Democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani's victory in New York City's mayoral race jolted conservatives and moderates alike, leaving some to warn that Republicans must "lean in" on Gen Z's affordability concerns or risk losing the key voting bloc for good.
"Young people are struggling. I look around at my friends and my peers, and they're not sure if they're ever going to be able to start a family or buy a home," Fox News contributor Brett Cooper said Thursday on "Fox & Friends."
"All of that seems very, very out of reach for most young people, so when you start talking about free things and the economy and affordability, it doesn't really matter who you are or if they actually understand the systems that are behind those promises… they are running with it."
Mamdani, like President Donald Trump, made the affordability crisis a cornerstone of his campaign, promising to work toward a more affordable New York City for all residents.
SEN. SLOTKIN SAYS DEM SOCIALIST NYC CANDIDATE MAMDANI REPRESENTS 'NEW GENERATION' OF LEADERS YOUNG VOTERS WANT
Cooper doesn't believe Mamdani will be able to deliver on those promises but urged the GOP to "lean in on" concerns Gen Z voters have about unattainable rites of passage like homeownership or starting a family.
"I think Republicans need to lean in on that. We need tangible change for young people, otherwise we're going to lose them," she said.
Gen Z voted in large numbers for Mamdani, a self-avowed Democratic socialist who made anti-Israel and anti-capitalist sentiments key components of his message.
I'M FROM GEN Z. WE ARE THE ONES WHO HAVE TO STOP SOCIALISM FROM TAKING OVER
Cooper suggested professors and college curricula are to blame for Gen Z's progressive shift.
"It's this complete victimhood mentality of, 'this is the way the economy is, and you can't work hard to claw your way out of it,'" she continued.
"'You can't pull yourself up by your bootstraps. You are oppressed forever. You're never going to be able to buy anything.' And when you hear that for years and years, you adopt that mentality."
Campus Reform reporter Emily Sturge also attributed Mamdani's win to the progressive ideas shaping young voters on college campuses. She warned that Gen Z isn't a group the GOP can afford to ignore.
"For over a decade, we've been sounding the alarm… that the higher education system is indoctrinating young minds with this sugar-coated view of socialism while also demonizing capitalism," she said on "Fox & Friends First."
Sturge added that the left is playing into the empathy of young female voters, using issues like immigration and abortion to earn their support.
"But you know what? I'm very optimistic. This is not a generation that we can write off," she told co-host Todd Piro.
"Just a year ago, Generation Z helped fuel President Trump's return to the White House. Generation Z shifted to the right. And within the past ten or so months of President Trump being back in the Oval Office, I've reported how Generation Z, as they've shifted to the right, have shifted toward faith, family, conservatism, Christianity, even a boom in patriotism, so I do have a lot of optimism when I look at young people today."
