Affordability is not an abstract talking point; it is increasingly driving US politics. The rise of New York’s Zohran Mamdani – whose victory was built by zeroing in on the cost of living – crystallised a broader shift: voters respond to real help, not rhetorical blame. Clearly, Mr Mamdani offered concrete policies and institutional reform. Democratic leaders are listening. Importantly, Senator Elizabeth Warren is prepared to take on the vested interests in her own party. Republicans have offered gestures, scapegoats and reversals of their own past consumer protections.