The Predictable Rise of Zohran Mamdani — and His Congressional Appeasers

Zohran Mamdani, the State Assemblyman and Democratic nominee for New York City mayor, was dealt another reason to celebrate this week, when it was revealed that the young socialist had won the most votes ever in a New York City primary. 

While many of Mamdani’s progressive comrades are reveling in their candidate’s electoral success, his commanding victory on June 24 is leaving establishment Democrats concerned, confused, and in shock. 

Yet for those who have kept a discerning eye on the left-wing trajectory of the Democratic Party, the ascendance of a politician such as Mamdani came as no surprise, and was in fact entirely predictable. 

What first began in 2019 as an unwillingness to disassociate from an energized leftist cohort of lawmakers entering Congress, has now evolved into a troubling pattern of Democrats failing to reject candidates espousing dangerous anti-American and antisemitic positions. 

Mamdani, the presumptive next mayor of New York City, is transparent about his hatred for Israel, and his tolerance of violent threats against Jews. His election poses a direct threat to the safety and security of Jewish residents in America’s largest city. 

Thirty-six hours following the October 7 massacre, the lawmaker, in a statement on X, blamed the “ongoing violence” on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israel’s government. 

He has made no attempts to scrub his social media of his depraved posts, which include flipping the middle finger at a Christopher Columbus statue, and calling Jew-hating Democratic Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) his hero.

Despite being given repeated opportunities to condemn the phrase “Globalize the Intifada,” a term used as a rallying cry to murder Jews, Mamdani defends its use, and often reverts to speaking about his broader objective to root out “all bigotry.” 

For their part, New York’s Democratic Congressional delegation is buckling under the progressive weight of their party. 

With the exception of Long Island Congresswoman Laura Gillen (D-NY), who said that Socialist Mamdani is “too extreme” to lead New York City, the state’s liberal lawmakers are refusing to rule out endorsing the socialist in the general election, while delivering varying statements on Mamdani’s defense of the “Globalize the Intifada” phrase. 

When pressed to repudiate Mamdani’s defense of the violent expression, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) stated in an interview on MSNBC that Mamdani should “clarify his position” on the use of the term, which he admits is “unacceptable.”

The State’s senior Senator, Chuck Schumer, who will likely face a primary challenge from the left when he is up for reelection in 2028, carefully curated his words and condemned the phrase without mentioning Mamdani directly.

Schumer’s Democratic colleague, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand’s, efforts to denounce Mamdani for failing to discredit “Globalize the Intifada” was soon eclipsed by the Junior Senator walking back her harsh words and apologizing to the mayoral nominee for saying in that same interview that Mamdani had made references to “global jihad.”

Even Bronx Congressman Ritchie Torres, who objects to the jihadi slogan, is tempering any distancing from Mamdani and saying that he is “committed to a working relationship with him.” 

Indeed, once radicals like Omar or Mamdani gain power, Democrats embark on a roadmap of expressing displeasure with some of their views, while simultaneously employing political jargon centering on “engagement,” “discussion,” and “conversation,” as if Mamdani’s fanatical positions emanate from a sincere misreading of the issues rather than being anchored to a deeply held anti-American worldview.

Americans were clued into this strategy years ago, when then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) agreed to a 2019 Rolling Stone photo shoot alongside members of the new insurgent wing of the party, including Democratic Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY) and Ilhan Omar (MN). 

Democrats weren’t about to reject this new faction of disruptors and leftist ideologues; they were going to lean in and learn from them. 

As such, in the coming weeks, New Yorkers can expect more Democratic officials to follow the lead of New York Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Jerry Nadler, both of whom have endorsed Mamdani.

It’s worth noting that Jeffries has officially supported anti-Israel figures in the past, with the Minority Leader formally backing disgraced former Congressman Jamaal Bowman during last year’s Democratic primary in New York’s 16th Congressional District. 

Combined with the actions of major unions, such as the United Federation of Teachers (UFT), announcing their endorsement of Mamdani earlier this week, it’s hard to envision a scenario under which Democrats launch a serious counterweight to Mamdani’s threatening candidacy.

And while those who live outside the city’s liberal ecosystem are quick to indicate that a nominee as radical as Mamdani could never rise to power in their region, most Democrats dominating the national political landscape harbor little will to wrest control away from radicals in their party. 

Senior Editor of Commentary Magazine, Seth Mandel, recently wrote about Senators Chris Murphy (D-CT) and Andy Kim’s (D-NJ) departure from the pro-Jewish sympathies of their predecessors.

As Mandel notes, over the last year, Sens. Murphy and Kim both voted to block arms sales to Israel, just as the Jewish State was battling Iran’s terrorist proxies. 

Murphy has also praised Mamdani, calling him a “dynamic” and “new voice.” 

Their hostility towards Israel may not present in the same dramatic fashion as Mamdani’s — but their objective conveys a similar desire to complete the progressive sea change in the Democratic Party, albeit through the more palatable and cultured Congressional process.  

After years of accommodating anti-Israel politicians, Mamdani’s candidacy is an unsettling testament to the consequences of indifference, and that hard-left antisemitic politicians may no longer be outliers, but reflect a frightening and new normal. 

Irit Tratt is a writer who resides in New York. Follow her on X @Irit_Tratt. 

 

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