[1]Justice Democrats





John,

Zohran Mamdani’s victory over Andrew Cuomo and the corporate, Democratic
establishment yesterday wasn’t just a win for working-class New Yorkers:
it was a groundbreaking victory for the progressive movement at large and
our collective fight to reshape the Democratic Party.

I wrote about how we can build on Zohran’s victory in a new op-ed just
published in Zeteo, but before I share some of it, I have to ask:

[ [link removed] ]Will you rush $5 to fuel Justice Democrats’ work to win
Democratic primaries and send more working-class progressives like Zohran
to Congress next year?

[ [link removed] ]A Zeteo headline reading 'How to Build on Zohran Mamdani’s Win in
Congress. Mamdani’s victory isn’t just a tactical blueprint; it’s a
strategic mandate for 2026 and beyond' by Geoff Simpson.

The prevailing Democratic Party logic and strategy centers around the idea
that courage is a political liability. For too long, Democratic
consultants have warned candidates to soften their convictions to avoid
confrontations with wealthy donors and powerful interest groups. Doing so
allows candidates – and the party as a whole – to raise the most amount of
money possible. This is how we win elections, they say. But while
Democrats have succeeded in maximizing fundraising, even exceeding
Republicans in many instances, winning has not followed. We are watching
our country unravel during a second Trump presidency, while Republicans
also control the Senate and House.

Zohran’s decisive victory last night is a rebuke of the party’s
conventional wisdom. His victory provides a clear mandate: the left and
our progressive allies can and must embrace moral courage as a deliberate
political strategy. If we do, we won’t just move the conversation – we’ll
realign political power itself.

As PAC director for Justice Democrats and co-director of New Yorkers for
Lower Costs, an independent expenditure effort that raised over $4 million
from more than 10,000 donors to support Mamdani, I watched firsthand how
Zohran’s unapologetic moral clarity resonated deeply with voters. Beyond
the innovative campaign tactics, that moral clarity was what truly set
Zohran’s campaign apart, and it’s a strategy we must take with us into
2026 and beyond.

That means standing up to all corporate and special interests – especially
those spending millions against the left. That includes opposing genocide
in Gaza and the lobbies that champion it, and treating crypto as the
corporate scam that it is, and actually regulating it. As Ta-Nehisi Coates
put it: “If you can’t stand up against genocide, why should I believe you
can stand up for democracy?”

Party insiders often warn that morally consistent stances alienate voters.
But Mamdani’s win proves the opposite: voters reward authenticity and
courage, especially on issues like genocide.

However, those insiders are right about one thing: brave candidates risk
alienating wealthy donors. If you take principled positions,
billionaire-backed lobbies may spend millions against you. But we’re not
just trying to win one-off elections – we’re trying to change what
electoral politics can achieve.

Instead of building a strategy around avoiding punishment from the elite
few, we should build one around how to leverage the millions of people who
are being left behind.

By remaining silent during genocide, or helping Donald Trump pass corrupt
crypto legislation, we are gifting these wealthy, right-wing interests
exactly what they want: a weak opposition party that, instead of fighting
for working people, greenlights a corporate, warmongering agenda.

Silence and capitulation do not make a candidate, consultant, or operative
“strategic.” It’s the easy way out, the path of least resistance, and the
strategy that has brought us a weak Democratic Party fully unequipped to
fight fascism.

When enough candidates, donors, and organizations commit to moral courage,
the power of wealthy interests will finally weaken. We are seeing this
happen with AIPAC in real time. Don’t underestimate the work it took to
get to this point by courageous leaders like Jamaal Bowman, Cori Bush,
Summer Lee, and Rashida Tlaib, alongside movement infrastructure like the
Reject AIPAC coalition, co-led by Justice Democrats and countless other
groups fighting for Palestinian human rights.

Despite some losses, we are winning the long-term fight. Our work of
transforming the Democratic Party in Democratic primaries is working, and
the spending we face from corporate lobbies validates the power we are
building. The millions spent against candidates like Mamdani, Summer Lee,
Jamaal Bowman, and Cori Bush is the ruling class recognizing us as a
genuine threat to their interests.

2026 represents an opportunity to double our bloc in Congress, but only if
we are brave, and only if others are brave with us. In primaries and
general elections alike, we cannot “strategically” dance around the
corporate, right-wing forces trying to buy our democracy. Our only path to
real change, in the face of a full corporate takeover of our country, is
to take on the billionaire class head-on and with our full force. That is
what this moment calls for, morally and strategically.

Justice Democrats is meeting that mandate with Democratic primary
challenges nationwide, and for voters in New York who are eager to build
on their gains in the city, in the coming weeks, you will have that
opportunity.

[ [link removed] ]Pitch in any amount now to keep growing our movement and secure more
wins for working people in 2026 →



[ [link removed] ]Contribute $5



In solidarity,

Geoff Simpson
Campaigns Director




 




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