[[link removed]]

WHY I JOINED THE DSA  
[[link removed]]


 

Lindsey Boylan
August 12, 2025
The Indypendent
[[link removed]]

*
[[link removed]]
*
[[link removed]]
*
*
[[link removed]]

_ Not only is everything about DSA so unlike my experience working
for Cuomo, it is so disparate from my experience of being abandoned by
my own party, the Democratic Party of New York. _

, Boylan with the former governor. (Photo courtesy of the New York
State Governor’s Office).

 

In the middle of a torrential downpour and unrelenting heat in New
York, I made my way to a storied Gothic revival church serving
Brooklyn Heights for almost a hundred years. What I found inside that
night surprised me: rows and rows of pews filled with young New
Yorkers. I had to settle for a seat behind a large column in the back.
If the church felt timeless, the gathering was decidedly of the
moment. It was almost as if the 45-and-under demographic that
transformed the Democratic primary election vote was transported
symbolically to this historic church on this particular night. Their
optimism and passion for making our city work for everyone was
palpable. Such was the energy bringing people to a mid-summer New York
City DSA convening.

The last few months have been a wild ride for New Yorkers. Disgraced
former governor Andrew Cuomo, armed with close to $30 million in Super
PAC money, millions of dollars of free press from corporate media, and
the political establishment in his back pocket, tried to force himself
on New York City residents in the Democratic mayoral primary. He was
rebuffed handily by Zohran Mamdani, the 33-year-old democratic
socialist assembly member who won by 12 points. New York power brokers
are having a meltdown over the reality that our city will finally have
a mayor they cannot control. For myself, as the first woman who came
forward with harassment allegations that ultimately led to Cuomo’s
resignation, this has been an incredibly therapeutic and necessary
shift in our city’s politics.

Mamdani, his campaign, and the broad coalition of support will be
written about for years to come. Among the most important forces
behind this historic upset is the New York City chapter of the
Democratic Socialists of America.

The July 14th “Mayor’s Race Debrief” was the first big DSA event
I attended. I was welcomed by name and with genuine warmth, something
often rare in political spaces. The excitement in the church was
palpable – most folks had canvassed and donated to Zohran’s
campaign since their organization helped him launch in October 2024.
Hundreds listened attentively as the electoral working group leads
presented on the efforts they had undertaken during the primary and
what we would need to do to help win decisively in the November
general election and garner a strong mandate to lead. There were
numerous visual presentations explaining how high voter turnout was
directly connected to canvassing efforts. I was struck by how
strategic it was, how crisp and thoughtful each working group lead was
in their presentation, as well as the openness and accessibility of
the Q&A that followed.

This could not have been in greater contrast to the entirety of my
years working for Andrew Cuomo ultimately as Deputy Secretary for
Economic Development and Housing or being stuck in his toxic orbit. If
you wanted a career under his reign, genuine conversation was not
welcomed nor advised. So scripted was every public meeting or event
that there would be no question asked that would make him or his most
senior cronies uncomfortable. Much of the press was in on or at least
aware of the game — they were only called on if they could be
counted on to ask certain types of questions and avoid others. For
Cuomo, power was and is always about control. Everything flowed from
that demand and everyone, even lieutenant governors, cabinet members
and legislative leaders fell in line.

DISCOVERING THE UNEXPECTED

Imagine my surprise, finding out that DSA is a place where every voice
is truly valued and the goal is actually to deal with extreme
inequality — the very issue that dominates our era. One of the many
collaborative actions I worked on during the primary campaign was a
press conference for the June 14 “No Kings Day” march in New York
City where we made the connection between Trump and Cuomo. They’re
basically the same person: abusers who seek office only to further
empower themselves at the expense of everyone else. The trick was not
only to get the other mayoral candidates there to speak out against
Cuomo (Shout out to the Working Families Party on this!), but also
have a large contingent of anti-Cuomo folks join the broader march
after.

It was DSA members who showed up early to help set up the press
conference. It was DSA members who helped lead our contingent into the
rally and who printed stickers and posters to highlight our
anti-abuser message at the event. Each small detail was considered and
planned with the aid of DSA members – I and others were never left
alone to do the hard work in isolation.

Not only is everything about DSA so unlike my experience working for
Cuomo, it is so disparate from my experience of being abandoned by my
own party, the Democratic Party of New York. After I came forward and
the governor resigned, many elected Democrats called me and the other
women brave. However, many of these party leaders remained silent when
Cuomo decided to run again, despite their earlier halfhearted calls
for his resignation. My party quite literally let me fight this
monster and his attacks alone, rather than use their privilege to peak
up and tell him not to run. If the party establishment is still
wondering why their power is waning while DSA’s is growing, they
don’t have to look far.

From the beginning, DSA stood by me and all those Cuomo harmed. On
primary election night, one of their data experts took time out of his
busy evening with journalists to walk me through the early returns
knowing how much this meant to me and my family. Every community
canvas I participated in for Zohran was led and filled with DSA
members helping to spread the word both for Mamdani and against Cuomo.
The organization was a huge force behind the 50,000 volunteers
knocking over 1.6 million doors during the primary. Even online, as I
continue to be smeared by Cuomo supporters, it is often DSA members
who are amongst the first to push back and counter the narrative by
creating social media campaigns to help highlight the many abuses of
Cuomo and his enablers. Isn’t that what the parties are supposed to
be about? Shouldn’t political parties support the most vulnerable
within their ranks and prioritize ethics over power?

We need more of this, not just in New York City but across the
country. The DSA community is one built on caring for and learning
from each other to make our city work for everybody. When they are not
doing political work, they hold cultural and recreational events that
allow people to simply enjoy each other’s company. Cuomo’s world
of abuse, toxicity, and fearmongering should not simply stand in
opposition to DSA. It should be a thing of the past entirely.

The New York City DSA’s membership recently crossed 10,000 while the
reach of the organization during the primary was a high multiple of
that. They made an indelible impact on our city with Zohran’s
primary victory. Before that, they supported me and my fight when
others cowered before abusers. DSA has made a commitment to fighting
for New Yorkers, even when those fights are neither popular nor easy.
They are doing the important work to move our city towards true equity
and accountability. This is among one of the many reasons why I am
proud to be a new DSA member. You should join too by going to
socialists.nyc. [[link removed]]

_Lindsey Boylan is an urban planner who served in the Cuomo
administration as deputy secretary for economic development and
special advisor to the governor. In February 2021, she became the
first of 13 women to accuse Gov. Andrew Cuomo of sexual harassment._

_THE INDYPENDENT IS READER-FUNDED. WE PUBLISH A
FREE MONTHLY NEWSPAPER [[link removed]], A WEBSITE,
A WEEKLY RADIO SHOW [[link removed]] ON
WBAI-99.5 FM AND MORE [[link removed]]. TO MAKE A
ONE-TIME OR RECURRING MONTHLY DONATION, CLICK HERE
[[link removed]]._

* Democratic Socialist of America
[[link removed]]
* New York City
[[link removed]]
* Andrew Cuomo
[[link removed]]
* Democratic Party
[[link removed]]

*
[[link removed]]
*
[[link removed]]
*
*
[[link removed]]

 

 

 

INTERPRET THE WORLD AND CHANGE IT

 

 

Submit via web
[[link removed]]

Submit via email
Frequently asked questions
[[link removed]]
Manage subscription
[[link removed]]
Visit xxxxxx.org
[[link removed]]

Twitter [[link removed]]

Facebook [[link removed]]

 




[link removed]

To unsubscribe, click the following link:
[link removed]