House Republicans are working to make Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic candidate for New York City mayor and self-described democratic socialist, a prominent figure in the fight to shut down the government from hundreds of miles away.
Their argument is that Democratic congressmen, who have repeatedly rejected the “clean” stopgap measure crafted by the GOP and passed by the House of Representatives to fund the government through November 21, are afraid of progressives in the Democratic base — using Mamdani as an example.
Democrats have urged Republicans to negotiate with them on health care, particularly extending expanded ObamaCare subsidies that expire at the end of the year, before voting for a stopgap measure to fund the government.
Mamdani, currently a member of the New York State Assembly, was the dominant theme in a news conference Thursday with House Republican leaders and Republican members from New York.
“They know they have to continue to act belligerently to win the favor of the far left,” Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said Thursday, pointing out that Mamdani is likely to win Tuesday’s mayoral election and calling him “a 34-year-old, unproven, untested socialist.”
“It’s the clearest sign yet that the radical Marxist wing of the Democrats is winning the battle for control of their party. Look where the energy is,” Johnson said, adding that New York is “a role model for the rest of the nation.”
Rep. Claudia Tenney (R-N.Y.) accused Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (DN.Y.) and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (DN.Y.) of being “afraid” of the success of the “Marxist agenda in America’s largest city.”
“They have based their political survival on appeasing the far left, and now our entire country is being held hostage by them,” Tenney said.
Jeffries endorsed Mamdani last weekthe day before early voting began in the race, after months of speculation – he said in a written statement that he had “fundamental disagreements” with Mamdani.
Schumer did not support Mamdani. When asked if he would vote For Mamdani, he told reporters on Tuesday: “Look, the bottom line is quite simple. I have a good relationship with him and we continue to talk.”
As Republicans work to make Mamdani the face of the Democratic Party, whether or not Democratic leaders support him has little bearing on Republicans’ shutdown message.
House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) said Schumer and Jeffries are “scared to death of this left-wing extremist, radical socialist Marxist movement in their own party starting in New York.”
“And because Mamdani took off there, it’s affecting real people all over America – devastating consequences,” Scalise said, referring to missing paychecks from federal workers.
