Zohran Mamdani gained attention in New York’s Democratic mayoral primary for his platform on reducing costs, says Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) in remarks on the influence of the younger wing of the party before Mamdani’s election. «He essentially said something I strongly agree with, if you—if you work in New York you should be able to afford to live in New York.»
«[T]he younger wing of the party is engaged on lots of different fronts,» says Van Hollen. «When it comes to the issue of Palestinian rights going forward, I will say that the younger generation of both Jews and non-Jews in America take seriously the idea that we should have a principled, rights-based foreign policy—something I’ve long believed in». He contrasts this with President Donald Trump’s approach, stating Trump «consciously ripped that idea up» and turned the State Department human rights report into «a propaganda tool» rather than a credible accountability mechanism. Van Hollen argues young people apply principles of fair treatment consistently, noting «you can’t look at what’s happening on the West Bank or Gaza and say those individuals are being treated fairly.»
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Sen. Van Hollen on Zohran Mamdani, Gen Z activism, and Palestinian rights