Mamdani as kingmaker: Is there a Seismic shift happening in American politics?

**Christy Strawser** (0:00)
Welcome to On Deadline, your radio news from Odyssey newsrooms across the country. I'm Christy Strawser, Odyssey's managing editor of news. Less than seven months after being sworn in, New York Mayor Zoran Mamdani took a big political gamble.
The Democratic Socialist broke with Democratic leaders by supporting leftist candidates who criticized Israel and pushed for ambitious economic policies to level the American playing field. And here's what happened next from 10-10 wins in New York.

**SPEAKER_2** (0:30)
Huge night for Zoran Mamdani, all three of the candidates he endorsed winning their primary races, including Claire Valdez, Democratic Socialist defeating Antonio Reynoso to get the primary win in the seat vacated by Nidia Velasquez.

**Claire Valdez** (0:42)
This movement is durable and that it will not stop until working people are no longer asked to just build the table, but will run the table.

**SPEAKER_2** (0:53)
And after five terms in Congress, it's over for Adriano Espiot defeated in a close race by Daryliza Avila Chevalier and boosted by support from Mamdani, Brad Lander trouncing Congressman Dan Goldman. You need a team when you're up against bullies and billionaires.

**Blos Olson** (1:10)
And that's what I intend to do.

**SPEAKER_2** (1:12)
If elected in November, Lander promising to work to abolish ICE and fight what he calls Trump fascism.

**SPEAKER_5** (1:19)
Another closely watched race, the one to succeed, the retiring Jerry Nadler representing New York 12 Michael Lasher, the projected victor, high up on his agenda.

**Michael Lasher** (1:28)
We can take on the madman in the White House, hold him and his whole corrupt cabal accountable and take our country back. Beyond that, just as important, show that Democrats in Congress have bold new ideas to improve the lives of struggling Americans and then deliver on them.

**SPEAKER_5** (1:50)
Lasher beat out a crowded field that also included Assemblymember Alex Boris, Kennedy grandson, Jack Schlossberg and lawyer George Conway.

**Christy Strawser** (2:00)
If the rise of Democratic socialists with fiery rhetoric feels like a seismic change in American politics, here's something else. Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, running mate of Kamala Harris in the last presidential cycle, is fighting.
Here's WCCO in Minneapolis.

**SPEAKER_7** (2:18)
A day after, US. District Chief Judge Patrick Schiltz denied the Department of Justice subpoenas targeting Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and other elected officials, saying they were politically motivated and without merit. Governor Walz is taking some action of his own today.
Walz's office has filed 16 Freedom of Information Act requests with multiple federal agencies seeking records, communications and writings from the Trump administration. Walz says Minnesota has been subject to more than 100 federal demands, investigations, lawsuits and threats to illegally withhold critical funding from the state. Actions Walz says amounts to a coordinated campaign of retribution.

**Christy Strawser** (2:56)
One of the fundamental disagreements between mayors like Mamdani and governors like Walz and GOP leaders revolves around how much America should spend to prop up its poorest. Here's Jason DeRouche from WCCO on food assistance programs, known as SNAP Benefits.

**Jason DeRouche** (3:13)
Do you think people on government assistance should be able to use that money to buy pop, and buy candy, and buy Doritos? I don't. I don't. There are other types of food that I do wish people could use their SNAP Benefits on. I think you should be able to buy more prepared foods, as is the way so many of us live. You go to the grocery store, you buy a rotisserie chicken, or you buy some mac and cheese or whatever. This is in the news right now because a federal judge blocked one of the Trump administration's efforts to essentially allow states to ban SNAP recipients from buying soft drinks and candy. This is part of that Make America Healthy, sort of the MAHA thing. And the judge blocked this saying the move would destabilize food access for people on food stamps. He said, it makes it difficult for people with chronic illness to access foods or drinks, needed to maintain their health, including items to manage blood sugar.
I don't know about that. I don't know about that. It is a fundamental question as to what these benefits, what food stamps, as we used to call them, and now SNAP, the supplemental nutrition, what is the purpose?
Is the purpose to provide nutritious, nourishing, filling food, or is the purpose just to say, you're broke and here's some access to food, and if you want to buy Doritos, it's your life. Go do it. This has become, to a certain degree, this has become, well, it's sort of interesting how today, this has become a very political issue, and I guess it's not actually sort of interesting because everything is very much a political issue. But it's difficult to detach the motives of people who are urging for this kind of stuff from the policy. The motives, I think, are suspicious. The motives, I think, are designed to make people who are on government aid feel like they're second class citizens. That's what I think the motive is. That said, I think you do want to help people out who are low income or on disability or in certain situations where they need, and these are not always young people, often it's seniors trying to figure out, like, all right, how do we help you get back on your feet? Or how do we help you live? How do we do it? The, a number of states had reached out to the agriculture department. The ag department is who administers SNAP benefits. And a number of those states reached out and said, you know, we would like to only allow people to use food, their SNAP benefits, on whole food, healthy stuff. Now, does this, is this a practical thing to execute? I don't know, in an age where you scan every item, there are some things, and you see it when you're at the grocery store or at the farmer's market, you see certain food that is SNAP-eligible, other food that isn't.