Zohran Mamdani, and his epic victory in New York City's mayoral elections, has once again put the Democratic Socialists of America in the spotlight. He is now the latest member to join a small club of people linked to the DSA and active in American politics.
Mamdani, 34, broke one million votes, earning 50 percent of ballots cast compared to his closest rival, 67-year-old former state governor Andrew Cuomo, who won just shy of 42 percent of the vote on the largest turnout since 1969.
A comprehensive ground game that Zohran Mamdani claimed involved 100,000 volunteers meant his campaign touched every corner of New York and every demographic.
The leftist's overwhelmingly positive message about making New York City more livable for all its inhabitants resonated with migrant families, young progressives and working-class voters alike.
Who are the Democratic Socialists of America?
With more than 100,000 members, the Democratic Socialists of America is the largest organisation of its kind in the country. The DSA does everything a traditional political party does except participate in elections.
Its focus remains largely on local campaigns and grassroots engagement across America. And it has been that way since it was founded in 1982 by the political activist Michael Harrington.
Its core belief is working people should run both the economy and society democratically to meet human needs, not to make profits for a few. The DSA takes issue with concentration of wealth and power with individuals and advocates for policies such as universal healthcare, affordable housing, strong unions and aggressive climate.
But some prominent faces did make the DSA more popular. Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders ran for the White House in 2016. Yes, the same guy who wore cozy mittens at Joe Biden's presidential inauguration. His short but impactful campaign put the DSA on America's political map.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Rashida Tlaib, Greg Casar are some of the big names associated with the DSA. And political rookie Zohran Mamdani is the latest to join the small club.
