ALBANY — The Democratic Socialists of America walked out of Tuesday’s primaries undefeated. Not a single one of their candidates lost. The organization’s political director, Osman Chaudhary, called it “a Democratic Socialist mandate in New York City.” Gustavo Gordillo, co-chair of the DSA’s city wing, was blunter.
“She knows we’re coming for her,” he said, naming Gov. Kathy Hochul as the next target. Turnout was abysmally low in most districts.
That fact matters. The DSA’s victories came in a small, select group of congressional and legislative primaries. But the organization was superbly organized.
Low turnout amplified their ground game. November will bring a new wave of radicals to the state Legislature and Congress.
How did Hochul get here? Critics say she fed the alligators. She gave Mayor Eric Adams and his crew billions in taxpayer dollars for their agenda.
The governor ignored warnings not to do it. Now the alligators want more. Hochul is on the menu.
The political battleground has been reshaped. It is no longer left versus right.
It is left versus far left. The governor sits in the middle, squeezed from both sides. Her own party’s left flank now sees her as an obstacle.
State Attorney General Letitia James was caught off guard. She cheered Adams when he won the mayoralty.
Tuesday’s results left her seething. She told CNN that some of the candidates Adams supported “do not understand the politics of New York City, the cultural differences from district to district, who have not been part of the history.” James did not name names. She did not need to.
The message was clear: the DSA candidates are outsiders, and the establishment is angry. Hochul has only herself to blame. That is the consensus among critics.
She had warnings. She ignored them.
Now she faces a coordinated threat from her left. The DSA is organized, disciplined, and hungry. The governor’s political survival depends on what she does next.
The numbers tell the story. Zero is the chance a Republican wins in those DSA-held districts.
The primaries were effectively the general election. The DSA candidates are now all but certain to take their seats. They will arrive in Albany and Washington with a mandate from a small, motivated slice of the electorate.
Hochul’s choices are narrowing. She can change course. She can keep appeasing.
Either way, the far left is coming for her. The question is whether she fights back or tries to make peace.
The alligators are not interested in peace. They want more. The governor’s position is almost pitiable.
Almost. The hitch is that she put herself here.
She gave the socialists money and legitimacy. Now they want her job. The political landscape has shifted.
The old rules do not apply. The DSA has proven it can win primaries against incumbent Democrats. Hochul is the biggest incumbent of all.
What happens next is unclear. The governor could tack left, try to outflank the DSA.
She could tack right, embrace moderate Democrats and Republicans. She could do nothing. Each option carries risk.
The DSA is patient. They have time.
They have organization. They have momentum. Hochul has a record.
She has a budget. She has a party that is fracturing. The battle is no longer about policy.
It is about power. The DSA wants it.
The governor wants to keep it. Something has to give.
