Musa al-Gharbi
@musaalgharbi.bsky.social
Asst. Professor of Communication, Journalism and (by courtesy) Sociology at Stony Brook University. Author of, "We Have Never Been Woke: The Cultural Contradictions of a New Elite" -- out now via Princeton University Press.
Incidentally, I'll actually be in #Boston next week for an event at @bostonu.bsky.social.
If you're around, hope to see you there! In the meantime, enjoy my debut with @bostonglobe.com: bostonglobe.com/2025/11/26/o...
If you're around, hope to see you there! In the meantime, enjoy my debut with @bostonglobe.com: bostonglobe.com/2025/11/26/o...
November 26, 2025 at 7:33 PM
Incidentally, I'll actually be in #Boston next week for an event at @bostonu.bsky.social.
If you're around, hope to see you there! In the meantime, enjoy my debut with @bostonglobe.com: bostonglobe.com/2025/11/26/o...
If you're around, hope to see you there! In the meantime, enjoy my debut with @bostonglobe.com: bostonglobe.com/2025/11/26/o...
All said, Democrats should be heartened by 2025. The data suggest the party is still quite unpopular but is increasingly viewed as the lesser of two evils. And typical electoral dynamics seem to be holding which bodes well for them next year: bostonglobe.com/2025/11/26/o...
November 26, 2025 at 6:39 PM
All said, Democrats should be heartened by 2025. The data suggest the party is still quite unpopular but is increasingly viewed as the lesser of two evils. And typical electoral dynamics seem to be holding which bodes well for them next year: bostonglobe.com/2025/11/26/o...
Because the GOP- led Congress has abdicated its responsibilities to check the executive branch, the stakes of the 2026 midterms seem high. Dems should be encouraged by 2025 about their prospects of winning seats. Now they just need a voice and a spine: bostonglobe.com/2025/11/26/o...
November 26, 2025 at 6:39 PM
Because the GOP- led Congress has abdicated its responsibilities to check the executive branch, the stakes of the 2026 midterms seem high. Dems should be encouraged by 2025 about their prospects of winning seats. Now they just need a voice and a spine: bostonglobe.com/2025/11/26/o...
Winning the House should be relatively easy for the Democrats. The Senate will be a little tougher, but the early indicators suggest that this is also a very possible lift with the right mix of candidates and circumstances: bostonglobe.com/2025/11/26/o...
November 26, 2025 at 6:39 PM
Winning the House should be relatively easy for the Democrats. The Senate will be a little tougher, but the early indicators suggest that this is also a very possible lift with the right mix of candidates and circumstances: bostonglobe.com/2025/11/26/o...
Fun fact: every time there was a change of party in the White House, the party that won the presidency went on to see significant losses in the subsequent midterms. There have been only two exceptions to this rule, going back to the civil war: bostonglobe.com/2025/11/26/o...
November 26, 2025 at 6:39 PM
Fun fact: every time there was a change of party in the White House, the party that won the presidency went on to see significant losses in the subsequent midterms. There have been only two exceptions to this rule, going back to the civil war: bostonglobe.com/2025/11/26/o...
Pointing out that the outcomes of this race were super banal and predictable can seem deflationary, but it's actually great news for Democrats. Because it suggests they can look forward to a robust "thermostatic" correction in the midterms: bostonglobe.com/2025/11/26/o...
November 26, 2025 at 6:39 PM
Pointing out that the outcomes of this race were super banal and predictable can seem deflationary, but it's actually great news for Democrats. Because it suggests they can look forward to a robust "thermostatic" correction in the midterms: bostonglobe.com/2025/11/26/o...
In Virginia, @abigailspanberger.com won the governorship. Accounts of her victory appeal to characteristics of Abigail, her opponent and this cycle -- but there is every reason to believe the outcome would have been the same if these details were changed: bostonglobe.com/2025/11/26/o...
November 26, 2025 at 6:39 PM
In Virginia, @abigailspanberger.com won the governorship. Accounts of her victory appeal to characteristics of Abigail, her opponent and this cycle -- but there is every reason to believe the outcome would have been the same if these details were changed: bostonglobe.com/2025/11/26/o...
The NYC mayoral race, for instance, delivered a perfectly conventional outcome built from a very typical Democratic coalition.
@zohrankmamdani.bsky.social ran a great campaign, but there is much less to his election than meets the eye: bostonglobe.com/2025/11/26/o...
@zohrankmamdani.bsky.social ran a great campaign, but there is much less to his election than meets the eye: bostonglobe.com/2025/11/26/o...
