New York Mayor Mamdani Says a Democratic Socialist Can Win the Presidency

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said Sunday that he believes a democratic socialist is capable of winning the presidency, as the 34-year-old first-term mayor faces growing national attention and pointed questions about his own political future.

"I think a democratic socialist can get elected anywhere across this country for any position," Mamdani told host Jon Karl on ABC's "This Week" in an interview that aired Sunday.

The statement came in direct response to a question from Karl about whether a democratic socialist could win a presidential race — a question that has taken on sharper edges as Mamdani's national profile has expanded following his victory in the New York City mayoral race.

Mamdani, who was born in Uganda, also addressed the constitutional barrier that bars non-native-born Americans from seeking the presidency. He said he would not support changing the Constitution to make himself eligible to run, even as his political base continues to grow beyond New York.

Karl noted in the interview that Mamdani will soon meet with key figures in Democratic politics, a detail that underscores the degree to which party observers are watching his trajectory closely.

The mayor's comments arrived on the same day that Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.) weighed in on a separate but related flashpoint involving the Democratic Socialists of America. CNN's Jake Tapper played footage of DSA members chanting "you're next" at House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) while gathered at a bar during New York's primary election on Tuesday, when several DSA-backed candidates competed in key races.

Warnock responded to the clip on Sunday, adding his voice to what has become a visible tension between the DSA's insurgent wing and the established House Democratic leadership.

Jeffries, who leads House Democrats, has emerged as a focal point of friction with the party's left flank, and the chants directed at him reflect a broader contest over the direction of the Democratic Party heading into future election cycles.

Mamdani's rise sits at the center of that debate. His victory in New York City — running on a democratic socialist platform — has prompted national Democrats to grapple with how far left the party's coalition can move while remaining electorally competitive in swing states and districts.

Whether Mamdani's brand of politics translates outside New York's political environment remains a central question for strategists in both wings of the party. The constitutional question, for now, renders his own presidential ambitions moot — but his willingness to assert that a democratic socialist can win nationally signals that he intends to remain an influential voice in shaping that argument.