As Texans prepare to vote in a midterm where historically Republican government positions could flip for Democrats, it’s important to look at politicians who have represented their constituents successfully.
Democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani is one politician who is being celebrated for the work he’s done in office. He was sworn in as New York City mayor in January 2026.
Most Texans picture New York City as a cold, expensive, trash-ridden metropolis where the people are rude or dangerous. Texans also have their preconceptions about socialism.
Above all else, Texans believe in hard work and getting results.
In his first year as mayor, Mamdani has put in the work. He secured $1.2 billion for universal childcare, $9.3 billion in worker and small business restitution and fixed 100,000 potholes.
He paid snow shovelers $30 an hour to clear sidewalks after heavy snowfall. He installed new trash containers on the streets that have already reduced waste overflow. He brought cooling systems to subway stations.
The NYPD announced on Oct. 6 that overall crime is down across the city. The summer ended with the lowest number of shooting incidents ever, according to the NYPD. There were 23% fewer incidents recorded from July-September of 2026 than the same time period in 2025, and citywide robberies have decreased by 12% since last year.
A city is safer and supported when it is accurately represented by its government. Mamdani is a New Yorker and handles the responsibility of his job like one.
He’s become popular on social media because New Yorkers are always seeing him working around the city. Videos capture his commute on the subway or riding his bike, and people flood the TikTok comment section of yet another initiative announcement from his office asking, “Does this guy even sleep?”
It’s a common joke online that, should a New Yorker post a video of an issue they have with the city, the problem will be solved the next day. TikTok acts as Mamdani’s bat signal where constituents call, and he leaps into action. The joke is that he actually answers the call.
When’s the last time you’ve seen immediate and direct change from your government when you’ve called? Has the price of your rent, bills or groceries stopped rising? Are your communities safer?
Michael Harrington, founder of the Democratic Socialists of America, said one can’t be a socialist without loving America.
“It was as a socialist, and because I was a socialist, that I fell in love with America,” Harrington said.
Mamdani is making changes aligned with socialism because he loves New York City and New Yorkers.
Who is your mayor, and what have they done for you?
Voting is a right and a privilege. It is also one of the only ways people have power and a say in who gets to speak for them.
It’s important to reflect localized needs. If a Hurst commuter had to replace a tire three times in the last year because they hit the same pothole on the way to work every day, then they should vote for someone who wants to fill that hole.
If gas, car and insurance prices are too high, and a Watauga resident needs to get to downtown Dallas, then they should vote for someone willing to provide accessible public transportation.
Early voting has started, and the biggest races are happening statewide. Tarrant County judge Tim O’Hare decided to remove 29% of polling sites in the county. Gov. Greg Abbott gave hyperscale data centers 20-year tax breaks in 2015, but he ordered a temporary pause on data center development, conveniently at the beginning of midterm election season.
These positions hold incredible power over Tarrant County and Texans across the state.
Harrington said to be a socialist is to act in faith and love toward the people of this country.
“It is … to see, beneath the veneer of corruption and meanness and the commercialization of human relationships, men and women capable of controlling their own destinies,” he said. “To be a radical is, in the best and only decent sense of the word, patriotic.”
Much of the political divide is bred from national, bipartisan fearmongering, allowing Americans to blame their woes on the other side. In reality, many of their daily frustrations are about issues that are proposed, voted on and signing into law on the city, county and state level.
If that’s the case, Tarrant County residents need to reflect on the changes they wish to see and find out who speaks for them
