The buzzy word that Democrats have pinned their hopes on

Boys holding campaign signs for Zohran Mamdani on October 19, 2025, in New York City. | Angela Weiss/AFP via Getty Images The buzziest political word of the year is “affordability” — it’s the mantra that carried the insurgent progressive candidate Zohran Mamdani to victory in New York City’s mayoral primary, and that Democrats across the country have since raced to claim as their own. “Affordability is the central issue, the central reason to be a Democrat,” Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren declared in August. California Gov. Gavin Newsom has similarly placed “affordability” at the