Rashida Tlaib, Ilhan Omar and other Muslim American members of Congress extended support for Zohran Mamdani as he came under a vicious attack after emerging as the winner of the Democratic primary of the New York mayor election after Andrew Cuomo conceded the election. Mamdani has been called ‘little Muhammad’, ‘snake oil salesman’ as the Republicans called for his deportation. Apart from the Muslim American members of Congress, Bernie Sanders issued a statement of support for Mamdani. “The vile, anti-Muslim, and racist smears from our colleagues on both sides of the aisle attacking Zohran Mamdani cannot be met with silence,” the statement issued by Tlaib, Omar, Andre Carson and Lateefah Simon read.“These hateful, Islamophobic, and racist tropes have become so entrenched and normalized in our politics. We know these attacks all too well. At a time of increased violence against elected officials, we cannot allow the attacks on Zohran Mamdani to continue. They directly contribute to the ongoing dehumanization and violence against Muslim Americans. We unequivocally reject the normalization of anti-Muslim hate and fearmongering and call on elected leaders across our country to speak out,” the statement read.Bernie Sanders said the establishment went into panic after Mandani won. “Billionaires are raising money against him; Trump is ranting; Islamophobes are on the loose. They know what we know: Candidates who stand boldly with the working class can win not only in NYC, but anywhere. Let’s stand with Zohran,” Bernie Sanders said. Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon threatened to investigate Zohran Mamdani over his proposal to tax ‘whiter neighborhoods’ in NYC if he becomes the mayor. “Racial discrimination is illegal in the United States – period. Full stop! The illegal discriminatory scheme described by Mamdani would violate federal constitutional and statutory norms, and might even violate New York law,” Dhillon said on the Benny Johnson show.
NYC elites hatch ‘Stop Mamdani’ plan
New York City business owners met with incumbent mayor Eric Adams to hatch a plot to stop Mamdani’s rise. The plan was around Adams becoming an independent mayor candidate and not a Democrat. Several business owners expressed concern about Mamdani’s policy platform, especially his tax policies, and how they could impact their businesses going forward. Whitney Tilson, a former hedge fund manager, told the NYT that Mamdani is a “Trojan Horse” who is “totally unqualified to be mayor of one of the world’s largest, most complex cities.“