Socialist New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani is getting a lot of attention now that he won the Democratic primary race earlier this week. But it isn’t only leftist fans who are chattering about him — Republicans are also taking notice.
Vice President JD Vance, after Mamdani’s victory, referred to him as “the new leader of the Democratic Party” in a post on X.
JD Vance hails Mamdani as the new dem leader on Bluesky. pic.twitter.com/xsueAnzw6N
— Bluesky Libs (@BlueskyLibs) June 25, 2025
Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY) said he fundamentally believes Mamdani “becomes the face of the Democratic Party” and that the Democratic Party needs “to make very clear whether or not they embrace and support him or not,” according to The Independent.
Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) told CNN that Mamdani “will be the single most effective foil for Republicans nationally” and that he personifies the party’s radical shift further to the left.
I would like to thank the Republicans in advance for making Zohran Mamdani the national face of the Democratic Party. pic.twitter.com/xHylbaylK1
— Matt Stoller (@matthewstoller) June 25, 2025
Mamdani has even caught President Donald Trump’s attention. In a post on Truth Social, he said Democrats had “finally crossed the line” by propping up “a 100% Communist Lunatic.”
“We’ve had Radical Lefties before, but this is getting a little ridiculous,” Trump continued. “He looks TERRIBLE, his voice is grating, he’s not very smart.”
Is "Zohran Mamdani" supposed to be hip just because he's a Muslim ~Communist who raps, or are there policy proposals of his that people really love?
— Wilfred Reilly (@wil_da_beast630) June 23, 2025
This is only a smattering of what Republicans are saying about Mamdani — and it’s an effective tactic. The candidate has espoused a series of far-leftist Marxist policies. He has proposed free public transportation, government-owned grocery stores, rent freezes, and several others. As any good socialist would, he plans to impose more taxes on New York City’s wealthy residents.
While voters in the Big Apple might appreciate these policies, they are not as popular across the country. By trying to make Mamdani the face of the party, Republicans can use him to show how radical the party has become.
One of the biggest weaknesses of the Democratic Party over the past election season is that it was clearly out of touch with what most Americans want. This was abundantly clear among young male voters. Elevating someone like Mamdani only shows that Democrats still haven’t learned their lesson.
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