On this episode of The Siren Podcast, Jo sits down with Democratic strategist and CEO/co-founder of Oath, Brian Derrick, to unpack the historic results of Tuesday’s New York primaries, where all three of NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s endorsed Congressional candidates rode to victory.
As Brian tells us on this episode, the “socialist takeover” narrative Republicans are running with is an exaggeration, as the DSA bloc in Congress is going from two members to four out of 212. The big story here is the energy of the Democratic base, with voters feeling frustrated with incumbents and the establishment itself, who are often seen as defenders of a broken system. Voters embraced DSA candidates in large part because of this, who offered change candidates running on reform and progressive politics.
Across the board in purple districts like Nebraska’s 2nd and New York’s 17th, more moderates are winning primaries over their progressive opponents. But the underlying frustration driving these races is the same everywhere: people want someone who will fight for them, not defend broken systems.
Jo and Brian also dig into why leaders like Zohran Mamdani are showing what a 2026 playbook and winning message can actually look like. Oath, of which Brian is the CEO and co-founder of, just crossed $100 million in donations, directing grassroots money to the races where it matters most, with a particular focus on flipping the House blue.
The duo also examines the Senate math and identifies the key House races to watch, and a quick look ahead to 2028, where Brian says Democrats need to run someone who can convincingly and authentically be anti-establishment.
