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Here's Who Radical New York Mayoral Candidate Says He Has Support From

Rebecca Downs
Rebecca Downs  |  June 12, 2025 6:30 PM

The NYC Democratic mayoral primary will be held later this month, and this time it involves rank choice voting. Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo is expected to do well, though he has had competition from Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani, a radical leftist who is also a Democratic socialist and often spews pro-Hamas propaganda. That Mamdani would have the support of Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), a key member of the Squad, is not at all surprising. There's other New York Democrats he says he has the support from, and while such support is also not surprising, it may not exactly be a winning message.

Mamdani is not only touting the support from AOC, but also a former Squad member, now former Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-NY). As we covered all throughout last June, Bowman was polling behind now Rep. George Latimer, who ultimately defeated him in the June 25 primary. The mayoral primary this year will take place that same Tuesday, which is on June 24 this year. 

Bowman, who introduced himself in a video clip as Dr. Jamaal Bowman, former Bronx congressman and middle school principal, went after Cuomo before sharing his supporting for Mamdani, claiming that "as governor, Andrew Cuomo took from our kids and gave to his billionaire friends," also adding that "my students never got what they deserve."

That's when the former congressman shared his support for Mamdani, halfway through the ad. Bowman describes Mamdani as someone who "is for and delivered for us!" Bowman shares some of Mamdani's platform ideas, such as how he will "freeze the rent, make childcare and buses free, bring down the cost of groceries, and he'll ensure every single child gets an excellent education!" 

"Let's build a city our kids deserve," Bowman says to conclude the video spot. Sure enough, the video ad also touts the endorsement of AOC as well as Public Advocate Jumane Williams. 

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Bowman's own X feed is full of posts about Mamdani, as well as other pro-Hamas propaganda, such as Greta Thunberg, who had the audacity to claim she was "kidnapped" by Israel after they intercepted her vessel on the way to Gaza and even claimed that the footage of October 7 the Israelis tried to show her, which she refused, was "propaganda."

As we covered at the time, Bowman lost in large part due to the pro-Hamas propaganda he spewed, which came back to haunt him ahead of the primary against Latimer, a pro-Israel Democrat. Bowman even claimed that reports of Jewish women being raped by Hamas terrorists following the October 7, 2023 was "propaganda," and though he apologized repeatedly once such comments resurfaced months later, it came too little too late. He also went after the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) both before and after he lost. 

Mamdani's own social media feed has been full of concerning posts about Israel and those groups who claim to be Jewish but also against Zionism and have been part of those sharing pro-Hamas propaganda. 

Having a mayor who is as less than friendly to Israel as Mamdani is, as well as those who support him--like AOC and Bowman--will be an interesting tun for New York City. It would not merely represent a sharp shift to the left, but also shows how much the Democratic Party has turned against Israel. This would be particularly noteworthy, as New York City has the largest Jewish population outside of Israel. 

In addition to the issue of antisemitism and support for Israel, Mamdani is aggressively pro-illegal immig rant, even trying to confront Tom Homan, the border czar. Combining both the issues of antisemitism and immigration, Mamdani has been in strong and consistent support for Mahmoud Khalil, a foreign-born activist who led pro-Hamas activity at Columbia University and also participated in it at its sister school, Barnard College, even after he already graduated. As we covered at the time, a U.S. district judge out of New Jersey ruled on Wednesday that the Trump administration cannot deport or detain Khlail, though the administration has until Friday to appeal. 

Cuomo, in contrast, has made his campaign about standing up to antisemitism, and has predicted Jewish voters could decide the race. 

That Mamdani is touting the support of a loser who has also played the victim card and made everything about race is a curious strategy. We're less than two weeks away from the anniversary of Bowman's loss, as well as potentially the loss of his preferred candidate. 

Polling shows Cuomo with a lead over Mamdani, though the latter has shared news about polls showing him in the lead with two weeks to go. It's worth noting that that poll is not rank-choice. 

Current Mayor Eric Adams will run for reelection as an independent. The Democratic field is a crowded ones, as other candidates include Adrienne Adams, with AOC pointing out she'd rank her second, while she wouldn't rank Cuomo at all. Brad Lander, the New York City comptroller, is one of the other candidates running as a Democrat. Curtis Silwa is once more running as a Republican.