Democrats like Zohran Mamdani claim to embrace young people. They’re betraying them

Democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani leads NYC mayor race with policies including citywide rent controls and government-run supermarkets that are economically destructive

Mehek Cooke is an attorney, political strategist and former state and U.S. counterterrorism adviser.

Mamdani’s proposal for a citywide rent freeze affecting 2 million tenants and 200,000 subsidized units may sound compassionate, but it is a recycled failure. California and Seattle tried this playbook and the results were predictable: the housing supply shrank, landlords fled, and renters were left stuck in deteriorating units. For young Americans already crushed by $1.7 trillion in student debt, this means a lifetime of renting with no chance to build wealth. His plan for government-run supermarkets would be just as destructive, stiffling private innovation, gutting small businesses and creating another costly and inefficient bureaucracy.