Don't be fooled. Mamdani isn't the future of the Democratic Party. These two patriotic women are

Let's be honest. Both former CIA agent Abigail Spanberger and naval pilot Mikie Sherrill offer Democrats an authentic leadership model with bipartisan appeal beyond blue bubble cities.

Jonathan Kott is a partner at Capitol Counsel and former Senior Advisor to Democratic Senators Joe Manchin and Chris Coons. 

 That is why, when Zohran Mamdani energized young voters in NYC, everyone, especially the media, turned their attention to him. He capitalized on anger and frustration with inaction in Washington, connected with voters' concerns about affordability, and used social media masterfully, running rings around his older, squarer opponents. He was hip, and he was "real."

But all the hyperventilating is premature. Mamdani won a multi-candidate Democratic primary in a deep blue city, held on a 100-degree day in June. He received less than 600,000 votes in a city of over 8 million. So, let’s not let social media tell us that he is the future of the Democratic Party. I’m a NYC Democrat and I don’t remember anyone outside of the five boroughs caring what Mayor Bloomberg, DiBlasio, or Adams did on the national level.