The first time Emerson College polled New York City’s Democratic Party primary for mayor this February, state Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani came in ninth, with just 1% of respondents supporting him. This made his trouncing of former Gov. Andrew Cuomo in Tuesday’s vote surprising.

But in light of his endorsements from fellow Democratic Socialists of America Rep. Alexandria Ocasio‑Cortez (D-NY) and socialist Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Mamdani’s win is less of a shock. While San Francisco may have recently elected the more centrist heir to the Levi Strauss family fortune, the trend across the country is for Democrats to embrace more radically left candidates, including DSA-backed Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson. Johnson has governed as he campaigned, and the results speak for themselves. We will now see if Mamdani follows through on his more populist promises or if he moderates. The future of the party hangs in the balance.