Republicans are seeking to use Zohran Mamdani’s apparent win in New York City’s Democratic primary to put Democrats on defense in House and Senate races ahead of 2026.
A number of House Democrats facing competitive reelection bids have already moved to distance themselves from Mamdani, while House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D) and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D) stopped short of endorsing Mamdani following his win on Wednesday.
Mamdani’s affiliation with the Democratic Socialists of America, coupled with other far-left-leaning views is giving Republicans fodder to target Democrats in New York and beyond.
“Every Democrat in America is going to have to answer for these insane positions,” Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) told The Hill. “They own him. This is how radicalized their party has become.”
The National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) tied progressives in Minnesota and Michigan to Mamdani in a statement following his presumed win on Wednesday.
“The grassroots Democrat energy behind socialist Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan and radical Peggy Flanagan in Minnesota is a serious threat to everything Americans elected President Trump and Senate Republicans to protect,” said NRSC communications director Joanna Rodriguez.
In a separate statement, National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) said every “vulnerable House Democrat will own” Mamdani.
Reps. Laura Gillen (D-N.Y.) and Tom Suozzi (D-N.Y.), who are both facing competitive reelection bids, distanced themselves from Mamdani on Wednesday. Gillen referred to Mamdani as a “socialist” and “too extreme” in a statement, saying he is “the absolute wrong choice for New York.”
Suozzi noted that the concerns he had about Mamdani prior to the primary “remain.”
The two top Democrats on Capitol Hill, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) offered neutral takes on the race, congratulating Mamdani but stopping short of endorsing him.
“Every race is different and everyone's politics are different,” said Antjuan Seawright, an adviser to Jeffries. “We must give everyone breathing room to do what's necessary in order for us to accomplish our mission in the House.”
Former NRCC communications director Chris Pack said the mayoral primary results are “a powder keg” that is “waiting to explode for Democrats.”
“I’ve never seen such measured responses like we have seen from people like Jeffries and Schumer. It represents an ongoing passing of the torch from the old guard of the party to the younger generation that is far more extreme in their views,” Pack said.
Republicans are also trying to drag Mamdani into some of the region’s marquee governors’ races.
Potential New York Republican gubernatorial candidates are also looking to cash in on Mamandani’s win. Stefanik and Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.) both sent out fundraising appeals, tying incumbent Gov. Kathy Hochul (R-N.Y.) to the likely Democratic nominee for New York City mayor.
The Republican Governors Association also sought to tie New Jersey Democratic gubernatorial nominee Rep. Mikie Sherrill (D-N.J.) to Mamdani in a statement on Thursday.
“It’s not that hard to disavow socialism, and Mikie Sherrill’s official comments saying she shares the goals of Socialist Zohran Mamdani is not only absurd, but it is disqualifying, period full stop,” the group said in a statement.
Sherrill noted that she has disagreements with Mamdani in a statement, but agreed with him that affordability is a major issue for voters.
“Voters want leaders who understand their daily struggles and are willing to throw out the old playbook to solve them, and while I have plenty of disagreements with Mr. Mamdani, I share his voters’ goal of making life more affordable,” Sherrill said. “I’m focused on my race and bringing costs down in New Jersey.”
Some Democrats who supported former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) in the primary argue that the GOP attacks are a natural consequence of Mamdani’s win.
“New York City primary voters have just handed Donald Trump a gift,” said Jon Reinish, a New York-based Democratic strategist. “Zohran Mamdani’s politics only translate and only are a thing in the most liberal districts in a primary.”
Others note that the Mamdani’s upset win cannot be translated across the midterm map.
“A Democratic primary for a mayoral race certainly doesn’t define the map or the math,” Seawright said.
However, Republicans say that New York City’s sheer size and status as an economic giant allows Republicans to paint with a broad brush.
“This is New York. It’s an emblem of America," said Republican strategist Matt Beynon. “It is uniquely different.”
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) said that efforts from their counterparts at the NRCC ultimately amounted to a distraction from Trump’s legislative agenda.
“The NRCC is desperate to change the subject from the big, ugly bill, because they know their plans to strip health care and food assistance from everyday Americans to give tax cuts to the ultra-wealthy will cost them the House majority,” DCCC spokesman Viet Shelton said in a statement to The Hill.
And it would not be the first time Republicans sought to tie Democrats, particularly in New York, to the city’s mayor. Last year, Republicans worked to tie New York Democrats to New York City Mayor Eric Adams (D) in the wake of his indictment on federal corruption charges.
A number of New York-area House Democrats won their reelection bids, but Trump improved his performance in New York City and New York State last year.
“It would be malpractice, frankly, not to highlight what’s going on in New York and saying this is what they want, this is the America they envision, and do you really want this?” Beynon, the GOP strategist, said.
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