Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Date of Degree

2-2026

Document Type

Doctoral Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy

Program

Political Science

Advisor

John Mollenkopf

Committee Members

John Krinsky

Keena Lipsitz

Subject Categories

Comparative Politics | Political Science | Urban Studies

Keywords

Urban Politics, New York City Council, Political Parties, Social Democratic Party Family, Democratic Socialists of America

Abstract

The 2021 New York City Council primaries marked a decisive breakthrough for the city’s progressive left. A cohort of democratic-socialist and socialist-adjacent candidates won office across multiple boroughs, dramatically expanding the size and influence of the left flank of the council. This dissertation analyzes those victories and argues that they constituted a hinge moment in the construction of a progressive governing regime in New York City, with implications that extend beyond New York City politics to the study of social- democratic party families more broadly. Drawing on electoral returns, demographic data, campaign materials, and elite interviews, the project demonstrates that progressives succeeded by strategically expanding a coalition previously anchored in white, well-educated professionals into racially diverse segments of the working class, particularly among Hispanic and South Asian voters. These gains translated not only into electoral durability but into governing capacity: progressive council members passed a substantial body of social-democratic legislation and exercised increased oversight of an adversarial mayoral administration. The demographic expansion of the progressive coalition also set the stage for the 2025 mayoral victory of Zohran Mamdani, further cementing the New York City left’s electoral and institutional power.

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