The Left Ledger – August 15, 2025

Zohran Mamdani’s Surge Mamdani is pulling ahead in the NYC mayoral race, leading by 19 points over Andrew Cuomo, per the latest Siena poll—44% to 25%, with Adams and Sliwa trailing behind.
📎 The Guardian | FOX 5 NY

Warren Weighs In Senator Elizabeth Warren just endorsed Mamdani, calling his platform—childcare access, rent reform, and affordability—the “north star” for the Democratic Party.
📎Politico

New York — Cuomo’s “Zohran’s Law” Targets Rent Rules Cuomo’s plan to cap rent-stabilized eligibility by income was dismissed as political theater. Mamdani supports a universal rent freeze.
📎The Hill

Seattle — Progressive Mayoral Surge
Progressive candidate Katie Wilson, co‑founder of the Transit Riders Union, is surging in Seattle’s mayoral race. Her platform includes renter protections, higher minimum wages, corporate taxation, and comprehensive homelessness solutions—mirroring broader leftward shifts in urban politics.
📎The Week

Wealth Tax Push — Blue States Target the Rich
States like Washington, Rhode Island (“Taylor Swift tax”), and Massachusetts are implementing hefty wealth and capital gains taxes to make up for federal funding shortfalls. Early results show these measures are yielding significant revenue gains.
📎The Wall Street Journal

Zohran Mamdani has lit a fire under American socialism—hotter than anything we’ve seen in decades. His primary win isn’t just historic; it’s a jolt of adrenaline to a movement long dismissed by the political mainstream. It’s not just a victory—it’s a spark that’s catching, lighting up minds and mobilizing thousands. And truly? I can’t wait to see how far this fire spreads. Here’s hoping he keeps that flame rooted in socialism—and resists the all-too-familiar drift to the right (looking at you, AOC).

Mamdani’s grassroots momentum is rooted in smart digital organizing and bold policy clarity. A Time profile calls his candidacy “a politics of no translation,” praising his deep community ties, radical affordability platform, and digital savvy—which together have propelled him from relative obscurity to national prominence. Time

Meanwhile, his “Five Boroughs Against Trump” tour reframes local issues in national terms. Kicking off in Manhattan with grassroots allies, Mamdani is stitching together borough-level mobilization into a broader narrative of resistance to Trump-era politics.
📎Fox 5 NY

Chicago, IL — Transit Crisis Spurs Action
Riders rallied downtown to demand action on a looming $770 million funding gap threatening CTA and Metra services. Chicago DSA continues to lead on transit justice, organizing the Fix the CTA campaign to push for fare-free transit, restored service, and rider representation.
📎Chicago DSA
📎Block Club Chicago

Metro DC — Canvassing and Wage Battles
Metro DC DSA is ramping up dual canvassing efforts for socialist city council candidates in Gaithersburg and Greenbelt. They’re also on the front lines fighting the rollback of Initiative 82, which would freeze tipped-worker raises despite being passed by popular vote.
📎Metro DC DSA
📎Metro DC DCA on I-82 Budget Fight

National — DSA Co-Chairs Reflect on Growing Pains
Megan Romer and Ashik Siddique, DSA’s first paid national co-chairs, open up about balancing administrative burdens, staffing challenges, and the struggle to bridge national and local organizing.
📎Democratic Left

Piker Pout
Hasan Piker streams socialist politics to millions—but his luxe lifestyle sparks “champagne socialist” critiques. A GQ profile defends his sincerity, while others question if radical content can coexist with celebrity clout.
📎 GQ Profile | Polygon Coverage

Why You Should Be a Socialist — Nathan J. Robinson
A sharp, accessible, and timely introduction to socialist principles—Robinson dismantles common misconceptions with wit and clarity. A modern primer for curious minds from the Current Affairs founder.
📎Buy it Here

Socialism: Utopian and Scientific – Friedrich Engels
A concise and accessible explanation of Marxist ideas, written for working-class readers in clear language.
📎Free copy

“Solidarity Forever... For the union makes us strong!”
— Ralph Chaplin, writing an enduring union anthem in 1915 that remains a core socialist and labor movement motif today. 🎧 HERE Learn more HERE

📨 That’s it for this issue.
Forward it to a friend—or that one uncle who still thinks socialism is just a “phase.” Let’s test that theory.