Mamdani warns Democrats: winning is not enough, change must be felt 'in their pockets'

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani warned Democrats on Wednesday, after their sweeping midterm election victory, that winning is not enough: they must deliver changes Americans 'notice in their pockets.'

'It is not enough for us, as Democrats, to come to power; we have to use that power to achieve a change Americans can notice in their pockets,' Mamdani said at a press conference, according to the EFE news agency.

Democrats handily defeated Republicans and wrested control of the House of Representatives and the Senate. Mamdani, who celebrated the victory, asked the lawmakers who will take office next January to focus on working to lower Americans' cost of living.

'(U.S. Vice President) JD Vance asked Americans to give him two more years. Americans cannot afford two more years when they have to pay rent on the first day of the month, pay for their children's daycare or go to the supermarket today,' the mayor said.

That is why, he said, Democrats must understand 'the urgency of delivering' on the mandate voters gave them at the ballot box. On balancing legislative work with oversight of President Donald Trump, he argued that both corruption in Washington and the cost-of-living crisis affect workers, and that 'it is possible and necessary to act on all those fronts.'

Asked what changes he hopes to see in U.S. policy toward Israel, Mamdani answered in general terms, calling for compliance with international law and a mandate to 'build, not bomb.'

The New York mayor's message comes on the same day city voters backed, according to unofficial results collected on election day, the five City Charter reform proposals promoted by his administration, as A Lo Claro reported in its afternoon edition.

Photo: Michael Nigro / Sipa USA / Newscom / Reason

Source: EFE, via Lado.mx