MARK PENN: Democrats win the moment, but left-wing tilt threatens their future

Democrats roared back in the 2025 off-year elections, and that’s no surprise given widespread voter discontent with the economy and the political system in general. Democratic-leaning areas that flipped to Republicans in 2024 returned to the party this year.

Part of the lesson is that moderate female candidates do well with swing voters, and Democrats certainly had two strong contenders in Virginia Gov.-elect Abigail Spanberger and New Jersey Gov.-elect Mikie Sherrill. Both have military experience, and neither is anywhere close to being a member of the Democratic Socialists of America.

President Donald Trump was not on the ballot, but Republicans inherited a difficult situation from the Biden administration. Most voters believe the economy remains weak and that they are stuck in an inflationary spiral — one that may be lower than it was under Biden but still remains their top concern.

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What’s interesting is that today’s inflation and affordability concerns stem from the excess spending of a Democratic administration. Yet New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani, a high-tax, big-spending candidate, claims he will solve the problem with more of the same policies, taken to the extreme.

It was massive spending on unnecessary "free" programs that caused the spike in prices — unlikely to be the cure — but Democrats don’t seem to be paying a price for it. Voters appear to believe that more government giveaways are the answer, losing sight of the fact that such policies created the very problems they now face.

New York City will embark on its socialist experiment, and the question is how that will turn out.

Former Democratic New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who ran as an independent for mayor in the general election, fought hard, but Democrats in New York typically back their party’s nominee, making it difficult to win as an independent.

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Trump’s shout-out and endorsement clearly helped cut the Curtis Sliwa vote to just 7%, but Cuomo needed more Democrats. Mamdani captured more than 70% of young voters. Most importantly, the Black and Hispanic voters who supported Cuomo in the primary returned to the Democratic line in the general election — and that’s what put Mamdani over the top Tuesday night.

In White, Catholic, working-class areas, Cuomo performed strongly. He carried Manhattan’s East Side decisively and won most of the West Side as well. But Upper Manhattan remained solidly blue for Mamdani.

As Ed Koch said when he lost, "The people have spoken … and they must be punished."

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The big issue now for the Democratic Party is how far left it will drift under the influence of Democratic Socialists gaining ground within the party and being accepted by much of its leadership.

The DSA agenda is far removed from mainstream Democratic values, with calls for open borders and the abolition of private property.

Tellingly, Mamdani didn’t even run on the Democratic line. The party has welcomed this faction, but it should remember that in 1972 and 1984 it reduced itself to winning only a single state.

Mamdani will likely prove a gift to Republicans, and the 2028 presidential primaries could become a defining battle for the direction of the Democratic Party. Still, socialists often begin with promises of free goods and services, only to see those ideas collapse later.

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It’s important to note that the left has engineered voting rules in New York City — moving the primary to late June and allowing ranked-choice voting in primaries, where left-leaning voters get a second vote, but not applying it in the general election, preventing Republicans from backing a moderate alternative.

Still, in fairness to Mamdani, he had a clear message, strong organization, and ample funding. His smile and charm seemed to paper over his inexperience and his extreme anti-Israel views.

While none of the races called for Democrats on Tuesday night were a surprise, the predictability itself underscores that unless Trump and Republicans retool their strategy to win back swing voters, politics is returning to the norm of punishing the ins with the outs and Democrats are determined to fight back with everything from government shutdowns to aggressive redistricting. They don’t seem to be paying a price for these moves, even after years of decrying government shutdowns and gerrymandering.

On Tuesday night, Democrats proved they still have plenty of fight left — and that without Trump on the ballot to energize Republicans, Democratic candidates, whether moderate or extreme, can bring their voters home.

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