Mamdani doubles down on AIPAC attacks in NYC primaries, but low early voter turnout could signal trouble
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani is accused of using anti-Israel tropes to mobilize voters in the city's Democratic primaries and get three handpicked left-of-center U.S. House candidates over the finish line.
It started last week when Mamdani tried to mobilize votes for Brad Lander, Claire Valdez and Darializa Avila Chevalier by going after AIPAC, a pro-Israel lobbying group that he referred to as "monsters."
"An AIPAC for whom the only thing more frightening than democracy being allowed to run its course is an end to genocide and Netanyahu's wars," he said.
Mamdani goes after AIPAC
On Monday, the mayor doubled down on his AIPAC attack, in effect blaming the group for the deaths of Palestinians in Gaza.
"I think that it is important that when we ask ourselves how such death and destruction is happening overseas, we also name those who allow it to take place," Mamdani said.
Jewish leaders said the mayor's remarks were reckless and added to antisemitism.
"He's turning to AIPAC and saying, 'AIPAC desires genocide.' He's saying that I, a supporter of AIPAC, desire genocide," said Rabbi Chaim Steinmetz, senior rabbi at Congregation Kehilath Jeshurun on the Upper East Side.
Low early voter turnout
Mamdani's AIPAC attack Monday came as the NYC Board of Elections reported a little less than 173,000 New Yorkers went to the polls during early voting, stoking fears that his endorsed candidates could be in trouble.
"The mayor knows that the only way he has success is if there's large turnout of people that are not really interested in politics. That's not happening this time," political analyst JC Polanco said. "What he's doing is politicizing Palestine, politicizing Israel, politicizing what's happening in the Middle East to try to see if he could excite the same people that came out to support him last year."
A political gamble
Mamdani's attempt to unseat two sitting members of Congress, Rep. Dan Goldman and Rep. Adriano Espaillat, is a risk. He's putting his political brand on the line by bucking the wishes of Gov. Kathy Hochul and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries.
Jewish leaders add the strategy to attack AIPAC is dangerous, too, because Mamdani could be blamed for any rise in antisemitism and face calls that he's not a mayor for all people.
If the mayor succeeds, however, he'll help establish socialism as a political power in New York, especially considering two of his endorsed candidates were relatively unknown before the campaign.
