Democratic socialists won three congressional primaries in New York City on June 23 and Britain’s Labour Party is preparing to hand power to a socialist former mayor, marking the most concrete electoral victories for the political left in two major economies this year, according to an analysis by The Wall Street Journal.
The Journal’s chief economics commentator, Greg Ip, wrote Tuesday that the developments show the “fascination with socialism” can no longer be dismissed as “vibes.” In New York, candidates backed by the Democratic Socialists of America and new Mayor Zohran Mamdani defeated moderate Democrats in three districts. Brad Lander won the primary in NY-10, Claire Valdez in NY-7, and Darializa Chevalier in NY-13, where she beat a five-term incumbent. With no serious Republican opposition in the heavily Democratic districts, the Journal said the primary victories amount to “all but guaranteeing victory in November’s general election.”
In Washington, D.C., the Journal noted that the city is expected to have a socialist mayor soon, joining New York and Seattle. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D., N.Y.), a Democratic socialist, is a contender for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2028, the paper reported.
Across the Atlantic, Andy Burnham, the socialist former mayor of Greater Manchester, is poised to become prime minister and Labour leader after Keir Starmer said Monday he would resign. Burnham’s ascendance is “the latest sign that the stigma that once surrounded state ownership of the economy is fading,” the Journal wrote.
The Journal quoted Cornell University historian Nicholas Mulder, author of the forthcoming book “The Age of Confiscation,” as calling the current period the fourth wave of nationalization in the past century. Previous waves in the 1930s, 1940s and 1970s were driven by a desire to preserve employment or a belief in the efficiency of public ownership, Mulder said in an interview. This wave, he said, is driven more by inflation — publicly provided services are claimed to be more affordable — and geopolitics, as state control of certain assets becomes vital to national security.
The Journal pointed to a cross-party convergence on state control. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I., Vt.) and President Trump both want the federal government to take a stake in major artificial-intelligence companies. In Britain, the right-wing populist Reform UK until recently supported nationalizing 50% of utilities, and the left-wing Green Party advocates nationalization of utilities and steel. “All are emulating China,” the Journal wrote, “where the lines between the state and private sector have all but disappeared.”
The Journal cited Burnham’s “Manchesterism” philosophy as “business-friendly socialism.” As mayor, he brought the bus transit system in Greater Manchester under public control. Nationally, he advocates public ownership of water, housing, energy and transportation, though the Journal noted that larger targets may be constrained by the budget deficit.
The Journal’s analysis said the socialist gains in the U.S. owe less to the broad popularity of socialist positions than to the failure of centrists to excite the Democratic base and to voter frustration over inflation, incomes, and hot-button issues such as Gaza and immigration. Chevalier’s campaign website, the Journal noted, focuses on “Medicare for All” and access to abortion and gender-affirming care, not on nationalization.
Britain’s economy performed reasonably well under Starmer, the Journal wrote, growing faster than the eurozone though more slowly than the U.S., with wages outpacing inflation. But deep dissatisfaction with the economy and scandals destroyed Starmer’s support.
The Journal’s broader takeaway: “State control of the means of production, once discredited across the political spectrum, is now, thanks to Trump, no longer anathema on the right. And this week showed it is fast gaining acceptance on the left, too.”