The ‘Warmth’ of Collectivism Comes With a Body Count — Conservatives Respond to Mamdani

"We will replace the frigidity of rugged individualism with the warmth of collectivism."

That is the line to remember from New York City’s new mayor, Zohran Mamdani — an utter rejection of the country’s founding principles, where individual liberty, personal responsibility, and voluntary association are the engines of prosperity, not forced collectivization. The “warmth” Mamdani invokes can come only from one of two places: from himself and his administration, who will be insulated from the consequences of their own policies, or from the tens of millions of bodies that piled up during early attempts to force communism to work.

Thankfully, several conservatives have pushed back on his rhetoric.

"The 'warmth' of collectivism that always requires coercion and force.  How many dead over the past 100 years due to collectivist ideologies?" Florida Governor Ron DeSantis wrote on X.

The “warmth” of collectivism that always requires coercion and force.

How many dead over the past 100 years due to collectivist ideologies? https://t.co/hWPzrO0GxG

— Ron DeSantis (@RonDeSantis) January 1, 2026

"Zohran Mamdani is a dangerous communist who is likely to DESTROY NYC through his dedication to communist ideology. Let’s be clear: COMMUNISM HAS FAILED everywhere it has been tried. NYC will be no different," State Representative Lisa McClain, who serves as the House Republican Conference Chair in Michigan, wrote.

Zohran Mamdani is a dangerous communist who is likely to DESTROY NYC through his dedication to communist ideology.

Let’s be clear: COMMUNISM HAS FAILED everywhere it has been tried.

NYC will be no different. https://t.co/X8O31KKBOY

— Chairwoman Lisa McClain (@RepLisaMcClain) January 1, 2026

"When communists rule, individual rights — invariably — are taken away." Texas Senator Ted Cruz said on Thursday.

"Collectivism isn’t warm," Senator Mike Lee of Utah wrote. "It’s as cold as ice and locks the poor into perpetual poverty. Free markets have elevated more people out of poverty than any government program ever could."

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Collectivism isn’t warm

It’s as cold as ice and locks the poor into perpetual poverty

Free markets have elevated more people out of poverty than any government program ever could https://t.co/NBcoTbKYU5

— Mike Lee (@BasedMikeLee) January 2, 2026

"The Marxist and the Islamist are the enemy.  The Mayor of New York is both," Representative Chip Roy of Texas wrote.

The Marxist and the Islamist are the enemy. The Mayor of New York is both. https://t.co/gCDWiU5y88

— Chip Roy (@chiproytx) January 1, 2026

While conservatives are right to recognize the danger embedded in Mamdani’s rhetoric, that recognition does little to spare New York City from what it is now set to endure over the next four years. Awareness is not a remedy. 

The city will, for better or worse, be forced to live under the consequences of the ideas it has chosen to elevate, and to reap what it has sown through the ballot box. 

What happens in New York, however, is unlikely to be isolated. It is increasingly clear that Democrats are still searching for a coherent path forward after a little more than a year of ideological homelessness. 

If Mamdani manages to maintain his popularity, or worse, govern without immediate political backlash from his constituents, his collectivist platform could be recast as a model for Democrats nationwide. In that case, New York City would serve not as a cautionary tale, but as a proving ground for ideas that may soon be exported onto the national stage.

The United States once waged a war against communism abroad for fear it would spread like a virus. Currently, that same fear has not been adopted nationwide. And with socialist New York Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez considered a potential Democratic candidate for president in 2028, that fear should be somewhat serious.

Even if Vance would beat out AOC in 2028, that doesn't mean Republicans will someday lose, and a collectivist like Mamdani might end up as president of the United States.

Editor’s Note: Zohran Mamdani, an avowed Democratic Socialist, will be the next mayor of New York City.

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