Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut acknowledged in a recent interview that the economic message of Democratic Socialist Zohran Mamdani represents the future of the Democratic Party.
Murphy made the statement during an appearance on CNN’s News Central with anchor Kasie Hunt, where he was asked directly whether Mamdani’s platform signaled the party’s direction.
“I think his message, his economic message, is the future of the [Democratic] Party,” Murphy responded.
🚨 NEW — Senator Chris Murphy: Zohran Mamdani — A self-described Democratic Socialist — has an “economic message” that “is the future of the [Democratic] Party.” pic.twitter.com/BWSbt5qYnV
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) June 30, 2025
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The exchange followed Mamdani’s unexpected victory in the New York Democratic mayoral primary over former Governor Andrew Cuomo.
Mamdani, a state assemblyman and self-described socialist, ran on a platform that included proposals for government-owned grocery stores and a citywide rent freeze.
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He has also refused to condemn the controversial and widely criticized phrase, “Globalize the intifada.”
Earlier in the day, Murphy also spoke to MSNBC about Mamdani’s win. He clarified that there are “certain things he [Mamdani] stands for and says” that he does not agree with.
But Murphy emphasized that Mamdani’s focus on the rising cost of living resonated with voters.
“I think you have to pay attention to the fact that you have a candidate in New York City that was talking every single day about the cost of living, and he was proposing really big, sometimes radical ideas to take power from folks that have way too much of it,” Murphy said.
“He did have a laser-like focus on the cost of living, on shifting power to people who don’t have enough of it,” Murphy continued.
“And I think that if the Democratic Party, writ large, spent as much time or as big of a percentage of our communications time talking about the cost of living as Mamdani did in New York, we probably win a lot more elections.”
Chris Murphy: The Democrat party should look at emulating Mamdani’s campaign — “We’d probably win a lot more elections.” pic.twitter.com/dUchzi2HDr
— Western Lensman (@WesternLensman) June 30, 2025
Critics have pointed to Mamdani’s own public statements as evidence that his views align more closely with communism than democratic socialism.
A resurfaced video from 2021 shows Mamdani saying, “The end goal is to seize the means of production.”
This is not terrible AI, it’s a real message from the current frontrunner for NYC Mayor to his socialist comrades.
“The end goal of seizing the means of production.”
I can’t believe this is actually happening. pic.twitter.com/KNxQV2QCX7
— MAZE (@mazemoore) June 30, 2025
That phrase is commonly associated with Marxist and communist ideologies.
Veteran Democratic strategist James Carville has raised concerns over Mamdani’s refusal to disavow calls for “global intifada.”
Carville warned that Democrats across the country may be forced to answer questions about Mamdani’s rhetoric.
“I can’t imagine that any Democratic candidate anywhere in the country is going to be able to escape answering this question. I think the microphone’s going to follow him around. I think that they’re going to pound this home as hard as they possibly can,” Carville said.
“Depending on who comes in a general election, there’s a lot of Democrats that are going to have a hard go at this. I think it’s a potentially damaging event.”
News coverage of Mamdani’s platform has varied, with some outlets highlighting criticism of his more radical proposals, such as city-owned grocery stores.
Media outlets like CNN have offered limited examination of the implications of Mamdani’s proposals, while some academics and analysts have argued that public grocery options could be viable in underserved areas.
Dude is on video saying he wants to seize the means of production, and CNN is out here saying “less radical than critics portray.”
Fascinating.
— Dustin Grage (@GrageDustin) July 1, 2025
Nevin Cohen, director of the Urban Food Policy Institute at the City University of New York, told RedState that public grocery initiatives are “more common than people are aware of.”
Errol Schweizer, a grocery industry veteran, argued that such stores would not compete directly with small corner stores, but rather fill market gaps in fresh food availability.
Mamdani’s rise has prompted national attention and raised questions about the Democratic Party’s ideological direction.
As primary season continues and general election races begin to take shape, his platform and rhetoric are likely to remain a focal point in national political discussions.