The University of Tulsa’s chapter of Young Democratic Socialists of America celebrated the election of democratic socialist mayor-to-be Zohran Mamdani.
On Tuesday, Nov. 4, New York State Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani became the most progressive mayor-elect of New York City since Fiorello La Guardia. In the University of Tulsa’s own Chapman Hall, a group of students gathered to celebrate his victory. The “watch party” was planned by TU’s chapter of the Young Democratic Socialists of America, an affiliate of the Democratic Socialists of America, an organization of which Mamdani is a member. “[Zohran is] the most prominent Democratic Socialist politician in America, other than [Senator] Bernie Sanders and [Representative] Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, so it’s an exciting night for us,” YDSA officer Ian Ohr said. The event was borne out of a longstanding appreciation for Zohran on the part of the group’s members.
As officer Sophia Rehman explained, “A few weeks ago, one of our members reached out and [asked, is YDSA] doing a watch party for the [NYC mayoral] debate? And it was the day of the debate, so we hadn’t planned it. And we [decided], ‘Why don’t we do a watch party for the actual mayoral election?’” The group set up in the Chapman Lecture Hall, with a projector showing coverage of the election that quickly switched to live look-ins at the candidates’ own events after it became clear that Mamdani was going to win.
The event drew a lively crowd, even more so because the night’s results proved popular among college-age democratic socialists. “There [were] a lot of people out there,” Rehman said, adding, “Pretty quickly we found out that [Mamdani] won; which was wonderful, but it was great to see a lot of new faces, too.” Alongside Mamdani, democratic candidates for governor Abigail Spanberger and Mikie Sherrill coasted to victory in Virginia and New Jersey, respectively. Still, no one produced as much excitement as the event’s headliner, with many students staying past the scheduled 10 P.M. end time to watch Mamdani’s acceptance speech. “I think everything that [Mamdani is] saying is very, very reasonable: wanting buses to be free, wanting to freeze the rent,” Orr said. “Those things are highly resonant [given] the high cost of living in this economy.”
YDSA-TU is a newly charted organization on campus that is also in association with other YDSA chapters all over the nation. Photo courtesy of @ydsa.tu on Instagram.
Mamdani’s willingness to break the political status quo is widely viewed as more consonant with YDSA’s goals than the more moderate liberalism of Spanberger and Sherrill. “For a long time, the Democratic Party has been shying away from its progressive base, and it was awesome to see somebody young who had an actual policy plan with a vision for how leftist politics could work in the United States,” Rehman said. “He doesn’t shy away, ever.” Mamdani will now look to carry the energy generated by his progressive base into his mayoralty.
Meanwhile, as Mamdani moves on to practical concerns, the YDSA does, as well. Tuesday’s event served as proof of concept that the group can draw a crowd, a proof which their officers hope to build upon. “I hope people realize that there’s no folks on their campus who agree with them and find community in that, and that [they realize] we can have a good time,” Rehman said. Orr was more focused on outreach to those who may be curious about the group. “I hope [the attendees] know why DSA is here,” he said. “We’re going to have more events like this in the future, and if you’re interested in learning more about our political beliefs, you should come to our meetings.” Whatever comes of it, though, YDSA and their guests got a night of joy they could share with each other. Rehman’s final assessment was, “I feel awesome. I feel so good.”
