest in voting. I suspect part of it might be that, as in the case of New York, no one thought that Mamdani could win so they didn't bother to make the effort to vote. The same thing could happen in Texas in the Talarico/Paxton race. But, I doubt that is the sole reason. Whatever the reasons, something needs to spark voter interest before November. There is no reason why Republicans shouldn't win the midterms.

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Steve Fredricks 4 months ago

This is far along already. GOP better vote

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Jim Powers 4 months ago

Beginning? We’re way past the beginning.

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Bernie Peer4 months ago

You need to get out of your own bubble. Socialists only attract the wealthy who are clueless about the middle and lower class and people who don’t want to work, which includes Gen Z and millennials. If migrants keep voting this way they will get what they flee’d from. Many working class are conservative as they work pay their own bills and are over-taxed. This group loves Trump. The problem with conservatives is that there are some who are liberal, but say they are conservative. With slim leads it leads to conservative initiatives failing. Trump had 4 of them fail to get the vote for reelection so I think he has not lost any of his base no matter what the news cycle bubble says.

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Barbara Joan4 months ago

No we are not, this IS WHY I VOTED FOR TRUMP. Stop the insanity of college protest,stealing under 1000, homeless tents needles and defacating naked people by our schools and DEI. Back to learning and merit based rewards. We are raising the laziest, most narcissistic drug addicted generation ever!!

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Doug Ebbecke4 months ago

It isn’t just Trump haters responsible for this. Some of it is apathy on mid-terms, on low voter turn out due to the attitude none of this will impact me and mid-terms and primaries don’t matter. Every legal voter should vote every time there’s an election if they don’t want the country turning into something they won’t recognize or like in the end. Unfortunately I know a few people that say this election doesn’t matter. My response is always every election is important and every vote is important. Apathy can potentially quicken our demise.

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Cyndee Pacheco4 months ago

I sincerely hope not. I don’t think I am the only Democrat who has left the party because they no longer represent me or what I believe.

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Robert Zuzzolo4 months ago

Like I’ve said many times CIVIL WAR IS COMING TO ALL WHO CAN ARM UP AND HAVE PLENTY OF AMMUNITION

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Roger Kirkpatrick4 months ago

Yes, in some quarters. But where a large group of anti-American socialist have sway these threatening election results will continue even after 2028.

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Robert Baublitz 4 months ago

No. This started in the 1960's. It has nothing to do with Trump. After 2028, they'll have another excuse.

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Vicki Small4 months ago

Oh, I hope not!