LA needs to stop the next Mamdani from taking power
If you think Zohran Mamdani’s victory is simply a New York story, think again.LA should be paying attention because the same political movement has been gaining strength here for years.It may speak with a calmer voice and present itself with polished messaging, but the underlying ideology deserves the same scrutiny.
Don’t mistake a soft-spoken demeanor for moderation.LA City Councilwoman Nithya Raman represents the California expression of the same radical socialism that fuels figures like Mamdani.The Mamdani movement did not emerge overnight.
It is the result of years of ideological activism taking root in our schools, universities, nonprofit organizations and political institutions.A divided America is a weakened America, and our adversaries understand that.According to the US Department of Education’s foreign funding disclosures, American universities have reported tens of billions of dollars in foreign funding since reporting requirements began, including more than $1 billion in disclosed funding from Qatar in 2025 alone.Congress has increased scrutiny of these disclosures, but foreign money continues to shape institutions responsible for educating America’s future leaders.
We should not be surprised when those ideas eventually find their way into our politics.This is about far more than socialism.It is about a worldview that increasingly casts America as the villain; capitalism as inherently oppressive; and Israel, America’s closest democratic ally in the Middle East, as uniquely illegitimate.As an Iranian immigrant, I have seen this movie before.My family fled Iran after the Islamic Revolution of 1979.
The revolution was sold as justice, equality and liberation.Many educated people believed the radicals could be controlled.They were wrong.
Once extremist ideology captured the institutions, it captured the country.History teaches that societies rarely abandon freedom all at once.It happens gradually.
Institutions change.Language changes.
Cultur...