November 26, 2025 at 6:39 PM
The NYC mayoral race, for instance, delivered a perfectly conventional outcome built from a very typical Democratic coalition.
@zohrankmamdani.bsky.social ran a great campaign, but there is much less to his election than meets the eye: bostonglobe.com/2025/11/26/o...
@zohrankmamdani.bsky.social ran a great campaign, but there is much less to his election than meets the eye: bostonglobe.com/2025/11/26/o...
It's been a bleak run for Democrats since 2009. They've seen consistent losses at the ballot box driven primarily by the very constituents the party imagines itself serving.
2025 delivered good news, but not for the reasons many think: bostonglobe.com/2025/11/26/o...
2025 delivered good news, but not for the reasons many think: bostonglobe.com/2025/11/26/o...
November 26, 2025 at 6:39 PM
It's been a bleak run for Democrats since 2009. They've seen consistent losses at the ballot box driven primarily by the very constituents the party imagines itself serving.
2025 delivered good news, but not for the reasons many think: bostonglobe.com/2025/11/26/o...
2025 delivered good news, but not for the reasons many think: bostonglobe.com/2025/11/26/o...
My first essay for @bostonglobe.com analyzes the 2025 elections and what, if anything, they portend for the midterms.
tldr: voters didn't show unique enthusiasm for @democrats.org or any particular faction or candidate therein. But the very banal outcomes are encouraging anyway.
tldr: voters didn't show unique enthusiasm for @democrats.org or any particular faction or candidate therein. But the very banal outcomes are encouraging anyway.
November 26, 2025 at 6:39 PM
My first essay for @bostonglobe.com analyzes the 2025 elections and what, if anything, they portend for the midterms.
tldr: voters didn't show unique enthusiasm for @democrats.org or any particular faction or candidate therein. But the very banal outcomes are encouraging anyway.
tldr: voters didn't show unique enthusiasm for @democrats.org or any particular faction or candidate therein. But the very banal outcomes are encouraging anyway.
He was also deeply unpopular with New Yorkers, even then:
November 15, 2025 at 5:36 PM
He was also deeply unpopular with New Yorkers, even then:
As for Cuomo's $$ advantage, folks wildly overestimate its importance in contemporary elections. Harris had more billionaire supporters, brought in 3x as much as Trump while on the top of the ticket, outspent him 2:1, but lost every swing single state: musaalgharbi.substack.com/i/151489437/...
November 15, 2025 at 2:49 PM
As for Cuomo's $$ advantage, folks wildly overestimate its importance in contemporary elections. Harris had more billionaire supporters, brought in 3x as much as Trump while on the top of the ticket, outspent him 2:1, but lost every swing single state: musaalgharbi.substack.com/i/151489437/...
The grassroots winning campaign with little name rec, again, is how they described DeBlasio too.
November 15, 2025 at 2:42 PM
The grassroots winning campaign with little name rec, again, is how they described DeBlasio too.
If the culture wars can't explain Mamdani's victory, what does? The simple (if unexciting) answer is:
1. He was the Democratic nominee
2. He executed on the basics extremely well
3. The alternatives to Mamdani were... not great
musaalgharbi.substack.com/i/178564807/...
1. He was the Democratic nominee
2. He executed on the basics extremely well
3. The alternatives to Mamdani were... not great
musaalgharbi.substack.com/i/178564807/...
November 14, 2025 at 4:32 PM
If the culture wars can't explain Mamdani's victory, what does? The simple (if unexciting) answer is:
1. He was the Democratic nominee
2. He executed on the basics extremely well
3. The alternatives to Mamdani were... not great
musaalgharbi.substack.com/i/178564807/...
1. He was the Democratic nominee
2. He executed on the basics extremely well
3. The alternatives to Mamdani were... not great
musaalgharbi.substack.com/i/178564807/...
Cuomo & co tried to make the race into a culture war. He failed. Most voters didn't care about these issues. The less they cared, the more they supported @zohrankmamdani.bsky.social. The minority who *did* care were evenly split and cancelled each other out: musaalgharbi.substack.com/i/178564807/...
November 14, 2025 at 4:30 PM
Cuomo & co tried to make the race into a culture war. He failed. Most voters didn't care about these issues. The less they cared, the more they supported @zohrankmamdani.bsky.social. The minority who *did* care were evenly split and cancelled each other out: musaalgharbi.substack.com/i/178564807/...
What about non-religious voters? They voted the same as always in the NYC mayoral race. What about Jewish voters? Nothing particularly unusual there either: musaalgharbi.substack.com/i/178564807/...
