A House Democrat from Long Island who is seen as vulnerable in next year’s midterm elections warned on Wednesday that socialist Zohran Mamdani is “too extreme” to lead New York City.
The statement from Rep. Laura Gillen (D-NY) came after former Governor Andrew Cuomo conceded the Democratic Party’s mayoral primary to Mamdani late on Tuesday.
“Socialist Zohran Mamdani is too extreme to lead New York City. His entire campaign has been built on unachievable promises and higher taxes, which is the last thing New York needs,” Gillen said. “Beyond that, Mr. Mamdani has called to defund the police and has demonstrated a deeply disturbing pattern of unacceptable antisemitic comments which stoke hate at a time when antisemitism is skyrocketing. He is the absolute wrong choice for New York.”
Gillen, who is serving her first term after defeating Republican Anthony D’Esposito last November, is one of 26 Democrats that the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) has on its “target list” for the 2026 midterms.
Another New York Democrat whose district is also viewed as a “prime pick-up” opportunity for Republicans to grow their slim majority in the House, Rep. Tom Suozzi, released a skeptical statement regarding Mamdani.
“I had serious concerns about Assemblyman Mamdani before yesterday, and that is one of the reasons I endorsed his opponent,” Suozzi said in a post on X. “Those concerns remain.”
The leading Democrats in the House and Senate, who are both from New York, both complemented Mamdani’s campaign and said they aimed to meet with the candidate sometime in the future.
“Congratulations to Zohran Mamdani on a decisive primary victory. Assemblyman Mamdani ran a strong campaign that relentlessly focused on the economy and bringing down the high cost of living in New York City. We spoke this morning and plan to meet in Central Brooklyn shortly,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) said on X.
“I have known [Mamdani] since we worked together to provide debt relief for thousands of beleaguered taxi drivers & fought to stop a fracked gas plant in Astoria. He ran an impressive campaign that connected with New Yorkers about affordability, fairness, & opportunity,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said. “I spoke with [Mamdani] this morning and am looking forward to getting together soon.”