A top staffer for Zohran Mamdani, the leading socialist candidate for New York City mayor, appeared to support naming a street after Luigi Mangione, who is accused of fatally shooting UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, the Daily Caller reported.
Julian Gerson, the political director for Mamdani's mayoral campaign, expressed apparent admiration for a murder suspect and said he hoped to one day drive down a street bearing the man's name.
In a Dec. 29 Facebook post, an account under Gerson's name linked to an opinion piece that praised Mangione, who is charged with murder in the killing of 50-year-old Thompson on Dec. 4.
"He is adored not only because he dared to target a leader of one of the most vile, self-enriching industries darkening our society today, but because he dared to defy the stasis of nihilistic rejection," Gerson wrote of Mangione.
In the comment section of his post, Gerson responded to another user by saying he was "looking forward to driving down Mangione Avenue a few decades from now."
According to his LinkedIn profile, Gerson has served as Mamdani's political director since March. It also notes previous work for Antonio Delgado's 2018 congressional campaign and the House Judiciary Committee Democrats.
As Mamdani's political director, Gerson holds a significant role in shaping campaign messaging and conducting outreach, particularly among young and progressive voters.
Mamdani, a self-described democratic socialist, leads the field in polling for the New York City mayoral race, according to Pix11 News. His campaign platform includes raising the minimum wage, taxing corporations, and introducing "city-owned grocery stores."
The killing of Thompson, a father of two, sparked national outrage and widespread condemnation. After a manhunt, Mangione was captured and charged with premeditated murder.
Attorney General Pam Bondi announced on April 1 that the Department of Justice would pursue the death penalty if Mangione is convicted.
"Luigi Mangione's murder of Brian Thompson — an innocent man and father of two young children — was a premeditated, cold-blooded assassination that shocked America," Bondi wrote.
Despite the gravity of the crime, some voices on the political left have expressed sympathy for Mangione. In an April CNN appearance, former Washington Post columnist Taylor Lorenz called him "morally good" and "handsome."
"Because if Mangione is useful for something (other than kicking off the next class revolution), it's as an avatar for understanding millions of Americans growing dangerously aloof, isolating from others and themselves, and increasingly vindictive towards a world that feels more exclusionary and predetermined by the day," Gerson wrote.
The New York City primaries are scheduled for Tuesday. On Sunday, former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo received the endorsement of former President Bill Clinton.
Mamdani leads the polling field and has received endorsements, including from Newark, New Jersey, Mayor Ras Baraka.
Jim Thomas ✉
Jim Thomas is a writer based in Indiana. He holds a bachelor's degree in Political Science, a law degree from U.I.C. Law School, and has practiced law for more than 20 years.