Charlie Kirk, the founder of Turning Point USA and a prominent conservative voice, has expressed his concerns about the potential victory of democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani in the New York City mayoral race.
Kirk believes that Mamdani's win can be prevented, but only if a strong alternative emerges to challenge the Democratic nominee.
According to Fox News, Kirk's comments come in the wake of last week's surprising primary results, where Mamdani outperformed former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo in rank-choice voting. This unexpected outcome has spurred political strategists and donors to rally against Mamdani, a 33-year-old state assembly member, in an attempt to thwart his potential win in November. Both Cuomo and the current New York City Mayor, Eric Adams, have now entered the race as independent candidates.
In a conversation with Fox News Digital, Kirk suggested that Curtis Sliwa, the uncontested Republican nominee and founder of the Guardian Angels crime-prevention group, should consider stepping down from the race. "He's a little bit of a novelty candidate. I like him. He is a good guy. But you cannot have a competition on the Republican side. So I think he should drop out," Kirk stated. He further emphasized that the candidate opposing Mamdani, even if it's the currently unpopular Eric Adams, should focus their campaign on crime, quality of life, and an anti-radical agenda.
In response to Kirk's comments, the Sliwa campaign pointed to a recent poll by American Pulse. The poll showed Sliwa slightly ahead of Adams in a four-way race, trailing behind Mamdani and Cuomo. The poll also indicated that Adams had the worst net favorability. Sliwa, who lost to Adams in the 2021 mayoral race, remains confident in his chances of victory, stating, "Why would any candidate drop out when Eric Adams has no path to victory?"
Kirk identifies Mamdani's radicalism as his primary vulnerability. While acknowledging that Mamdani's proposal to freeze rent might resonate with some New Yorkers, Kirk criticizes Mamdani's stance on crime, particularly his support for the "defund the police" movement. "Crime is an issue that affects all New Yorkers," Kirk told Fox News Digital. "Where, like, rent stabilization actually, he might get votes for that he is so bad on crime. He's unspeakably bad on the police."
Despite these criticisms, Kirk acknowledges that Mamdani has certain advantages, including his social media savvy and the support of hundreds of thousands of college students. Kirk also notes that Mamdani's status as the Democratic nominee could garner him votes from those who typically vote Democrat in New York.
Kirk dismisses the notion that liberal New York City is beyond saving, emphasizing the critical importance of the mayoral race. "We will not surrender America's largest city to a communist. We are not going to let that happen. And so I encourage everyone to get involved whatever degree you can. The future of western civilization will run through its cities. And right now, the battlefield is all eyes on New York," Kirk declared.
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