November 14, 2025 at 4:30 PM
What about non-religious voters? They voted the same as always in the NYC mayoral race. What about Jewish voters? Nothing particularly unusual there either: musaalgharbi.substack.com/i/178564807/...
What about the LGBTQ vote? Nothing to see here. The most banal outcome imaginable for a Democratic mayoral candidate: musaalgharbi.substack.com/i/178564807/...
November 14, 2025 at 4:30 PM
What about the LGBTQ vote? Nothing to see here. The most banal outcome imaginable for a Democratic mayoral candidate: musaalgharbi.substack.com/i/178564807/...
Right winger have alleged that Mamdani won primarily because of rootless "anywheres" and recent immigrants while Cuomo won "real" New Yorkers. Yet, if the vote was restricted to folks who lived in NYC for 10+ years, the outcome wouldn't have changed: musaalgharbi.substack.com/i/178564807/...
November 14, 2025 at 4:27 PM
Right winger have alleged that Mamdani won primarily because of rootless "anywheres" and recent immigrants while Cuomo won "real" New Yorkers. Yet, if the vote was restricted to folks who lived in NYC for 10+ years, the outcome wouldn't have changed: musaalgharbi.substack.com/i/178564807/...
With respect to age, young people did not flip the election. Mamdani's vote share with young people was not especially high, and if you roll back turnout by age to 2021 levels, the outcome if the race is unchanged. Half of Mamdani voters were over 40: musaalgharbi.substack.com/i/178564807/...
November 14, 2025 at 4:27 PM
With respect to age, young people did not flip the election. Mamdani's vote share with young people was not especially high, and if you roll back turnout by age to 2021 levels, the outcome if the race is unchanged. Half of Mamdani voters were over 40: musaalgharbi.substack.com/i/178564807/...
There was no gender polarization in the NYC mayoral race to speak of. The widely circulated charts that seem to suggest there *was* are mostly being read without basic attention to all the information that's there on the charts: musaalgharbi.substack.com/i/178564807/...
November 14, 2025 at 4:27 PM
There was no gender polarization in the NYC mayoral race to speak of. The widely circulated charts that seem to suggest there *was* are mostly being read without basic attention to all the information that's there on the charts: musaalgharbi.substack.com/i/178564807/...
Ethnically, Mamdani's coalition was extremely typical: he performed strongest with non-white voters, weakest with white voters, and didn't rack up extraordinarily high or low margins with any population compared to other Democratic NYC mayoral candidates: musaalgharbi.substack.com/i/178564807/...
November 14, 2025 at 4:21 PM
Ethnically, Mamdani's coalition was extremely typical: he performed strongest with non-white voters, weakest with white voters, and didn't rack up extraordinarily high or low margins with any population compared to other Democratic NYC mayoral candidates: musaalgharbi.substack.com/i/178564807/...
It was *not* the case that #Mamdani won because of unusual from elites. He built a large (if conventional) cross-class coalition. #Cuomo was, in fact, the candidate of the richest New Yorkers, and most of *his* voters had college degrees too: musaalgharbi.substack.com/i/178564807/...
November 14, 2025 at 4:21 PM
It was *not* the case that #Mamdani won because of unusual from elites. He built a large (if conventional) cross-class coalition. #Cuomo was, in fact, the candidate of the richest New Yorkers, and most of *his* voters had college degrees too: musaalgharbi.substack.com/i/178564807/...
When you look at Mamdani's electoral coalition, it's the same as any other winning Democratic NYC mayoral candidate. That normalcy is, in itself, is an accomplishment in a sense. And it also means that popular right-aligned culture war takes are false: musaalgharbi.substack.com/p/a-graveyar...
November 14, 2025 at 4:21 PM
When you look at Mamdani's electoral coalition, it's the same as any other winning Democratic NYC mayoral candidate. That normalcy is, in itself, is an accomplishment in a sense. And it also means that popular right-aligned culture war takes are false: musaalgharbi.substack.com/p/a-graveyar...
One might think that what's extraordinary about his win is that someone with *his politics* was able to prevail. But here, too, it's less extraordinary than most assume. Multiple socialists have won the Democratic mayoral nomination and/or been elected: musaalgharbi.substack.com/i/178564807/...
November 14, 2025 at 4:21 PM
One might think that what's extraordinary about his win is that someone with *his politics* was able to prevail. But here, too, it's less extraordinary than most assume. Multiple socialists have won the Democratic mayoral nomination and/or been elected: musaalgharbi.substack.com/i/178564807/...