Mamdani's Failure To Walk Back These Positions Could Cause Reckoning In Democratic Party: 'five-alarm Warning'

Socialist New York City mayoral campaigner Zohran Mamdani has rocketed to frontrunner position successful nan title contempt astir half a twelve far-left positions that he has declined to locomotion back, which could beryllium problematic for nan Democratic Party if he’s victorious.

Mamdani has faced heated disapproval for his support of socialist policies, possibly astir famously his 2021 remarks to a Young Democratic Socialists of America convention wherever he urged attendees not to discuss connected goals for illustration "seizing nan intends of production."

"Right now, if we're talking astir nan cancellation of student debt, if we're talking astir Medicare for all, you know, these are issues which person nan groundswell of celebrated support crossed this country," Mamdani said successful a video to convention goers. "But past location are besides different issues that we firmly judge in, whether it's BDS aliases whether it is nan extremity end of seizing nan intends of production, wherever we do not person nan aforesaid level of support astatine this very moment."

Mamdani spokesperson Andrew Epstein told Politifact, "There is thing successful his level aliases successful his grounds regarding seizing nan intends of production," but Mamdani has not walked backmost his original statement, saying that is his "end goal."

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Zohran Mamdani told CNN connected Thursday that he has "many critiques" of capitalism. (Barry Williams/New York Daily News/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)

Another arguable position Mamdani has taken came successful nan shape of a campaign argumentation archive that explicitly calls for shifting nan city’s taxation load onto "richer and whiter neighborhoods."

"Shift nan taxation load from overtaxed homeowners successful nan outer boroughs to much costly homes successful richer and whiter neighborhoods," nan connection reads. "The spot taxation strategy is unbalanced because appraisal levels are artificially capped, truthful homeowners successful costly neighborhoods salary little than their adjacent share."

Mamdani has not explicitly walked backmost that argumentation point and has defended it successful aggregate interviews including connected Meet nan Press wherever he said, "That is conscionable a explanation of what we spot correct now. It's not driven by race. It's much of an appraisal of what neighborhoods are being under-taxed versus over-taxed."

Mamdani has made it clear he is not a instrumentality of capitalism, including successful an interview pinch CNN successful June.

"No, I person galore critiques of capitalism," he said successful consequence to CNN's Erin Burnett asking him if he likes it. 

Mamdani has faced heated disapproval from Jewish groups successful New York City for a assortment of past statements and positions dating backmost to his assemblage days that are considered anti-Israel, respective of which he is yet to locomotion back.

Mamdani drew nan ire of Jewish groups for a video posted successful December 2024 that mocked Jewish Hanukkah traditions. 

"Our holidays and traditions are ineffable and not for your comedic pleasure, Zohran Mamdani – this is sick,"  Stop Antisemitism said successful consequence to nan video, which Mamdani has not apologized for aliases deleted arsenic of this publication. 

The self-proclaimed antiauthoritarian socialist has refused aggregate times to admit Israel's correct to beryllium arsenic a Jewish state, and he has supported nan BDS activity against Israel.

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Zohran Mamdani, New York City mayoral candidate, during an predetermination nighttime arena successful New York, US, early connected Wednesday, June 25, 2025. (Christian Monterrosa/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

"My support for BDS is accordant pinch my halfway of my politics, which is non-violence," Mamdani said erstwhile pressed connected his BDS support earlier this year. 

BDS is described arsenic "an world run to delegitimize nan State of Israel arsenic nan look of nan Jewish people’s correct to nationalist self-determination by isolating nan state economically done user boycotts, business and authorities withdrawal of investment, and ineligible sanctions," according to Influence Watch. 

Mamdani has also refused to condemn nan word "globalize nan intifada" contempt it wide being accepted arsenic a word justifying unit against Jewish people. 

"My interest is, to commencement to locomotion down nan statement of connection and making clear what connection I judge is permissible aliases impermissible, takes maine into a spot akin to that of nan president, who is looking to do those very kinds of things, putting group successful jailhouse for penning an op-ed, putting them successful jailhouse for protesting," Mamdani told NBC News earlier this year. "Ultimately, it is not connection that I use. It is language, I understand location are concerns about, and what I will do is showcase my imagination for nan metropolis done my words and my actions."

Mamdani infuriated some successful nan Italian-American community, a cardinal voting bloc successful New York City, by calling for a statue of Christopher Columbus to beryllium torn down. In its place, Mamdani suggested a statue of Sacco and Vanzetti, 2 anarcho-communists executed successful 1927, should beryllium erected.

Mamdani has not walked backmost aliases apologized for that position.

One of nan astir highly-talked-about controversies from Mamdani’s run progressive nan revelation that he identified arsenic "Black" and "Asian" connected his assemblage applications. Mamdani, calved successful Uganda to Indian parents, did not apologize for nan move but said checking aggregate boxes was an effort to bespeak his "complex background," not to summation an separator successful nan competitory admissions process.

Many, including a GOP lawmaker successful New York City and Democratic strategist who said to Fox News Digital, person speculated that a Mamdani triumph successful November would put nan Democratic Party successful a reliable position fixed nan assortment of positions Mamdani has not walked backmost on pinch his past support of sage injection sites, free busses, metropolis tally market stores, and defunding nan police.

"His abrupt emergence isn’t conscionable a situation for Democrats — it’s a five-alarm informing for each New Yorker and each American who still believes successful decency, democracy, and communal sense, nary matter their party," NY GOP State Assemblyman Jake Blumencranz, who serves successful nan assembly pinch Mamdani, told Fox News Digital. 

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New York City mayoral campaigner Zohran Mamdani is of Indian descent and was calved successful Uganda. (REUTERS/Bing Guan)

"If this is who nan near chooses to elevate, it’s not conscionable a motion they’ve mislaid their measurement — it’s impervious they’ve abandoned nan values that erstwhile held this federation together. This isn’t nan early of nan Democratic Party — it’s nan unraveling of it."

Former House Judiciary Chief Counsel Julian Epstein, a Democrat, told Fox News Digital he does not judge that Mandai will triumph nan title for mayor, but if he does, "it could beryllium nan opening of a Cold War wrong nan Democratic Party."

"There is conscionable nary measurement that mean and centrist Democrats tin abide by socialism, taste Revolution, and ever bloated use authorities driving america into bankruptcy, and alignment pinch goals of mid eastbound fascist terrorists," Epstein said. "So if he wins, not only will it proceed to descend nan nationalist marque of nan party, it whitethorn portend nan eventual break up of nan statement arsenic we cognize it today."

Fox News Digital’s Michael Dorgan, Anders Hagstrom, and Alec Schemmel contributed to this report