New York City Democrat mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani was reportedly "charming" in his Wednesday meeting with congressional Democrats, who gushed about his charisma and campaign strategies, including the GOP-like use of social media, but not everyone is sold.
"It's hard not to be won over," Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., told reporters after the Mamdani introductory meeting, calling it "fantastic."
"Zohran Mamdani is an incredible talent. He is going to be a great mayor for New York City. I was proud to endorse him before the primary, and he is so smart, so authentic, cares so much about working people and has put together an incredible coalition.
"We're thrilled."
But Jewish Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., have yet to endorse Mamdani – reportedly over his refusal to not condemn "globalize the intifada."
And Pro-Israel Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., is not "thrilled" either.
"Everything that I've read on him, I don't really agree with virtually any of it, politically," Fetterman, a staunch supporter of Israel amid the war with Hamas, said in a televised interview this week.
"That's just where I'm at as a Democrat. He's not even a Democrat, honestly."
In fact, Fetterman fears, Mamdani is giving the Republican Party "an opportunity."
"[It] provided an opportunity for the GOP to brand our party," Fetterman added.
It was perhaps that reason that Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., brought Mamdani to Washington for the meet and greet so skeptics can "get to know him."
"This is not about having any kind of hard-line," she told reporters. "I think if anybody is skeptical, I would say, get to know him. Once you get into a room with him and kick the tires yourself and make your own assessment instead of just kind of making assessments of what you may see on television."
Jayapal, the former leader of the House progressive caucus, countered talk of the GOP "opportunity" to suggest Democrats fearing another skeptical Israel voice are the ones missing an "opportunity."
"He's bringing anybody who can see the reality of his success of his candidacy and his campaign together," Jayapal told reporters. "Anybody that's staying out at this point instead of endorsing this incredible dynamic leader is missing an opportunity."
Schumer met with Mamdani earlier this week and, after that meeting, Mamdani was able to get to the point of saying he would "discourage" talk of "globalize the intifada," but he still stops short of saying he would condemn it.
The New York City Jewish community say that phrase is a call to violence on Jews worldwide.
Jeffries is meeting with Mamdani on Friday.
Mamdani, an avowed democratic socialist, also has a needle to thread on economics in what was once the world's financial capital – a monument to capitalism.
"This guy is not a communist," said Rep. Mark Takano, D-Calif., a rebuttal to President Donald Trump's branding of Mamdani on social media and in news conferences. "He is not a socialist. He is an advocate for small C capitalism."
Eric Mack ✉
Eric Mack has been a writer and editor at Newsmax since 2016. He is a 1998 Syracuse University journalism graduate and a New York Press Association award-winning writer.
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