By Daniel Rose
The voters have spoken, and New York’s June, 2026, election results are now part of our political history.
As one observer noted, “Mayor Mamdani not only picked the winners, he made them” ; and he is now seen as a significant factor in the selection of the Democratic Party’s 2028 candidates.
Since he wasn’t born in the United States, the Mayor is himself constitutionally ineligible for the presidency, but no one can doubt his important role in the future of his political party. “When does the race for 2028 begin ? It starts now !”, Mamdani said at a pre-election rally, and he clearly meant it ! His stated intention is to drive his party dramatically further left.
It remains to be seen to what extent, if any, figures like Jessica Tisch, Governor Kathy Hochul, former Mayor Michael Bloomberg and others can serve as a moderating influence.
Many moderate Democrats believe today that extreme leftwing candidates will be a liability in closely contested races, since the party needs to appeal to voters in crucial swing districts, and Republican voices are already charging the Democrats with having been taken over by radicals. President Trump’s reaction to the election results was immediate, as he branded the Democratic victors as “communists” and proclaimed “America the Beautiful will never be a “communist country !”
The President also delighted in the defeat of two of his long-standing Republic adversaries, George Conway and Representative Dan Goldman. Conway was a Republican for most of his career but then became a Trump critic and he even registered as a Democrat. “Weak and pathetic Congressman Dan Goldman just lost BIG !” , cheered the President, “ I guess people didn’t like him illegally targeting President TRUMP !”
Forecasting future political events is always so open to the unforeseeable as to make it all but useless. This certainly applies to the U.S. 2028 elections, both as to presidential succession and to control of both Houses of Congress.
Current public opinion polls note President Trump’s diminishing approval ratings (due to the Iran war, rising gasoline prices, national inflation, etc.) not only among the general public but even with some self-identified Republican voters as well. The ramifications remain to be seen.
Where this is leading us is impossible to tell. The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. liked to say that he believed that America’s best days lay ahead of us, and I can only repeat what the old lady said, “Out of his mouth and into God’s ear !”
Given the political climate of today, even Lenin would be a serious contender if elections for the presidency were held tomorrow!