Mamdani's nomination brings a rift in the Democratic Party on Israel, policing and economic issues

New York City's Democratic Socialist candidate for mayor, Zohran Mamdani, has created an undeniable schism between many of the country's left-of-center politicos. 

Center-left Congressman Tom Suozzi, D-N.Y., who denounced political violence and the assassination of Charlie Kirk, declared Monday that he will not be endorsing Mamdani. In a post on his X account he said, "I will not be endorsing Mamdani. While I share his concern about the issue of affordability, I fundamentally disagree with his proposed solutions. Like the voters I represent, I believe socialism has consistently failed to deliver real, sustainable progress."

While Suozzi and others have refused to endorse Mamdani, far-left democrats who have endorsed him, like Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., and New York's Democratic Governor Kathy Hochul have endorsed the socialist on issues like housing affordability and his aggressive support for the creation of a Palestinian state.

Defining the divide

Prominent, and in this case, more moderate Democrats like Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, N.Y., have engaged in several discussions with Mamdani about his policy goals. Yet, thus far, Schumer has withheld his endorsement of Mamdani's campaign for New York City mayor, stressing the need for more clarity on his agenda. 

Similarly, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, also of New York, has held face-to-face meetings with Mamdani but remains noncommittal, urging him to refine his progressive ideas into actionable policies that can deliver results. 

Pro-Palestinian newsletter Mondoweiss reported that Rep. George Latimer, D-N.Y., said, “It’s going to be tough for front-liners because they’re in districts that have a lot of Republicans in it that would look at a Democrat and want to hear the narrative, ‘Oh, this guy’s radical'.”

Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., purportedly told a reporter that Mamdani’s nomination was “Christmas in July for the GOP.”

What were once fringe policy positions have become acceptable on the left

The divide on the left is driven by several policies Mamdani supports that were formerly considered fringe, but are now increasingly acceptable to the Democratic Party. 

Mamdani's push to decriminalize prostitution and to shift the NYPD's resources away from enforcement has sparked backlash for potentially fueling human trafficking and leaving vulnerable groups at risk without sufficient safeguards. His calls for slashing police budgets, eliminating cash bail and pretrial detention, and reducing police involvement in domestic violence cases are criticized as undermining public safety, which could lead to higher crime and delayed support for victims. 

Additionally, his proposals for a $30 minimum wage, rent caps on stabilized housing, and government-operated grocery stores are widely seen as economically disastrous, driving business closures, worsening housing shortages, and inflating costs for working-class residents.

The reluctance of moderates like Schumer and Jeffries to back Mamdani highlights tensions over his Democratic Socialist identity and his outspoken criticism of Israel, which contrast with Democrats' historically pro-Israel stance. In stark contrast to that stance, in 2014, Mamdani joined the Boycott, Divest and Sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel, and in 2021 he reaffirmed his support of BDS urging local politicians to support it as well. 

Mamdani: Israel is "not a place" and "not a country" 

In 2023, Mamdani denied Israel's existence, saying Israel is "not a place" and "not a country." After the attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, Mamdani did not specifically mention the terrorist attack, and instead defended his use of the slogan "globalize the intifada," refusing to condemn the phrase and instead saying that "the path toward a just and lasting peace can only begin by ending the occupation and dismantling apartheid." 

Despite the divide in party endorsements, Mamdani has a clear lead in the polls. A new Emerson College Polling/PIX11/The Hill survey of New York City voters finds Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani with 43% support. The survey, which was conducted on September 7-8, shows 28% of registered voters support former governor and independent candidate Andrew Cuomo, 10% support Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa, and 7% support incumbent Mayor Eric Adams for re-election. Nine percent are undecided. The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.9% among 600 voters interviewed.

Furthermore, a New York Times/Siena University poll conducted September 2–6 shows 46% support for Mamdani, 24% support for Cuomo, 15% support for Sliwa and 9% support for Adams, and 5% were undecided out of a pool of 1,284 likely voters. That poll had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.6 percentage points.