Time For Lower Manhattan Democrats to Shape Up

By Arthur Schwartz

I have been a Democratic district leader in Greenwich Village for 31 years and a political issues activist for over 58 years. Electoral politics was not my first dance. Vietnam, the draft, the Black Panthers, Nixon, nuclear power plants, workers’ rights, tenant activism, and expanding park space for my kids preceded that. Fixing the playground led me to the Community Board and then to former City Council Member Tom Duane, who told me, “Run for district leader. You can get more money for playgrounds.” So I ran. I came to realize that the lofty goals I had for society could not be accomplished by “mass movements” alone. Electing supporters to office was one of two legs needed to effect change.

Lower Manhattan was a fun place to be a Democratic Party activist. There was a long history of fighting the old Democratic machine led by Bella Abzug, Miriam Friedlander, Margarita Lopez, Frank Morales, Armando Perez, Tom Duane, Allen Roskoff and others. Lower Manhattan Democrats supported politicians such as Frank Barbaro, David Dinkins, George McGovern, and Bobby Kennedy.

But something began to change. In 2001 Democrats downtown were united in support of Mark Green for mayor. But, by 2008, when Barack Obama was stirring a new generation of electoral activism, every single political club downtown supported Hillary Clinton. In 2016, no political club supported Bernie Sanders. It was the same in 2020 (Sanders vs. Joe Biden) and in 2022 (Jumaane Williams vs. Kathy Hochul).

Perhaps most distressing was that every lower Manhattan Democratic Club supported Dan Goldman for Congress, a centrist Democrat. This past spring he lost 65-35 to Brad Lander, a candidate who like Obama, Sanders, Mamdani, and Williams, inspired lots of young people to engage in the electoral political process.

But the Democratic clubs have lagged behind, which is why so many young folks have joined DSA, and are open to groups like the NY Progressive Action Network, the Berniecrat group. It’s not like in Brooklyn where a new generation has taken over the whole Democratic party!

All the clubs, with important networks based on years of organizing and persistent effort, have a new chance come November 4, no matter what happens on November 3. One year from now candidates will be headed towards the 2028 primaries and the presidential election. There will be a big fight in the Democratic party. Between the corporate supported centrist party leadership, and young “turks” led by folks like AOC, California Rep. Ro Khanna and Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker. In 2025-26 the “progressive side“ of the Democratic Party won most intraparty fights. This started with Mamdani and DSA members getting elected mayors of Washington, D.C. and Los Angeles, as well as Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan, Angie Nixon in Florida, and many more. Polls show that 65% of Americans support “Medicare for All,” want serious controls on AI, and can’t wait to reverse Donald Trump’s efforts to renew the primacy of fossil fuels in our country. Lower Manhattan Democratic clubs talk about these issues, but have fallen down again and again when it comes to the ballot box.

Bring in some new, young activist blood, my fellow downtown Democrats. VID just elected a president in her 30s and their former president, David Siffert, 42, is our new assemblymember. My co-district leader, Mar Fitzgerald, isn’t much older. It’s a good start, and I hope the same is holding true in other clubs. Lower Manhattan Democrats should look to the energy in Astoria and other parts of western Queens where hundreds get involved in campaigns.

The 2028 election will be a time to renew – or fade away.