In the run-up to the New York City mayoral election, a wave of unease is reportedly sweeping through the Democratic ranks.
The source of their anxiety? The potential victory of their own party's nominee, Zohran Mamdani, a self-proclaimed democratic socialist. This apprehension is not unfounded, as the Washington Post reported on Tuesday, just a week shy of the city's eagerly awaited general election on November 4.
Fernand Amandi, a seasoned Democratic strategist based in Florida, expressed his concerns to the Washington Post. He said, Its one thing for Republicans to use absurd attacks calling Joe Biden and Nancy Pelosi socialists to scare voters. Its another thing to use an actual socialist to scare voters about the Democrats being the party of socialists, and thats the concern about Mamdani. According to the Daily Caller, Mamdani's campaign has remained silent, not responding to requests for comments.
The apprehension extends to Democratic New Jersey Representative Josh Gottheimer, who voiced his worries in an interview with the Washington Post. He criticized Mamdani's "extremist views" as being out of sync with the party's overall stance. Gottheimer also expressed concern that the GOP might exploit Mamdani's image as a "bogeyman" in their attack ads leading up to the 2026 midterms. He stated, If were focused on playing defense on Mamdani, that will be a major distraction.
Democratic New York Representative Tom Suozzi also voiced his disapproval of Mamdani's socialist leanings. He declared himself a "democratic capitalist, not a democratic socialist," and criticized socialism as a "failed economic system" that "hasnt ever worked in the history of the world." Suozzi told the Washington Post, Thats just not something that we endorse or support, and pledged to fight against socialism.
In a similar vein, Democratic New York Representative Laura Gillen expressed her opposition to many of Mamdani's socialist policies in a statement to the Washington Post. She has also publicly urged her fellow Democrats in Congress to declare, We are not socialists.
Despite the criticism, Suozzi acknowledged Mamdani's ability to identify the issues plaguing everyday Americans. He told the Washington Post, Mamdani, much like President [Donald] Trump, has properly diagnosed the problems that people are confronting in their daily lives. They have economic insecurity. Theyre worried about the cost of living. Hes wrong about his proposed solutions.
However, not all Democrats share this apprehension. Many have praised Mamdani as a potential future leader of their party. A Suffolk University poll released on Monday showed Mamdani leading the mayoral race with 43.8% support, a full 10 points ahead of former Democratic New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, who is running as an independent and polled at 33.6%.
The National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) has seized the opportunity to criticize the Democrats. NRCC spokesman Mike Marinella said in a statement to the Daily Caller News Foundation, So-called Leader Hakeem Jeffries signed a deal with the socialist devil, and now every House Democrat is dragging an anvil of radical socialism into 2026. The NRCC will make sure voters know what the modern Democrat Party now stands for.
Viet Shelton, a spokesperson for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, countered this by telling the Washington Post that the 2026 midterm elections will be decided by whos going to lower prices, fix the economy, and put working families first.
Mamdani's campaign promises include imposing higher taxes on what he calls "richer and whiter" New York City neighborhoods and introducing "free" buses if elected mayor. Despite his belief that billionaires should not exist, he is vying for leadership in the U.S. city with the highest number of billionaires.
A Gallup survey revealed that only 42% of Democrats have a favorable view of capitalism, while 66% expressed a positive view of socialism. This statistic may be indicative of the changing landscape within the Democratic party, and the upcoming mayoral election could be a litmus test for the acceptance of socialist ideas within its ranks.
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