Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) said Wednesday that New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani represents a new leader within the Democratic Party following his election victory Tuesday.
During an interview on CNN’s The Source, anchor Kaitlan Collins asked Sanders if he viewed Mamdani — whom he endorsed — as a party leader “after seeing the results of last night’s elections.”
“Well, of course, he is,” Sanders replied. “He’s going to be the mayor of the city of New York.”
Sanders claimed Democrats across the country have a lot to learn from Mamdani, whose focus on cost of living and affordability is credited mainly by Sanders with his victory Tuesday night.
“What’s important about last night is not only that he ran a brilliant campaign … it’s what he talked about during the campaign. And he made it clear — what is true in every state in this country — is that the richest people in America are becoming phenomenally richer. Billionaires are exploding in terms of wealth, while, ordinary people, 60 percent of people live paycheck to paycheck,” Sanders claimed, adding those people cannot afford basic necessities like food, child care and health care.
“That’s what Zohran campaigned on,” he added. “It resonated with people. It will resonate with people in every state in this country.”
Sanders said Democrats should “absolutely” continue using similar messaging. When asked if that message is resonating on Capitol Hill, he replied, “To some degree it is.”
“But more importantly,” he continued, “it is resonating with ordinary Americans all across this country.”
Do you think Democratic leadership took away the same message as you from last night’s elections?
Sen. Bernie Sanders: “You’ve got to ask Democratic leadership.” pic.twitter.com/c706DaTUPc
— Kaitlan Collins (@kaitlancollins) November 6, 2025
