At a political event in Iowa, Maryland U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen tried to bully Democrats to endorse New York mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani. Van Hollen suggested the two most senior elected members of his party, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, were practicing “spineless politics” for not endorsing a democratic socialist who consistently supported policies that most Americans see as extreme. Van Hollen’s call to action seemed particularly out of place since Jeffries and Schumer both live in New York City and are well versed in the politics and policies of the mayoral race.
For a man who regularly denounces President Donald Trump’s character and tactics, it was surprising to see Van Hollen adopt one of the president’s signature moves by putting pressure on members of his own party to adopt his position. Van Hollen has called on Republicans to act independently, and he should acknowledge that every member of his own party has the right to make his or her own decision about endorsing Mamdani. That would reinforce an important idea in American politics, that leaders are elected to exercise their best judgment and not follow the dictates of others.
Van Hollen’s embrace of Mamdani tells us one of two things is true about his politics: Either he believes Mamdani’s policies are right, or he believes that every Democrat has a duty to support politicians who happen to win a Democratic primary, regardless of the candidate’s policies and beliefs. This is reminiscent of the behavior we saw from mainstream Republicans who decided to support Trump simply because he was the Republican nominee.
Unless Van Hollen supports Mamdani’s far-left platform, a platform that includes city-run grocery stores, free buses and a $30 hourly minimum wage, his endorsement is perpetuating the idea that party loyalty is more important than policy. If Van Hollen believes in Mamdani’s policies, he should advocate for them in Maryland. And if he doesn’t want to see Mamdani’s policies enacted here at home, he should never have endorsed a candidate promising to enact them elsewhere.
When New York’s Democratic Governor Kathy Hochul offered her endorsement of Mamdani, she assured New Yorkers that he was building bridges with the Jewish community and understood that New York City’s police department needed resources and strong leadership. The fact that the governor needed to offer these assurances shows how far Mamdani exists beyond the Democratic mainstream. One of Mamdani’s opponents in the mayoral race, former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, has asserted that Mamdani’s distance from the most controversial positions of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), positions that include the public ownership of major industries, unlimited migration into the United States, an end to all deportations and the provision of social services and jobs to every migrant who crosses a U.S. border, is “unconvincing and convenient”. He’s right that Mamdani has only recently tried to distance himself from the DSA even though he’s been a member of the organization since 2017.
Schumer and Jeffries seem to understand that affiliating their party with democratic socialism isn’t the way to secure a decisive victory in the midterm elections. At only 39% of the population, even if that number is surprising high, there simply aren’t enough Americans who believe in socialism.
Democrats endorsing Mamdani plays into every stereotype that Republicans work hard to cultivate, and Democrats may find it difficult to explain next year why they endorsed Mamdani unless they also support his policies. And if they do support his policies, then the party has moved decisively toward what an earlier generation of Democrats disavowed.
Democrats are either comfortable with Mamdani’s policies or they’re not, and if they’re not, the honest thing to do is ignore Van Hollen’s call and refrain from endorsing him. If they are comfortable with Mamdani’s agenda, they should endorse him enthusiastically and be willing to accept the political results associated with that decision. At least then we’ll know where the party stands.
Of nine Democrats in Maryland’s congressional delegation, Van Hollen and Representative Jamie Raskin are the only two who have so far endorsed Mamdani. Van Hollen should leave the rest alone to make up their own minds. He should honor their independence by not accusing any more Democrats of being spineless for not immediately declaring their support for Mamdani. The stakes of this decision are high, and Democrats should take their time and consider their options.
Van Hollen’s approach to Mamdani is more likely to alienate swing voters than it is to bring those voters to the Democratic side. More importantly, it’s dishonest for Van Hollen to endorse a candidate unless he supports that candidate’s agenda, since an agenda is not a set of goals but a detailed plan of action intended to achieve certain outcomes. Van Hollen can’t get away with saying he’s endorsing Mamdani because they both believe housing costs are too high. Everyone believes housing costs are too high. It’s how Mamdani plans to address housing costs and a host of other issues that matters.
Democrats should be in a strong position as they approach the 2026 midterms. Historically, the president’s party loses seats in Congress as Americans realize the grand promises made on the campaign trail are mostly unaccomplished and voters seek to return balance to the federal government. Republicans are facing headwinds. Economic growth is slowing and unemployment is rising. Most Americans support a strong border but aren’t enamored with the way the president has carried out his immigration policies.
The biggest danger facing Democrats is their own poor decision-making, and Van Hollen’s endorsement of Mamdani plays directly into Republican hands. If his aggressive call to Democrats gets more of them to endorse Mamdani, he’ll make it harder for Democrats to win next year’s elections. Mamdani’s economic policies aren’t supported by most Americans, and he has a history of anti-police rhetoric and suggesting that prisons don’t serve a useful purpose in society. His beliefs seem destined to increase disorder. Endorsing Mamdani ties Democrats to his history and controversial ideas.
Democrats don’t need to be the party that accepts anti-social and criminal behavior to be the party of compassion. We can endorse the ideas of accountability and personal responsibility while we pursue policies that uplift the disadvantaged. We don’t have to be a party opposed to capitalism to recognize that our current system isn’t working well for many Americans. Democrats like Van Hollen who support Mamdani are endorsing a view of the Democratic Party that abandons the center and feels increasingly alien to voters like me.
Colin Pascal (colinjpascal@outlook.com) is a retired Army lieutenant colonel, a registered Democrat and a graduate student in the School of Public Affairs at American University in Washington, D.C. He grew up in and around New York City and lives in Annapolis.
