Josh Shapiro joins Mamdani pile-on, saying candidate failed to condemn antisemitic rhetoric
Some Democrats have been hesitant to fully embrace the nominee, with elected officials from battleground districts distancing themselves from his campaign's anti-Israel rhetoric. He met with Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries on Friday but has still yet to secure his endorsement.
Mamdani faces opposition for his advocacy of economic plans he describes as socialist, including free buses and city-run grocery stores. He's also faced attacks for his refusal to condemn use of the phrase 'gloablize the intifada' by anti-Israel protesters — a Palestinian resistance slogan regarded by some as a call to violence against Jews.
Shapiro had some faint words of praise for Mamdani: 'He seemed to run a campaign that excited New Yorkers,' the governor said, before discussing his criticism of the candidate's refusal to condemn inflammatory rhetoric about Israel and the ongoing war in Gaza.
'He also seemed to run a campaign where he left open far too much space for extremists to either use his words or for him to not condemn the words of extremists that said some blatantly antisemitic things,' Shapiro said.
Republicans have sought to brand the mayoral candidate as their new Democratic boogeyman while members of his own party are still weighing what lessons to take away from the 33-year-old democratic socialist's upset primary win. The New York race is also rippling through next year's midterm elections and the lead-up to the presidential campaign, with figures like Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear — both seen as likely 2028 contenders — saying the party should consider Mamdani's affordability-focused messaging.
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