Democratic mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani takes the stage at his primary night victory party on Wednesday, June 25, 2025, in New York City. (Heather Khalifa/AP Photo)
While many progressives cheered Mamdani's victory, saying it was a "clear rejection of the old guard," more moderate Democrats are in panic mode over what his win means for the party.
And Mamdani's primary performance raised fears that a general election victory by the Ugandan-born 33-year-old state assemblyman from Queens – who took a major step toward becoming the first Muslim mayor of the nation's most populous city – will only fuel GOP attacks on the party.
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Since his primary victory, Republicans have relentlessly painted Mamdani as an extremist and anchored him to Democrats across the country ahead of next year's midterm elections.
The attacks stretched from down ballot on the campaign trail all the way up to the White House, with President Donald Trump claiming that Mamdani was "a 100% Communist Lunatic."
Amid the barrage of Mamdani-focused headlines and political rhetoric, some of his rivals are mulling a plan to try and derail him by joining forces in the general election.
New York Mayor Eric Adams speaks during a campaign launch rally at City Hall, June 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
And in an interview with CNBC, Adams said that in a recent conversation, the former governor asked him to step aside.
"I said, 'Andrew, are you that level of arrogant? I'm the sitting mayor!'" Adams said of his conversation with Cuomo. "I'm the sitting mayor of New York City when you just lost to Zohran by 12 points."
Adams' poll numbers were sinking even before he was indicted last year on five counts, which accused the mayor of bribery and fraud as part of an alleged "long-running" scheme to personally profit from contacts with foreign officials.
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The mayor made repeated overtures to President Donald Trump, and the Justice Department earlier this year dismissed the corruption charges, so Adams could potentially work with the Trump administration on its illegal immigration crackdown.
"Mayor Adams did not run in the Democratic primary because he knew he was anathema to Democrats and unelectable. Nothing has changed," Azzopardi claimed.
Mamdani surged to a primary victory thanks to an energetic campaign that put a major focus on affordability and New York City's high cost of living.
Mamdani made smart use of social media platforms, including TikTok, as he engaged low-propensity voters. He proposed eliminating fares to ride New York City's vast bus system, making CUNY (City University of New York) "tuition-free," freezing rents on municipal housing, offering "free childcare" for children up to age 5, and setting up government-run grocery stores.
And thanks in part to the efforts of a massive grassroots army of volunteers, he rode a wave of support from younger and progressive voters to catapult into first place.
And it's reignited the debate over whether the party's policy, or messaging, was to blame for last November's election setbacks, when Democrats lost control of the White House and Senate, and failed to win back the House majority.
Progressive Change Campaign Committee co-founder Stephanie Taylor told Fox News that Mamdani's "victory shows that a new direction for the Democratic Party is possible – a future of dynamic candidates who appeal to young and working-class voters with a platform that fights for people, not corporations."
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Matt Bennett, executive vice president for the moderate Democratic-aligned group the Third Way, acknowledged that Mamdani "focused on affordability," which he said is "great."
Bennett added Mamdani is "young, charismatic, a great communicator. All that is great. We want to see that."
But Bennett told Fox News "the problem is he has the wrong prescription."
Paul Steinhauser is a politics reporter based in the swing state of New Hampshire. He covers the campaign trail from coast to coast."
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/plot-stop-mamdani-democrats-scramble-block-far-left-takeover-new-york