GOP sharpens its claws over Mamdani

Politico

2 days ago

REPUBLICAN GLEE: It's a shock to mainstream Democrats — and boon for Republicans eager for political ammo in 2026 and 2028.
Zohran Mamdani's stunning performance in New York City's Democratic mayoral primary has energized Republicans eager to make a bonafide socialist the face of the Democrats.
The attacks have only escalated in the hours since former Gov. Andrew Cuomo conceded to Mamdani, a democratic socialist who harnessed anti-establishment sentiment around the city.
'It's finally happened, the Democrats have crossed the line,' President Donald Trump posted Wednesday on his social media platform. 'Zohran Mamdani, a 100% Communist Lunatic, has just won the Dem Primary, and is on his way to becoming Mayor.'
'If you engineered the modern Democrat Party in a lab, you'd get Zohran Mamdani: Antisemitic, anti-police and anti-American,' said Mike Marinella, spokesperson for the National Republican Congressional Committee. 'Every vulnerable House Democrat will own him, and every Democrat running in a primary will fear him.'
The NRCC immediately prepared a graphic juxtaposing Mamdani with vulnerable New York House Democrats. In it, a speech bubble beside Mamdani reads, 'Defund the police!' Mamdani, who looks now to a general election with incumbent Eric Adams and Republican Curtis Sliwa as opponents, has distanced himself from the 'defund the police' cry since the George Floyd protests of 2020.
Republican Reps. Mike Lawler and Elise Stefanik — who are both weighing bids for governor next year — packed their social media feeds with posts attacking Gov. Kathy Hochul for sharing a party with Mamdani.
'Hochul is the leader of the NY Democrat Party and fully embraced the antisemitic, Communist nominee. She owns this catastrophe,' Stefanik posted.
'Paging @GovKathyHochul: do you endorse @ZohranKMamdani for New York City Mayor?' Lawler posted, offering yes, no and 'OMG FML' as response options. Lawler also sent a fundraising email to his supporters with the subject line, 'New York City is in Danger.'
Mamdani and his allies have pushed back on allegations that his criticisms of Israel are antisemitic. He has vowed to protect Jewish New Yorkers and counts liberal Jews as part of his coalition of support. Still, charges of antisemitism have dogged him. He refused to denounce the phrase 'globalize the intifada' — regarded by many Jews as a call to violence against them — saying it means different things to different people.
Working Families Party co-director Ana María Archila defended Mamdani and his mandate in the face of GOP attacks.
'The Republicans elected a fascist, and our task is to fight fascism,' she told Playbook. 'The Democratic Party has an opportunity to say we are going to listen to the voices that have always been left behind by the Democratic Party.'
Democratic leaders who resisted weighing in on the primary between Mamdani and Cuomo offered tepid congratulations to the Queens assemblymember.
'Voters made their voices heard, demanding a more affordable, more livable New York City,' Hochul said. 'I hear them loud and clear.'
Like Hochul, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer focused on Mamdani's economic platform.
'He ran an impressive campaign that connected with New Yorkers about affordability, fairness & opportunity,' Schumer posted on X. — Emily Ngo with Jeff Coltin
FROM THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL
ON TO NOVEMBER: Mayor Eric Adams kicked off the general election Wednesday on Fox News where the Republican-friendly network's hosts helped the incumbent beat up on Mamdani, calling him a 'radical' and an 'antisemite.'
'He's a snake oil salesman. He will say and do anything to get elected,' Adams said when asked about Mamdani's policy proposals. He argued that if Mamdani wanted to raise taxes and make buses free, he could have done that as an Assemblymember.
'If $30 million dollars repeating these lies and slanders did not sway votes in a Democratic primary, it feels unlikely they will in a general,' Mamdani campaign spokesperson Andrew Epstein responded. 'We are excited to take this fight to the mayor and defeat him in November.'
Adams plans to run for reelection on an independent line, and will have a campaign kickoff rally outside City Hall Thursday. He also slammed Cuomo in the interview, saying that Cuomo 'did not bring the energy of wanting to be mayor. And New Yorkers, they know, they have the smell test.'
Adams said he only slept an hour and a half last night because his phone was going off from people who wanted to support him in the general election.
Meanwhile, Mamdani kicked off the day with an interview on WNYC's The Brian Lehrer Show, saying that he won the votes of people who voted for Trump by listening to them and keeping 'a relentless focus on cost of living.'
The presumptive Democratic nominee spent the rest of the day fielding calls and taking meetings, Epstein said. Mamdani will be on Jen Psaki's show on MSNBC tonight. — Jeff Coltin
FROM THE CAPITOL
'TRANSIT WON': MTA CEO Janno Lieber, who's been skeptical of free buses, offered an optimistic take on Mamdani's primary victory today.
Mamdani campaigned on making buses 'free and fast,' though Albany, not the mayor, controls the MTA.
'What Mamdani has introduced is a lot of discussion about how to have more transit and more affordable transit and better transit — and he's been consistent on that,' Lieber said at a press conference following the MTA's board meeting. 'That's what I take away from it. I'm looking forward to other candidates joining him in that conversation, and we really welcome that.'
Lieber declared that 'transit won' during the primary and cited the victories of Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine, who won his primary to be city comptroller, and state Sen. Brad Hoylman-Sigal, who won the race to succeed Levine as borough president. Both are boosters of the MTA and its major policy pushes, including congestion pricing. — Ry Rivard
REV FOR ROULETTE: Al Sharpton is backing Jay-Z's bid for a casino in Times Square as the proposed gaming site attempts to overcome political hurdles before a Friday deadline.
Sharpton is slated to appear with members and leadership from building service workers union 32BJ SEIU in Times Square tomorrow afternoon, Playbook is first to report.
'A New York casino belongs in Times Square and it should be designed to benefit all New Yorkers. That's why I'm a supporter of Caesars Palace Times Square,' Sharpton said in a statement.
Sharpton's endorsement of the bid — which is also backed by real estate giant SL Green — comes with the rollout of a new plan that would allow local households to purchase small stakes of equity in the project for just $500 or more.
The firms behind the bid also unveiled another aspect of the proposal on Tuesday: a new STI testing center in Hell's Kitchen that would open if the bid is successful.
The bid hinges on the support of local electeds, and state Sen. Liz Krueger and Assemblymember Tony Simone have already indicated they are less than enthusiastic about the plan.
'I think casinos are some of the worst kinds of predatory gambling,' Krueger told Playbook last year. 'So it's OK with me if no casinos come to New York ever again.' — Jason Beeferman
IN OTHER NEWS
— CUOMO SPEAKS: The former governor spoke with CBS' Marcia Kramer for the first time since his solemn concession speech last night. (ARTICLE) (WATCH)
— BERNIE SPEAKS: Democratic socialist forefather Bernie Sanders reflected on Mamdani's victory. (POLITICO)
— NADLER FOR MAM': Manhattan Democratic Rep. Jerry Nadler came out for Mamdani as the democratic socialist is seeking to unify Democrats. (The New York Times)
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