Scroll through Zohran Mamdani's campaign website for his bid to be New York City's next mayor, and the most shocking thing you will find are his endorsements. Democrats across the country have endorsed the self-professed socialist. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.), Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), among dozens of others, support him. And just last week, he added House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries to his endorsement rolls.

So, how exactly is a radical candidate who supports defunding the police and providing universal no-cost child care, city-owned grocery stores, and broad amnesty for illegal immigrants earning all these endorsements? The answer is that an outright socialist platform is, it turns out, not so radical in today's Democratic Party.

Former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo is waging what looks to be a losing challenge against Mamdani. A key part of Cuomo's campaign has been that Mamdani is too extreme for New York City. On Fox News, Cuomo summed up Mamdani's extremism with, "He is a Democratic socialist — and forget the word 'democratic.' He's a socialist. He is totally out of step with New Yorkers."

But as Mamdani's growing list of endorsements indicates, he isn't out of step with the Democratic Party. At all.

One of Mamdani's signature campaign promises is to make housing more affordable. And how will he do that? Through the socialist plan of strict rent control policies that will inevitably do what all rent control laws do — drive investors and landlords out of the city, making housing less accessible, less affordable and less safe for all renters. But these simple economic facts are lost on today's Democrats.

In fact, Mamdani's enthusiasm for rent control is entirely consistent with the positions of other prominent Democrats. Former Vice President Kamala Harris has always been an ardent cheerleader for rent control. In 2019, she praised Oregon's new statewide rent control law, and she worked within the Biden administration to introduce a national initiative to control rent prices.

Warren is also a champion of this socialist policy, and her proposal "Housing Plan for America" is a way to socialize the nation's entire rental market.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom is also an enthusiast for massive government interventions into the sphere of private property. He signed Assembly Bill 1482 in 2019, which established California's first statewide rent cap. Clearly, when it comes to rent control, Mamdani is right at home with the Democratic Party.

Mamdani also imagines a New York City government so sprawling that it will run city-owned grocery stores and will provide universal, no-cost child care. He also plans to hike the minimum wage to $30 an hour over the next four years, which will most certainly drive job-creators elsewhere.

And to pay for these socialist plans, he plans to institute an additional 2% tax on New York's wealthiest 1% of the population.

But are these extreme positions within the Democratic Party?

Maybe ask Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.), who has long argued that the Democrats are the party working to establish heavily subsidized (and nearly free) child care for most families in America. She once said, "I won't stop pushing until I ... make that vision (of nearly free child care) a reality."

Surely Mamdani is within the mainstream of the Democrats on this issue.

Or how about Mamdani's position on the police and public safety? Cuomo has correctly pointed out that Mamdani's insistence on defunding and restructuring the police force is a fast-track plan to usher in mayhem in the city.

But, again, is Mamdani out of the mainstream with Democrats here? Too many elected Democrats to count have voiced their support for defunding the police over the past five years.

Even Cuomo himself has a spotty record on this topic, as he argued in 2021 that "Defund the police is a legitimate school of thought."

Indeed, it certainly appears to be a legitimate and popular school of thought among elected officials within the Democratic Party.

Cuomo now faces an uphill battle trying to convince voters in New York City that socialism is a dangerous path for them to choose in next week's election after his party has, for years, advocated for socialist policies.

Democrats do not have a "Mamdani problem" in New York. They have a socialism problem in their platform — and it will only get worse.

Ken Buck served in the United States House of Representatives from 2015-2024 representing Colorado's 4th congressional district. He now serves as a Fellow with the Independent Center. To find out more about Ken Buck and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

Photo credit: Benny Rotlevy at Unsplash