Commie corridor

The "commie corridor" neighborhoods, highlighted in red, have supported left-wing politicians since 2018, including Zohran Mamdani in the 2025 New York City mayoral election.

The commie corridor is a term coined in 2025 in the political culture of the United States to refer to neighborhoods in New York City stretching from western Queens to western Brooklyn that have consistently supported left-wing and socialist politicians on the municipal, state, and federal level since the mid-2010s.. The growing trend of left-wing politics in these neighborhoods has largely been drawn to the growth of socialist organizations in this region, particularly the Democratic Socialists of America

As these neighborhoods have proven the core base of support for several left-wing politicians in the city, most notably of Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani, it is speculated that further shifts to the left in the city are likely to be derived from the increasingly relevant corridor.

Origin

The term was first coined by political analyst Michael Lange, describing Zohran Mamdani's base of support during the 2025 Democratic primary race for mayor, describing it as "The young and hungry leftist base, stretching from Astoria to Sunset Park, reshaping politics in New York City" in a Substack post titled "How Zohran Mamdani can win". In that article, Lange describes the corridor as having been the base of support for Cynthia Nixon's 2018 primary challenge to then-governor Andrew Cuomo and Maya Wiley's 2021 run for New York City mayor.

The general reputation of the corridor is likely derived from the fact that all but one of New York's socialist state assemblymembers and state senators represent constituencies in that corridor, all of whom are endorsed by the local chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America. While socialist politicians in New York exist outside of this corridor, such as State Assemblymember Sarahana Shrestha of Poughkeepsie, the highest concentration of DSA-endorsed politicians is in the corridor.

Neighborhoods in the commie corridor

The corridor's demographics are broadly gentrified, upper-middle class, young, ethnically white and Latino, college-educated renters.

Prior to the 2025 mayoral election, general consensus agreed on the corridor consisting of the core neighborhoods of Astoria, Long Island City, Sunnyside, Greenpoint, Williamsburg, East Williamsburg, Fort Greene, Clinton Hill. However, with the results of the 2025 mayoral election, that corridor has been expanded to the neighborhoods of Ridgewood, Woodhaven, Bushwick, Cypress Hills, and Bedford-Stuyvesant, according to Michael Lange.

Political base

While there is no formal political party which most socialists in the corridor belong to besides the Democratic Party, there are various political organizations which hold considerable influence on left-wing politics there regardless, the DSA chief among them.

The logo of the Democratic Socialists of America's New York chapter.

The Democratic Socialists of America have had a local chapter since the 1980s, though have only held serious influence in the corridor following Ocasio-Cortez' 2018 primary challenge to 10-term incumbent then-representative Joe Crowley and Julia Salazar's election to the state senate. Since then, various democratic socialists have been elected in the corridor with support from the DSA, including an additional state senator and a total of seven state assembly members.

Further, the Working Families Party has supported left-wing progressives (though not necessarily socialist) in various races across the state thanks to New York's fusion balloting laws, permitting a candidate to be supported by more than one party at once. While the WFP's footprint is less felt than the DSA in the corridor, it nevertheless supports progressives in Democratic primaries and in general elections.

Notable politicians

• Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, representative from New York's 14th congressional district
• Zohran Mamdani, mayor-elect of New York City
• Chi Ossé, city councillor for the 36th district
• Cathy Rojas, Party for Socialism and Liberation nominee in the 2021 mayoral election

See also

• Blue wall (United States)
• List of Democratic Socialists of America public officeholders
• Left coast
• Solid South