How Mamdani Taps Into an American Socialist Tradition

Though many people in attendance might have been unsure who Debs was, the reference made perfect sense. After all, Debs was a transformative figure in the history of U.S. socialism. While many commentators treat socialism as something foreign to the nation’s soil—an import from abroad—there has been a long U.S. socialist tradition, one that has fused a vision of government with a defense of working Americans and a respect for values of individualism, liberty, and civic republicanism.

During his victory speech on Nov. 4, New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani quoted a five-time presidential candidate: “The sun may have set over our city this evening,” he declared to an exuberant crowd of supporters in Brooklyn, “but as Eugene Debs once said, ‘I can see the dawn of a better day for humanity.’”

During his victory speech on Nov. 4, New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani quoted a five-time presidential candidate: “The sun may have set over our city this evening,” he declared to an exuberant crowd of supporters in Brooklyn, “but as Eugene Debs once said, ‘I can see the dawn of a better day for humanity.’”

Though many people in attendance might have been unsure who Debs was, the reference made perfect sense. After all, Debs was a transformative figure in the history of U.S. socialism. While many commentators treat socialism as something foreign to the nation’s soil—an import from abroad—there has been a long U.S. socialist tradition, one that has fused a vision of government with a defense of working Americans and a respect for values of individualism, liberty, and civic republicanism.

And given the history of socialism in U.S. politics, Mamdani’s rise to power is less surprising than some might believe.

Debs was made in the USA. Born in Terre Haute, Indiana, he was the son of immigrants . He dropped out of public high school to take a job on the railroad.