Former Clinton pollster Mark Penn warned on Wednesday that Democratic mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani of New York City poses a major threat to the Democratic Party.
Mamdani, a democratic socialist who campaigned on a slew of left-wing policies, including city-run grocery stores, a $30 minimum wage and has espoused anti-Israel views, won the New York City Democratic mayoral primary in June. Penn, on “America’s Newsroom,” said Mamdani’s views are “extreme,” but that he could become mayor if he manages to frame the race as him versus President Donald Trump, rather than competing with other mayoral candidates.
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“This is a 911 moment for the Democratic Party in the sense that he’s an antisemitic socialist. I think you have to throw both of those things at him because he has really not disavowed the global intifada. He has not really disavowed his comments that we should seize the means of production,” Penn said. “He is perhaps the most extreme major candidate ever to win such a major office. And the system itself, the primary system, has been hijacked. There normally would have been a run-off, which would have then exposed his views rather than his smiling through the primaries.”
“But I think that it’s absolutely essential here that this not become Mamdani versus Trump,” he continued. “That’s his strategy. If he can get rid of the idea that there are two other candidates or maybe one other candidate opposing him and he’s running against Trump, well, you know, he’ll win that one.”
Fox News host Dana Perino asked why Mamdani could succeed with that strategy.
“Because the Democrats got 68% of the vote in New York City. So therefore, I think Mamdani’s point is to make it him against Trump, win 60, you know, 60-40 or something like that,” Penn responded. “And the other Democratic candidates have to come in here and say, no, this is about the future of the city and how we save it and how we reduce crime, not defund it, how we bring business and jobs here, not run them away, and how we make Jews as comfortable as any other minority to live in New York City.”
Mamdani, speaking to “Meet the Press” on Sunday, failed to directly condemn the controversial phrase “globalize the intifada,” which is widely perceived as a call to violence against Jewish people.
“That’s not language that I use. The language that I use and the language that I will continue to use to lead the city is that which speaks clearly to my intent, which is an intent grounded in a belief in universal human rights,” Mamdani said. “And ultimately that’s what is the foundation of so much of my politics. The belief that freedom and justice and safety are things that to have meaning have to be applied to all people. And that includes Israelis and Palestinians as life.”
ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith also warned on “The Stephen A. Smith Show” Monday that Democrats will be electorally doomed if they embrace Mamdani’s socialist politics.
“If the Democratic Party becomes him, you have no chance,” Smith said.
“You might have a democratic socialist sprinkled here and there — but that ain’t what America is! America is about capitalism!” he added. “America is about dollars and cents! America is about an economy, a flourishing economy, okay!?” he continued. “And you know what it’s not about!? Free stuff.”
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