What MAGA and Mamdani Are Both Getting Right

How the cost of living crisis is uniting voters, and why ignoring it could doom the reasonable majority — and democracy — to defeat

From the crowded streets of New York City to the wide-open rural stretches of America’s heartland, voters are united by a singular anxiety: the ever-increasing cost of simply living their lives. Political commentators obsess over identity politics, culture wars, and scandals, but voters are focused on more immediate concerns. MAGA Republican Donald Trump and Democratic Socialist Zohran Mamdani (Democratic nominee for Mayor of NYC) are two diametrically opposed politicians who are seen as extreme by much of the country — yet they have a couple things in common:

1) Their electoral success has shocked the establishments of their parties.

2) As candidates they relentlessly focus on the cost of living crisis, claim they’ll fix it, and are rewarded for it by voters who may not agree with them on much else.

The Cost of Living Crisis is America's Real Unifier

Whether it's skyrocketing rent in cities like New York, which surged nearly 16% in a single year, or grocery bills ballooning nationwide, everyday Americans have felt relentlessly squeezed for years now. Childcare expenses have climbed sharply, and energy bills make winters harsher and summers hotter financially. Amid these pressures, traditional partisan loyalties are becoming secondary. Voters are desperately searching for politicians who genuinely recognize their struggles and promise a plan for relief.

Zohran Mamdani: Making Socialism Practical

Zohran Mamdani's victory in the New York Democratic mayoral primary surprised many — but perhaps not those who paid attention to his message. Mamdani understood that abstract ideological arguments don’t resonate when you're worried about covering the most basic expenses. He pledged clear, direct solutions: freezing rent increases, implementing fare-free public transportation, launching city-run grocery stores, and establishing a $30 hourly minimum wage. These ideas, radical to some, felt like urgently needed lifelines to voters burdened by rising costs.

And where were the alternatives?

Young, educated urban voters — often mischaracterized as more interested in identity issues — showed they value economic stability above ideological purity. Mamdani’s success demonstrated that when progressive policies are framed around tangible economic solutions, they can attract broad support (whether they are good ideas or not).

MAGA’s Populist Appeal: Promising Immediate Relief

Far from New York's liberal enclaves, MAGA Republicans have crafted their own winning narrative around affordability. By placing blame squarely on "elites," foreign countries, and what they claim are unfair international trade practices, they've tapped into deep frustrations over inflation, stagnant wages, and soaring everyday costs. President Trump and other MAGA figures have consistently presented themselves as champions of the economically disenfranchised, advocating tariffs as a solution — insisting that tough trade measures will protect American jobs and bring costs down for consumers, despite the opposite being true.

In conservative communities, where inflation hits hardest in daily essentials like gas and groceries, this populist message resonates powerfully. The cultural rhetoric might be radically different from Mamdani’s, but the underlying appeal to economic relief, amplified by calls for economic nationalism, is strikingly similar.

Are Reasonable Leaders Missing the Moment?

While MAGA and Mamdani seize upon economic anxieties, moderate and centrist politicians often miss the moment. Problem solvers frequently highlight detailed policy nuances and bipartisan cooperation — admirable goals, but less effective if struggling voters don’t hear their struggles spoken back to them with solutions. Nuance fades rapidly when voters are worried about losing homes or paying medical bills.

The cost of living crisis demands a recalibration from problem solvers on both the center-right and center-left (where a plurality of Americans actually identify). To remain relevant, these leaders must center their messaging on direct economic solutions rather than vague policy ideals. Infrastructure investment becomes compelling only when it visibly reduces costs. Zoning reform is meaningful if it results in tangible housing affordability.

The Path to Victory: Relentless Affordability Messaging

For politicians who wish to succeed in the current climate, the strategy is simple but challenging: focus relentlessly on affordability. Every speech, policy initiative, and social media post should underscore how it addresses everyday financial struggles. Avoid distractions, and continually redirect the conversation back to the kitchen table — rent, groceries, childcare, transportation.

Reasonable problem solvers have an opportunity. If they fail to provide straightforward, credible solutions, voters will inevitably turn to those who do — even if it means supporting candidates whose overall political agenda they may not fully embrace.

And we know what winners do: They claim a “mandate” for their entire agenda, even the more fringe parts the voters who put them over the top didn’t notice because they were solely focused on cost.

Defending Stability Without Defending the Status Quo

Neither MAGA Republicans nor Zohran Mamdani advocate for maintaining the current system. Both explicitly reject a status quo that millions of voters find increasingly intolerable. Any candidate who attempts to defend or justify the existing conditions when countless Americans feel desperate for relief is destined to lose.

Yet, there's a critical distinction: movements like MAGA aren't merely challenging economic realities — they're attacking the fundamental institutions, norms, and constitutional safeguards that underpin our society's stability.

The urgent challenge facing leaders on the center-right and center-left is to address voters' justified anger and growing hopelessness without sacrificing the essential stability provided by our democracy, rule of law, and institutions. It’s not enough to lament extremism; we must offer bold, credible solutions that visibly improve economic prospects while reinforcing — not dismantling — the structures that have historically held America together through good times and bad.

Failure to do this won't just mean losing an election. It risks allowing extremist forces, promising revolutionary solutions but delivering destruction, to erode the very foundation that has made America resilient.