Democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani nabbed the key endorsement of longtime state Sen. John Liu in the New York City mayoral race on Monday — despite their major differences on Israel.
Liu, a trailblazing Asian American politician from Queens, didn’t shy away from noting his “big differences” with the pro-Palestinian state Assemblyman, even as he urged New York Democrats to rank Mamdani first in the June 24 primary.
“He and I have a big disagreement, which is the issue of Israel and how the Jewish community needs to be viewed in this social climate,” Liu told reporters outside City Hall.
“And though I differ from him, we have had honest conversations, and he’s never lost in his integrity in the process,” Liu said.
When pressed for details on the scope of their disagreements — both Queens politicians largely avoided specifics.
“Zohran has made many statements in the past, I don’t agree with a lot of them when it comes to Israel and the Jewish people,” Liu, a longtime Democrat representing northern Queens, said.
Though reporters asked him to elaborate, Mamdani avoided mentioning any of his more controversial views — like his support of the Palestinian-led Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions or BDS movement — which actively encourages the US to remove financial support from Israel.
“My politics is rooted in a politics of nonviolence,” Mamdani said.
“I have often looked to the (Israeli) hostage families for guidance and thinking about how to speak and engage with this question of horror over the last 18 months. What they have told us is their phrase ‘everyone for everyone’ that we are all linked together,” he said.
Liu went on to praise Mamdani’s grassroot fundraising efforts, emphasizing that he was not beholden to any major donors.
Mamdani also highlighted his proposal to create a department of community safety, which would address hate crime and tackle antisemitism, he says.
“I say this as a Muslim New Yorker, we have seen anti Semitic incidents increase in this city, we have seen Islamophobic incidents increase in this city, and we need a mayor who can understand the innate humanity in each and every New Yorker and who will protect each New Yorker,” Mamdani asserted.