Democrats hold Socialist Zohran Mamdani at arms length after he declared victory over party’s ‘soul’

Avowed socialist Zohran Mamdani says his mayoral campaign has put progressives in the driver’s seat of the Democratic Party — but establishment Democrats are not ready to take their hands off the wheel.

Mamdani, 33, the party’s nominee in the New York City mayoral race, declared Monday that his proudly socialist campaign “won the battle over the soul of the Democratic Party” before a rally of 3,000 supporters on Monday evening. The Daily Caller News Foundation asked 11 Senate Democrats about Mamdani’s remarks, and they all either sought to distance themselves from the socialist candidate or declined to comment on his place within the party.

“I tend to focus on Michigan and not on Manhattan politics,” Michigan Sen. Elissa Slotkin, a rising star among Democrats, told the DCNF when asked if she agreed that Mamdani’s campaign won the “soul” of the party.

“I just think New York politics are different from Kansas politics, which are different than Michigan politics,” Slotkin added.

“It’s [New York City] not the rest of the country,” Slotkin’s retiring Michigan colleague, Democratic Sen. Gary Peters, told the DCNF.

National Democrats have been cautious about embracing Mamdani following his shock victory over former Democratic New York Governor Andrew Cuomo in the June primary contest. More Democrats have rolled out endorsements in recent weeks as the election enters its final stretch and Mamdani’s commanding lead in polling appears insurmountable for the other candidates in the race.

However, many Democratic lawmakers insist any consequences of Mamdani’s rapid rise for the party should be limited to the city’s five boroughs — and are seeking to hold him at arm’s length.

“I’m one of those persons that said we should bring him into the fold and all this kind of stuff,” Arizona Sen. Ruben Gallego, a Democrat with rumored presidential ambitions, told the DCNF. “Mamdani represents the New York Democratic Party and their establishment, and there’s nothing wrong with that, but it doesn’t mean that his brand would carry somewhere else.”

“You talked to my colleagues from New York? I mean I don’t vote for that guy,” Democratic New Mexico Sen. Ben Ray Lújan told the DCNF.

New York’s two senators, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, the leader of Senate Democrats’ campaign arm, have notably sat on the sidelines of the mayoral contest.

Some national Democrats appear uncomfortable with some of Mamdani’s far-left views and are wary of the socialist candidate damaging the party’s already poor brand, which has plummeted to its lowest point in decades.

Top Republicans, including President Donald Trump, have argued that Mamdani’s socialist politics will be a useful foil for the party’s efforts to win the midterms next year.

Mamdani once called for defunding the police, who he claimed were “racist, anti-queer & a major threat to public safety” during the heyday of the Black Lives Matter protests.

Among the far-left policies on his campaign platform, he wants to freeze the rent and eliminate a gifted program in schools that allows high-achieving children to learn beyond their grade level.

Mamdani also did not condemn the phrase “globalize the intifada,” language many view as a call to violence against Jews and the state of Israel, until after becoming the Democratic nominee for mayor. The socialist candidate has not backtracked from his vow to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if he steps foot in Manhattan during his mayoral tenure.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries has repeatedly dodged questions about why he is dragging his feet on endorsing Mamdani.

Jeffries sidestepped a question from CNN’s Dana Bash on Tuesday, probing whether he thought Mamdani and his movement represent the soul of the party.

“Well, the Democratic Party, of course, is extremely diverse, and it’s represented by people like Mikie Sherrill—,” Jeffries said, referring to an establishment Democrat who is the party’s nominee in the New Jersey gubernatorial race.

“But there’s only one soul,” Bash interjected.

Jeffries continued the interview without directly commenting on the socialist’s place within the party. The minority leader said he would meet with Mamdani again before early voting begins later in October.

Other Democrats gave polite responses to Mamdani’s remarks without sharing their opinion.

“The Democratic Party has a range of views, just like the Republican Party has a range of views,” Democratic Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly, another potential 2028 presidential contender, told the DCNF.

Democratic Delaware Sen. Lisa Blunt Rochester did not comment on the statement, telling the DCNF she had not seen Mamdani’s comments. However, she added that she sees “some positive energy from New York.”

Democratic Sens. Chris Murphy of Connecticut and Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts also declined to comment, claiming they had not seen Mamdani’s remarks.

Warren, a leader of the party’s left flank, was among a handful of congressional Democrats who endorsed Mamdani after his primary win. She campaigned for him in August, praising his campaign’s focus on cost-of-living issues.

Despite many national Democrats’ apparent reticence to embrace Mamdani’s rise, his supporters argue that the socialist candidate is carving a path for Democrats to win back power.

“The Democratic Party has got to shed the influence of the billionaire class and corporations on it, and has got to speak to the needs of the working class,” Independent Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, who endorsed Mamdani ahead of the Democratic mayoral primary, told the DCNF. “And certainly, when Mamdani talks about affordability, he’s speaking the right language.”

A spokesperson for Mamdani did not immediately respond to the DCNF’s request for comment.

Andi Shae Napier and Caden Olson contributed to this report. 

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